Facilitate shared learning
This aspect of effective pedagogy is underpinned by the community engagement principle. It supports students to develop the key competency relating to others.
Sharing language and understandings
Shared learning is about students and teachers working co-operatively and collaboratively with each other to build language and understanding. It also involves engaging with family and whānau in learning-focused activities and conversations.
How might I do this?
Students could explore the cultural as well as scientific terms for the same or similar processes by discussing their ideas with parents or whānau. For example, students might construct a chart that pairs the agricultural science and cultural terms for production processes involved in the growing of taro or kumara, the raising of pigs, or fishing protocols.
Ako is fundamental
In any learning community, the Māori concept of ako is fundamental. Ako means the teacher is also a learner, and students are also teachers. In other words, everyone is a learner, learning conversations are encouraged, and reflexive discourse builds the language needed to take learning further.
How might I do this?
Students self-select a topic, for example, paua gathering. They then investigate and report back on methods used for gathering paua, including harvesting protocols and how these link to sustainable production processes.
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Build learning communities and learning partnerships
In a learning community, there are no passengers – all are participants; everyone is involved in learning-focused discussion and has opportunities to support, challenge, and give and receive feedback.
How might I do this?
Students research an agricultural or horticultural issue as a group, consider the evidence for differing views, discuss solutions, and recommend possible action based on scientific evidence.
What this might look like
For example, a proposal to construct a wind farm on local farmland has led to very divergent views, sometimes heated, being expressed. Students in small groups canvas local groups to identify opinions, evidence, facts, and assumptions. They use the information collected in this way to develop a recommendation on the proposal and then present their findings, backed by appropriate evidence, to the company. They could do this using any combination of visual, written, or oral formats.
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Last updated December 5, 2011
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