It’s probably a good time to revisit what Manaiakalani is, and how it impacts on your child’s learning. The programme uses a consistent pedagogy (a pedagogy is simply a ‘way of causing learning’) called ‘Learn Create Share’.

All learning at Hornby High School (and across our whole cluster Uru Mānuka) is based around this pedagogy. It aims to make learning authentic or real, and visible to the real world. This means that we are trying to reduce what we call the ‘silo’ing’ of learning, we are trying to build connections between different areas of learning as they happen in real life. A wonderful example might be that of a runner training for a running event. There is physiology, nutrition, mathematics, biology, in fact many different areas of thinking and learning involved. We try to design learning experiences that make those connections.

This learning is made visible through student blogs. We have many examples in which student learning made visible has allowed real world feedback from world experts. The most recent example was a Year 8 student whose work on gold mining in New Zealand attracted the attention of New Zealand’s foremost expert on our gold mining history. Feedback like this is invaluable.

This is all amplified using digital technologies, specifically Chromebooks, and a range of digital tools. The research evidence is very clear. Student thinking, writing, and communicating, improves hugely when students write electronically (not to be confused with the physical act of handwriting, which is also taught and practised).

The data is clear. Our students improve their writing twice as fast as students nationally. While the data doesn’t actually say this, it is not unreasonable to assume that there are (for many students) similar improvements in their thinking.

The great enabler is the Chromebook. It allows learners to do things they could not do without their Chromebooks. It makes a difference, a huge difference. Thank you to those of you who have made the sacrifices required to buy those Chromebooks for your children. This is an incredible journey. We are making a huge difference. This cartoon above is the best way I can think of to describe the work you and our kura are engaged in.

Thank you Thank you Thank you

Ngā manaakitanga

R Sutton

Tumuaki