Module 5

Acknowledging and catering for diverse learners.

Part 1
Quality Teaching needs to respond to the diversity of learners in New
Zealand schools.
Explain your understanding of the concept of Diverse Learners and the
implications of this on teaching.
Diversity in its broadest sense can be defined as different and in context
of the diversity of our learners in school, pupils reason for differences are
myriad. These include personality, culture, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation, age and a host of others. Consideration should also be given
to second language learners, returning older students, learners from
different socio-economic backgrounds and disabilities [sensory, mobility
and hidden disabilities]. In New Zealand the specific cultural needs and
the legal rights of Maori and Pasifika students need to be taken into
account.
As teachers in the New Zealand context we need to be aware of the
complex diversity issues and how this can relate to quality teaching
practice, benefits to the community, law, equal opportunities, human
rights and education. As New Zealand is also a signatory to the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights which firmly entrenches the rights of learners
to participate in education as a means to realize their aspirations.
In order for teachers to address diversity principles and approaches, we
need to know how to design, deliver and evaluate learning opportunities
to help meet the needs of a diverse student body. The challenge of
teaching diverse learners start the moment teachers begin planning ways
to connect their students with the subject matter they intend to teach
Darling-Hammond, 2005.
How different learn students learn should shape and give direction to how
teachers can determine the learning needs of diverse students in terms of
students learning patterns and their current educational and cultural
backgrounds. Students who may experience personal issues on the home
front may find it difficult to access safe environments to learn when out of
the school context. The use of learning technologies must be accessible to
students with cognitive impairments as they will need additional support
with assessments. Teachers need to work with whole school strategies to
address the needs of physically impaired students who will need to be
able to access classrooms and other learning environments. Failure for

schools to do so may be excluding these students. The potential for the

learning environment to be compromised by students who hold very
strong views about race, religion or sexuality and who may find it difficult
to cope with an objective open discussion with students with different
opinions and views requires a great of circumspection by the teacher.
Some of the collaboration around meeting diverse student needs include:
* Aligned, Rigorous and Relevant Curriculum and assessments
* Diagnostic Thinking to Focus Learning and Results
* Strategy Toolkit for Student-Centred Learning
* Personal Connection because Relationships make learning possible
How this therefore translates into practice is that we need to develop skills
in creating an inclusive learning environment. Teachers must avoid
cultural stereotypes and gendered [read sexist language] or ethnically
biased language or visual images and being aware of the potential impact
on learning of earlier educational or cultural experiences.

References:
1. Darling-Hammond, L. The Right to Learn: A Blueprint for creating
schools that work.
(1997)
2. Olinghouse,N. Designing Lessons for Diverse Learners. (2008)
3. Mazur,A.J., Doran, P.R. Teaching Diverse Learners: Principles for Best
Practice. (2010)

Part 2
Ka Hikitia Managing for success
Target group and content.
Ka Hikitia is talking to us about Maori student achievement so that Maori
students are provided the opportunity to gain the skills, qualifications and
knowledge they need to be able to enjoy and achieve education success a
Maori.
Main Ideas
There is a special dispensation Ka Hikitia to accelerate the strategies to lift
Maori achievement.
Recognize success and increase pace for more gains.
It guarantees quality education to ensure Maori students are succeeding
and achieving.
Stakeholders include whanau, hapu, iwi and education professionals and
providers.
Strategy focus areas are identified.
How the document will support teaching practice in relation to
NZC
Provision of learning experiences that need to meet the specific needs of
individual Maori students. The quality of reports on Maori student
achievement for the board and the school community. Using analysed
Maori student data to inform school review and policy development-m has
implications for how we structure assessments.

In our P.E. lessons we are trying to engage both the parent community and the
wider sports community to assist or Maori learners to excel in the various sport
disciplines as well as to in their Assessment standards.New Zealand Rugby
League (NZRL) is working with the Ministry of Education to take learning out to
communities and in to spaces where whnau naturally meet up where groups of
parents and their tamariki meet regularly to play and learn. Children and their
parents learn together, while parents support each other. It aims to give whnau
what they want in terms of early learning for their tamariki. Strong communities
create strong young people. Everyone benefits from that. There has been a
marked improvement in student abilities.

Tataiko: Cultural Competencies for Teachers of Maori

Language.
Target Group and content.

Teachers, Teacher educators, Early childhood services and schools and

their understanding of their students history, tikanga and how this is
reflected in the classroom curriculum and environment.
Main Ideas.
Teachers knowledge of their students history, tikanga and worlview.
How these are reflected in the classroom curriculum and environment.
How the document will support teaching practice in relation to
NZC
Tatiako has been developed to help teachers about what it takes to
successfully teach Maori learners. It also provides teachers with
information, prompts and questions to stimulate thinking and discussion
about our current practice and how responsive that practice is to the
specific learning and cultural need of Maori learners. Engage whanau in
the teaching
process by having open channels of communication to address student
achievement and monitoring progress. Communities can play a part in the
intervention process. Accessing community resources like lending libraries
can be designed to accelerate literacy. Reciprocal Teaching goes a long
way in addressing literacy.
Ako describes the teaching and learning relationship where the teacher is
also learning from the school and is grounded in the principle of
reciprocity and recognizes that the learner and whanau cannot be
separated.
Ako is a reciprocal learning relationship. Teachers are not expected to know
everything. In particular, ako suggests that each member of the classroom or
learning setting brings knowledge with them from which all are able to learn.

Keown, Parker, and Tiakiwai, 2005, p.12

Teachers need to realize that they do not know everything and that they can
engage students in a collaborative process to find information and make
meaning of the learning process. When students are consulted in this manner it
enhance the learning as they start to take ownership and feel an intergral part of
the teaching and learning in the classes.
This will help assist teachers in developing more culturally responsive:
relationships with Mori learners, whnau, hap and Mori communities
learning environments, and
teaching approaches and practices.

Inclusive Education Guide for schools

Target group and content.
Learners with diverse needs. Provides New Zealand teachers with practical
strategies, suggestions and resources to support learners with diverse
needs.
Main Ideas.
Includes guides for:

ADHD and learning

Universal Design for Learning
Dylexia and learning
Leading schools that include all learners
Deterring and responding to bullying behaviour
Behaviour and learning
How the document will support teaching practice in relation to
NZC
Ensure school-wide inclusive education practices especially for teachers in
the classroom.
Has implications for differentiated learning. Create a supportive learning
environment.
Identifying needs and strengths and accessing support. Supporting key
areas of learning and well-being: reading, writing and spelling.
Strategically resourcing for inclusive practices includes planning and
identifying student needs. Maximizing teaching and learning opportunities
including curriculum and teaching resources.
Need to use group setting to facilitate learning in manageable groups. We
need to include all students regardless of their diversity in the normal
stream. There should be no special dispensation that would identify them
as diverse especially using the withdrawal system.
RTLB teachers should support the teacher in specialist knowledge rather
than taking them out of the class.
Use Resource Learning Better Together in your classrooms as it details
what learning strategies and specific resource materials that can be
accessed to promote more efficient learning.

Pacifika Education Plan 2013-2017

Target group and content.
Pasifika students to ensure that they gain the knowledge and skills
necessary to do well for themselves, their communities, New Zealand, the
Pacific region and the world.
Main Ideas.
The Pasifika education plan sets out the goals, targets and outlines the
action plan for 2013-2017.
Outlines programs and initiatives for parents, families and communities.
Pasifika parents, families and communities support and champion their
childrens learning and achievements.

How the document will support teaching practice in relation to

NZC
Need to look at the vision of the Pacifika Education Plan:
Five out of five Pacifika learners participating, engaging and
achieving in education, secure in their identities, language
and cultures and contributing fully to Aotearoa New Zealands
social, cultural and economic well-being.
[PEP
2013-2017]
Provide a quality and empowering learning environment for pacifika
learners. Improve learning outcomes for learners. Provide relevant
learning pathways that meet their own learning needs and aspirations.
Teachers need to set up high expectations and academic challenges .
Learning about greetings in class is making connections with your
students. Learn their names and how to pronounce them correctly to
make meaningful connections with your students.
Incorporate some traditional activities in your classroom eg. making a
Tapa which has interesting applications for your lessons. In literacy select
writings in Pacifika languages to get pupils to make connections with
language learning starting with the familiar and then on to explore other
experiences.
Use engagement initiatives such as Pacifika School Community Liason
Project to engage with parents, families, communities and schools to
guide your lesson interaction.
Use e-Asttle data to identify focus students [Pasifika] and develop
teaching strategies to address focus areas and improving performance.
In Health and Physical Education some lessons can be structured around
health issues that are peculiar to the Pacifika community. Incorporating
traditional games in assessing performance in a physical activity.
The NZC gives the broad framework , it is therefore the task of the teacher
to make it relevant in the classroom and foster cross curricular
integration.
PEP key ideas
* Accelerating student achievement increasing students presence ,
engagement and achievement . What are they getting out the lessons.
* Culturally responsive practice- who our students are and what they have
an interest in.
* increasing responsibility and accountability.
* Using students identify(ies), languages) and cultures as levers to
support achievement.
* Connected approach: school, communities
* empowering parents and communities to support their childrens
learning

English Language Learning Progressions

Target group and content.

ESOL specialist and mainstream teachers need to know about English

Language Learners.
Main Ideas.
Teachers will be able to choose content, vocabulary and task that are
appropriate to each learners age, stage and language-learning needs.
Other learners can also benefit from the additional language support.
Indications of how English Language Learning Progressions relate to levels
of the curriculum.
Four booklets for ELLP resource.

How the document will support teaching practice in relation to

NZC
Teachers need to look at prioritized outcomes using a wide range of
assessment approaches. Look at strategies that that support learning area
[listening, speaking, reading and writing], vocabulary and student
thinking. Integrate content-area teaching and language learning in
mainstream subject classrooms.
The wide range of learning resources can be used in the classroom to
create programs to accelerate learning and engaging students.
ESOL progress assessment guidelines can be used in the classroom:
Provides information about a range of assessment tools and processes used in
New Zealand schools.
Explains how these tools can be used to assess the language learning needs and
describe the progress of English language learners.
Discusses the purpose of diagnostic, formative and summative assessment.

References:
Keown, P., Parker, L., & Tiakiwai, S. (2005). Values in the New Zealand curriculum: A
literature review on values in the curriculum. Report for the Ministry of Education, New
Zealand by the Wilf Malcolm Institute of Educational Research, School of Education, The
University of Waikato.
Erlam, R. (n.d.). Learning languages in the New Zealand curriculum: Implications for
pedagogy and assessment . The University of Auckland.
Crabbe, D. (2005).The essence of learning second languages in the New Zealand school
context . Paper prepared for the Ministry of Education's New Zealand Curriculum
Marautanga Project.