Out with the old, in with the new: Refreshed curriculum delights Northland students

Y10 students, left, Max Tunnicliffe, Bronson Wrathall, Manea Natiso, Sapphire Harris, Zach Sterling, Molly Dawson, Rangi Raukawa, and Konrad Phillips support curriculum changes. Photo / Tania Whyte

Northland school students have dubbed learning maths via cooking as "delicious learning".

Ruawai College in Kaipara has hidden subjects within its learning modules and greater importance is now given to teamwork.

The Advocate previously reported how the school was the first in Northland to replace traditional subjects in its curriculum with themes and experiences.

After a term in the new learning environment, students are finding their classes "enjoyable" since they are the ones to decide what they want to learn.

Year 10 student Manea Natiso says a highlight of the new curriculum is that their class helps junior students, whom they're able to learn from and vice-versa.

"Before we started this, you'd stay with your class and only your class would move if you were going for another subject.

"But now when you move to a different class, other year students are moving as well and can attend the class you are in," Natiso said.

She described how the students get to pick all of their classes - albeit with a few restrictions in place.

They were still required to take the core subjects - English, maths and science.

"A year before we'd be doing what the teachers told us to do and had no choice at all," Natiso said.

Ruawai College (from left) Assistant Principal Jay Warren, Principal Raeleen Harre, and Deputy Principal Manmeet Sandhu are confident about their revised model of learning. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The model of learning is based on the combination of two Māori concepts – Tuakana Teina and Ako (teach and learn).

Acting principal Manmeet Sandhu said students weren't filling the role of an official teacher but working together as a group and help each other.

Sandhu said the teaching was more student-focused.

While the teachers were still practising within the curriculum, Sandhu said they were able to write their own modules and classes based on their strengths and passion.

"It might be something they don't normally teach.

"If teachers are teaching based on their passion, they are going to teach better.

"We used to look at the curriculum and do the planning, but now we have planned something as per our passion then find links with the curriculum."

Ruawai College students Matthew Watkins and Cameron Fairbairn make spaghetti for their "food for fractions" class. Photo / Tania Whyte

Kimberley Rope-Battcher, e-dean, was teaching a music module this term, which was never done before, and said it talked about music history and something she was personally interested in.

"When the students decided their subjects, they looked at the modules and decided what interested them the most."

Rope-Battcher said they had hidden learning within the modules and renamed some of the subjects – math was included in "food for fractions" and science in "mighty kumara and humble peanuts" modules.

"Most kids hate maths so they were cooking, working out quarters, dividing recipes into halves or doubling it and enjoying the meal while the maths was hidden within the module."