“Having our staff work through courses like NAPP and Mind Lab is about developing a more collaborative practice while we head towards ILS.”
All students and teachers are working in shared environments already, using existing spaces so they can get straight into ILS pedagogy when the school is modernised.
“Some teachers are early adopters, others take a little bit longer to shift but there is always that support there.”
Waikirikiri has a teaching staff of nine and a roll of 150 students. Five have now completed NAPP and four the Mind Lab certificate.
Two student streamsThe school has two student streams, one bilingual and another total te reo Maori immersion. Mrs Olsen-Brown says this effectively means they have two schools within one.
“We did not want to go into ILS blind, we noticed some schools have been thrown into it and found it difficult. We want to have the best of both worlds — cultural and academic excellence — that is why we are easing into it.”
Mrs Olsen-Brown was one of the staff members who took part in Mind Lab and NAPP.
“The benefits and growth through Mind Lab are huge. It was difficult but worth it, going back to study after such a long time.”
Assistant principal Kim Pewhairangi also took part in NAPP and the Mind Lab course.
“As middle management staff, there were lots of benefits. Being able to share leadership strategies and collaborate with other schools was great.
“We are now looking at student agency through a collaborative Mind Lab research project that investigates tamariki’s perspective of their learning.”
Ms Pewhairangi works in one of the school’s makeshift ILS spaces with teacher Manny Horua.
Mrs Horua is another one teacher to complete NAPP and Mind Lab. She has also been nominated for an ASG Excellence in Teaching Award. She will find out if she is a finalist later this month.
Digital nativesMrs Horua says emphasising technology with this generation of children — who are by definition digital natives — works.
“Attendance and behaviour have all improved because they want to be here, they know what they are doing with technology and they are keen to use it for their learning.”
Mrs Horua says high schools use programmes like Google Classroom, so making sure children are prepared for the technological transition is important.
“Technology can get them to be the best they can be. We need to give them the skills to recognise what they need as learners. Using technology is empowering them rather than all the direction coming from us.”
Mrs Olsen-Brown says they can at times feel challenged as a decile one school.
“The reason we aim to continually upskill ourselves is to empower our children to make positive changes and create pathways for themselves and their futures.”
Waikirikiri recognises late deputy principal Ritihia Harding, the first of Waikirikiri’s staff to complete the NAPP programme and provide the inspiration for others to follow.
The late Mrs Harding went on to become a NAPP mentor, providing support for many teachers around the country.
She passed away in January after a battle with cancer and is dearly missed by staff.
