Education’s brave new world
From the outside, Spotswood College looks the same but the changes happening within the school are truly transformative. Deena Coster takes a closer look.
The gaggle of forest green-clad students congregate in pockets outside the school, making peace with the fact the holidays are behind them and the first days of the new term have begun.
They catch up on the gossip, giggle and talk animatedly with each other.
Soon the bell rings and the senior students file through the doors of the school hall and dutifully take their seats.
Spotswood College principal Nicola Ngarewa mingles with staff and students but when she takes to the stage her presence quietens the din.
She begins the morning assembly with a karakia:
‘‘Ki runga, ki raro, ki roto, ki waho. Rire rire hau pai ma¯rire.’’ (Above, below, in, out. May peace reign upon us all).
It’s a moment of quiet reflection in what has been an extremely busy six months for Ngarewa and Spotswood College’s senior leadership team following her appointment to the top job at the start of term four last year.
And her vision for the college presents a wero (challenge) not only to the school community but to the education system itself.
This year, the 800 year 9-13 students enrolled at the high school will be part of a fundamental change in the way they learn, as it moves towards a future-focused approach in education, based on best pedagogical practice and the tenets of innovation, creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
It gives the power to students to take charge of their own education, within a context that is teaching them to find solutions to difficult problems and with an end game in mind to create the next generation of change agents and thought leaders.
Perhaps even the next Steve Jobs. Yes, it’s a high-level vision, with what some might say highfalutin ideals, but for Ngarewa it represents a change that is well overdue.
She says in the past 100 years, the advancement in thinking and technology connected to things which help us in our everyday lives, like the car or telephone, had completely transformed how they worked.
However, Ngarewa doesn’t see the same development in the nation’s classrooms.
While there are pockets of innovation and an increasing use of advanced digital technology, she says ‘‘the change isn’t as significant as it needs to be’’.
‘‘Generally, what education is at risk of doing is continuing to teach children what to think rather than how to think.’’
It’s why she is so passionate about championing the future-focused educational philosophy at Spotswood College.
The traditional high school timetable no longer has a place there and, while a focus on literacy and numeracy remains, Ngarewa says learning in each can be gained through a variety of means, including a pure English course or through other topics like entrepreneurship or physical education.
Opportunities for device-free learning, including cultural opportunities or a chance to do community service, are built into the school day, along with two to three hours of STEAM (which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) classes, which the students hand pick to suit their strengths and interests.
A subject example is Crime Bytes, in which students learn and use science, psychology, technology and mathematics skills to investigate patterns of criminal behaviour and solve real crimes.
Part of class time will involve working with Taranaki detectives, which highlights another feature of the reinvigorated curriculum - tapping into the knowledge and expertise people in the community have which can contribute to the ongoing education of students.
‘‘It’s an authentic, real experience but with deep, visible learning,’’ Ngarewa says.
The school has gone all-in on the endeavour and joins five other New Zealand schools who form a professional learning group around leading future-focused learning: Hobsonville Point Secondary School, Albany Senior High School, Hamilton’s Rototuna High Schools, Rolleston College and Haeata Community Campus in Aranui, Christchurch.
Ngarewa says the intention of the entire process is to put the student at its centre, the community at its heart and for the school to be at the forefront of delivering what is considered to be cutting-edge educational practice.
It is also a space where challenges
are not defined as being problems or obstacles, but rather opportunities.
The glass-half-full approach is shared by students, too.
Larissa Wilkinson, who is year 13 and a head student, gives Ngarewa’s plans for the school a big thumbs up.
‘‘I think the changes are great – they reflect the real world.’’
The 17-year-old calls the type of education that typified the last four years of her secondary schooling ‘‘outdated’’.
‘‘It doesn’t help to prepare us for what’s coming.’’
She says while the basics of literacy and numeracy are still important, the way the learning will now be imparted at Spotswood College will come from more than just text books.
The maths component could take place in a cooking class for instance, she says, where number and measurement skills are still tested but there is a chance to pick up know-how in other areas.
‘‘You’re doing it in a way that’s hands-on and really suits what you want to do.’’
Larissa says she is ‘‘kind of jealous’’ of the new year 9 intake.
‘‘I would have loved to experience it all the way. They really have the ability to drive their own education.’’
It’s that flexibility that is winning over 13-year-old Zara ErolWatt. She says she had always looked forward to the challenge of a high school education.
‘‘I hoped it would push me further.’’
The year 9 student, who has a love of maths and is considering a career in interior design or architecture, says she ‘‘instantly fell in love’’ with the curriculum options.
‘‘I love the freedom I get, how I get to pick the subjects I do.’’
Such liberties work for Zara, but she knows it’s not for everyone. She says there are some students who struggle to get their heads around it.
‘‘They’re a bit lost and need a bit more guidance.’’
When she talks to friends at other schools, whose days are dictated by a set of timetabled subjects, she thinks they must be bored.
But for her, high school is the complete opposite.
‘‘I definitely feel engaged and involved.’’
By the end of the year, Ngarewa hopes all Spotswood students will feel the same, having developed a clear learning pathway for themselves.
She also hopes the teachers and school staff will feel just as invigorated by the shake up.
As part of the changes outside of the classroom, there are no separate offices, with teachers including Ngarewa working in shared, collaborative spaces.
And there is a real emphasis on self care, to the point the school opened its own wellness centre this year for staff and students to visit during the day. Mindfulness, yoga or meditation sessions are also on offer.
‘‘You go there and just have a moment to breathe,’’ Ngarewa says.
While aware of the increased scrutiny on the school as a result of the radical changes, Ngarewa doesn’t feel under any pressure.
‘‘People are watching, which is great,’’ she says. ‘‘Change is uncomfortable and uncomfortable is OK.’’
What is key from Ngarewa’s perspective is to connect, strengthen and inspire others, along with the tacit acknowledgment that making mistakes is OK.
‘‘Actually, that’s the journey of learning,’’ she says.
The more you talk to Ngarewa, the more her unshakeable confidence in the new approach becomes obvious.
After more than 20 years as an educator, she is sure the school is on the right path.
‘‘And I just say, watch this space.’’