Kia ora koutou and welcome to our March newsletter for English, ESOL and Literacy Online.
This month we acknowledge the huge disruption to the teaching community in Christchurch and send our warmest thoughts in these tough times to teachers, educators and students as they struggle to get to grips with the enormous changes to their day-to-day lives.
The work on the website continues in the areas of secondary literacy and literacy leadership, as well as further resource development for ESOL which will be coming online at the end of June.
All the best for the remainder of the first term.
Nga mihi nui,
Dr Phil Coogan - Project director
Maria Lute – Project manager
Cognition Education for the NZ Ministry of Education.
In this issue
News from:
Literacy Online
English Online
ESOL Online
Literacy Online
Kia ora and welcome from Chris Henderson.
Since the last newsletter the world of many teachers, children and educators has changed vastly as a result of the Christchurch earthquake and I write this following the commemorative memorial service held in Christchurch today in honour of those who lost their lives as a result. I also write this at a time when most Christchurch schools have re-opened and there is some sense for students of getting back to what can only be a new ‘normal’ for most people in our city. It is timely to again thank the leaders and teachers of our Christchurch schools who did a wonderful job of keeping all students safe whilst they waited for family and whanau to collect them that afternoon, night and in some cases the following morning. Thanks also to the people of New Zealand for your thoughts, prayers, fund raising, and support that has been so much appreciated by all in Christchurch.
New Zealand Curriculum (NZC)/Te Mauratanga o Aotearoa (TMA)
The events of the last three weeks have left me thinking about the importance of community and how the NZC /TMA embody all that was seen in response to this tragedy. The principles, values and key competencies heralded in these documents were being played out everyday across NZ as people sought to help and support those who needed it in any way that they could. I hope in classrooms that we have drawn students’ attention to how these aspects of the NZC/TMA help to develop a community whereby people can respond in this way.
Literacy Conference
The New Zealand Reading Association Conference: ‘A Literacy Explosion’ is to be held from July 17-20th in Rotorua. Visit the conference website for details about keynote speakers, workshops and online registration. This conference covers material relevant to both primary and secondary teachers. Earlybird registration is by March 31st.
Ngā manaakitanga o te Runga Rawa ki a koutou katoa.
Kind regards,
Chris Henderson
Facilitator: Literacy Online community
Secondary Literacy
Kia ora and welcome from Denise Hitchcock.
This month the Christchurch earthquake was, and continues to be, the focus of our attention. As the teachers in Christchurch schools gradually return to work we hope that you will be able to take up the offers of support from members of the online communities if they meet your needs.
NCEA and Literacy Requirements
As we move towards the new literacy requirements for NCEA Level One resources continue to be added to the NZQA website. The NZQA website for literacy and numeracy unit standards provides information about planning, implementation and assessment. Clarifications for the standards have recently been added. These clarifications add to our understanding of the standards and their use in schools, including submissions for moderation. Any queries regarding these can either be directed to the TAM mailbox (email tam@nzqa.govt.nz ).
Kind Regards
Denise Hitchcock
Facilitator: Secondary Literacy community
English Online
Secondary English
Kia ora and welcome from Mike Fowler.
Reverberations from the quake zone
There have been many thoughtful offers of online and offline assistance for those of us in the Christchurch area. The generosity exhibited has again reinforced for me the collegial strength of our English community. While secondary schools are now open again in the region, there is no such thing as ‘normal’ as teachers consider how to rebuild all facets of school life as well as reshape their programmes. In the short term, it’s vital that students feel reassured about coming to school, about being in classrooms and regaining a sense that there is plenty of opportunity remaining in the year for them to succeed and achieve.
For senior students, gaining reassurance about NCEA is crucial. Several discussions over the last month on the secondary English forum have been about how the NCEA standards could be used most effectively. My hopes for students, particularly in Christchurch, but also for those across the country are that no English programme would operate as a deadline driven pressure cooker course. Several postings have advocated collecting evidence over time for internal standards and confirming results towards the end of the year so that students have the opportunity to present their best work for assessment. Can I encourage not just my Christchurch colleagues, but those elsewhere too, to be flexible in the ways they run their assessment programmes?
The secondary English forum has continued to be busy during March. As well as plenty of postings on the new level 1 standards,, many conversations have continued on text selections. I’d like to put in a plug for the text suggestions wiki as an effective way to archive texts suggestions. There’ve also been opinions shared on the right type of mini video camera to buy.
Much Ado About English
NZATE/IFTE’s conference Much Ado About English is the annual English conference this year, so start thinking internationally. Check out the conference site here .
Regards
Mike Fowler
Facilitator: Secondary English community