New pedagogies for Deep Learning - a global partnership

Kaiako from Riccarton Primary, Wharenui Primary and Riccarton High have been working collaboratively within and across their kura to learn about Deep Learning principles and how these competencies can be incorporated into our akonga’s learning. Meeting regularly online and in person, this learning has been supported by trained facilitators from CORE Education.

NPDL focusses on deepening student learning experiences. It does this by providing guidance to teachers to help design authentic, relevant, and deep learning experiences. This is centred around six global deeper learning competencies: Creativity, Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Communication, Collaboration and Character.

At Riccarton High staff across the visual arts, technology, science, physical education, and social sciences have been working collaboratively to introduce Deeper Learning to their students this term. The focus has been on the competency of Character, a challenging but vitally important personal concept. 

In technology this has seen learners understand empathetic design through case studies. After viewing a TED Talk of a person who designs to make a difference for others, in groups they had to evaluate the individual against the Deeper Learning Character rubric.

In physical education, the need to show grit when faced with challenges.

In art, how to take risks and embrace mistakes as part of learning.
Visual arts students learned that perseverance and resilience is about sticking at something for a sustained period of time even when it gets difficult. Gestural drawing is one of the hardest drawing styles to learn. You have to draw quickly, using as few lines as possible to capture the character of the object you are drawing. You have to be prepared to make mistakes and try new things. Students drew their object over and over and over again to get the result they wanted.

In social studies, how to reflect honestly and authentically on both learning and personal character.