Learning space suits modern needs
Norsewood and Districts School officially opened its new learning space on Friday, June 8.
The school was honoured to have an ex-pupil, Frank Turner, who had travelled from Christchurch to be a guest. He had, as a 5-year-old, been given the privilege of ringing the school bell to denote the end of World War II in 1945. He rang it again to start the opening ceremony.
He spoke briefly to the children about his early memories including warm bottles of milk and ringing the bell. He helped youngest pupil Kyle Cuneen to cut the ribbon after a blessing and karakia by local parent Hiraina Tamihana.
Principal Nikki Christie then explained to the assembled the reasons why learning had to change. Traditional teaching in the 19th and 20th centuries had suited the needs of training people for agriculture and manufacturing but now the main employment sectors are service and creativity.
Learning now must be more collaborative, developing skills to meet the new requirements including personalised programmes for each child to follow their own interests and strengths, developing thinking, creativity, innovation, empathy, and respect for the environment.
A flexible teaching environment was needed to ensure these objectives can be met, mixing Year 5 to 8 students with several teachers in the one space to allow better learning.
Principal Christie said it would be a three year journey to develop programmes to incorporate all the school and the buildings would have to change to suit.
She said the new learning space was only step one with two more to be added in the next property plan which started this year. She answered 15 key questions raised by parents at a meeting in term one covering topics like assessment, homework, and parent contribution.
Already the senior students from Year 5 up have trialled the process this term and they really like it. Several Year 8s told parents they had already learned more and would be reluctant to go back to the old single-cell classroom with one teacher.
The school’s new vision launched in February of the children “going on a great learning adventure” seems to be taking effect already. Principal Christie says these millennials will learn in their own time and place, by trial and error, exploring their interests backed by IT and staff guidance — preparing for the world of the 21st century.