Improvement in Action – Te Ahu Whakamua research articles

The collection of videos and publications is called Improvement in Action and illustrates what works to achieve successful outcomes for all children and young people in the education system.

The video sequences bring to life ERO’s School Evaluation Indicators. 

E whakatairanga ana tēnei rauemi ā-ipurangi i ētahi kura e tino whai hua nei ā rātau mahi mō ā rātau ākonga. E kīia ana tēnei kohinga ataata, pānuitanga hoki ko Te Ahu Whakamua, ā, ka whakaatuhia he mahi e tutuki momoho ai ngā whāinga mō ngā tamariki me ngā rangatahi ki roto i te rāngai mātauranga. Ka whakatauira mai ngā ataata i ngā Tohu Aromātai Kura o Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga.

Introduction

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Improvement in action

    The collection of videos and publications is called Improvement in Action and illustrates what works to achieve successful outcomes for all children and young people in the education system.

Domain 1: Stewardship

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Stewardship: informed decision making

    At Manurewa Central School, the relationship between the principal and trustees is described in terms of how trust and confidence is built through effective listening and transparent reporting, interrogation and discussion of information.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Stewardship: working relationships

    At Invercargill Middle School, the way in which school trustees and leaders work together fosters an appreciative and respectful environment that acknowledges the contributions of everyone in the learning community.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Internal evaluation processes

    Evaluation and review are the engine room that drives the improvement agenda forward, involving all within the learning community in an ongoing cycle.

Domain 2: Leadership for Equity and Excellence

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Leadership

    Leadership engages in collaborative consideration of the evidence to inform a considered response to issues identified. Solutions are sought only after a thorough analysis of the problem and consideration of the evidence about what is likely to make the most difference. The implementation of new initiatives is closely evaluated.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Own it fix it learn from it

    Interruptions to learning are deliberately minimised. When the behaviour of individual students threatens to disrupt the learning of others, the individualized approach and resourcing enables engagement in learning to continue. This video was filmed at Invercargill Middle School.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Tracking for success

    The deputy principal at Kerikeri High School describes the process the school leaders went through to develop electronic systems and processes to track student academic success. The principal describes how the tracking tool alerted school leaders when students were at risk of not achieving and led them to consider ways to ensure students had further opportunities to succeed.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    The equal of everybody

    Driven by the conviction that everybody can achieve, leaders and teachers seek to overcome barriers to equity and excellence experienced by individual students at McAuley High School.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Student feedback: observing the teacher

    At Otumoetai Intermediate School, Student Learning Leaders learn how to undertake structured classroom observations focused on teaching and learning. The students and staff discuss the process and its impact.

Domain 3: Educationally Powerful Connections and Relationships

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Learning-centred relationships: reading together

    This school has implemented the Reading Together programme for many years. Leadership sees the value of the programme in building strong learning relationships with family and whanau and supporting emerging literacy.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Partnerships between home and community

    This school seeks every opportunity to connect with the groups within its multicultural community to support those groups to connect to one another as well as engage with the school and their children’s learning.

Domain 4: Responsive Curriculum, Effective Teaching and Opportunity to Learn

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Shared values

    Culturally responsive relationships and practices support and promote the development of learners’ confidence in their identity, language and culture. These relationships are explicitly acknowledged and understood by teachers and learners and contribute to an inclusive learning environment in which there are equitable opportunities to learn.  This video was filmed at Invercargill Middle School.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Relationships for learning

    A learning community characterised by whanaungatanga and manaakitanga creates the challenge and support needed to develop learning to learn capabilities and achieve successful learning outcomes.

    This video was filmed at McAuley High School.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    An inclusive learning community

    For McAuley High School, respectful caring relationships are at the heart of their learning community in setting the safe and supportive context in which teachers and learners engage and learn. The maintenance of such relationships involves every member of staff.

Domain 5: Professional capability and collective capacity

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Building capability

    The focus on driving and sustaining improvement in outcomes in this school involves solution seeking processes typified by innovation and whole school participation. The principal describes the approach that supports this ongoing activity as more entrepreneurial than hierarchical.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Shared ownership

    Senior leaders at Invercargill Middle School have put processes in place to ensure that all teachers participate in and contribute to the co-construction of decisions about how best to move forward. The principal describes the approach as ‘change coming from the classroom, not the principals office’.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Professional learning

    Professional learning reflects the approach that has been established for students. Learning is differentiated with multiple opportunities for engagement and structure in manageable steps.

    This video was filmed at McAuley High School.

  • Published: 04 Sep 2017

    Visible professional learning

    At McAuley High School, classroom teacher observations are a frequent occurrence and students report how they regard this as teachers actively modelling learning behaviour.

Domain 6: Evaluation Inquiry and knowledge building for improvement and innovation

  • Published: 11 Jun 2017

    Data and relationships

    Data and information about teaching and learning is made highly visible and the interpretation and response are a collaborative process. Leaders and teachers reflect on the role of data in professional relationships and how an open approach builds capability and confidence to respond to the challenges that need to be addressed.