“A teacher facilitates the child’s learning process. In a classroom a series of different little pieces of learning are going on,” says Chris Henderson, associate director, International Education and Development at the Institute of Professional Learning.
“All learners have the potential to achieve and often the barriers to the achievement are the ways we want them to show those achievements. The disparity between wealthy and low-income students also impacts the way students can show their learning success,” he added.
Mr. Henderson was in Chennai speaking at a meeting with representatives of schools organised by Chrysalis recently, as part of a trip sponsored by the New Zealand’s External Affairs Ministry.
For nearly 15 years, a different kinds of learning have been happening in New Zealand’s schools, moving away from the focus on examination, he said. Children engage with their immediate environment. The government’s aim is to mould them into responsible citizens who understand social justice, human rights and develop a sustainable environment.
Real world projects
School students partner work on real world projects and their success is evidence of their understanding of the community around them. New Zealand is now reaching out to other countries to share their experiences and understand the teaching/learning innovations practised elsewhere, he added. “We are trying to take students outside the classroom and learning outside the classroom so that there is more real world experience and connect with what our community needs. We are not preparing our students for the future but for the present,” he explains.
