14 Apr 2022

King Country School celebrates success

From Nine To Noon, 9:20 am on 14 April 2022

Taumarunui High School has scrapped traditional class schedules - a move that's significantly improved the learning outcomes of students.

Five years ago, the King Country school adopted the Big Picture Learning education model, which builds each student's education around their individual interests and passions.

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Photo: befunky.com

Taumarunui High has been far less disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic than other schools, Rautenbach tells Kathryn Ryan.

At one time they had the highest suspension rates in Waikato, but now no longer run detention at all.

"I'm not suggesting there are no behavioural challenges, however the way we deal with them is so much more effective because we have good relationships and we know our students."

Advisors - one of two types of teachers at the school - manage the same group of students daily and help deal with any issues, he says.

Learning in Years 9 and 10 has a bit more structure so that students are able to meet NCEA requirements but essentially, each student has their own education timetable catered to their future aspirations.

"We conducted a survey with Year 10s looking at what their future aspirations were, and there was so much variation across it that we realised the traditional curriculum model we were offering just couldn't provide for all the needs the students had.

"Our focus is on teaching people how to learn, not what to learn, so it's very much around a skill-based versus a content-based curriculum.

"Some of the reality is a lot of that content is never even needed. It isn't the content for this generation."

In addition to numeracy and literacy, students learn to conduct research, he says.

"They learn to write reports, to do statistical analysis, they learn to look after their wellbeing, they learn to explore different career options".

Taumarunui High School also has 'experts in residence' who run workshops on various specialty subjects. Students can book in with them if they have a particular question, Rautenbach says.

"What it's doing is shifting the responsibility for the learner to actually take some ownership of their learning and to know what it is they want to know. As opposed to turning up to class to be told what you need to know."

While the model has seen positive feedback, Rautenbach acknowledges it's not easy for schools to go down this path.

"The day is going to bring something new and challenging every single day. It's not something you can always be prepared for. Conversations with students lead to new learning, so our teachers have to be very mobile and able to support students to access learning," Rautenbach says.

"I think the underlying philosophy [is that] no one person is 'the knower' and valuing that we can actually find the information we need if we know how to learn, there is no reason why we should stop learning.

"One of the real beauties that our staff report is that they really love working because they're working with students who are wanting to learn whatever it is that that subject expert is able to support with.

"So, you're not trying to get students who have no interest in a subject to all of a sudden do deep learning in the subject."

To ensure students are progressing,  each gives a half-hour end of term presentation about what they've learned and their future direction to a panel of whānau, mentors, and teachers, Rautenbach says.

"There's probably a lot more check-in than we had under the traditional system. On a daily basis, advisors are meeting with students and checking up on their progress.

"Under this model, as well, we encourage parents to be in school, obviously not under the current Covid climate we've been dealing with, but as much as possible we encourage parents to come into the school and be part of the learning."

Since they've adopted the Big Picture Learning education model, a similar number of Taumarunui High students go on to university, he says.

"They do sometimes have to do some more learning around specific content, but they are better prepared in that they understand they are responsible for their learning."

Some do choose to leave at end of Year 12 and head on to various career pathways, he says. Former students have started up their own businesses and gone into IT, design, forestry, farming and outdoor work.