CEFPI stands for Council of Education Facilities Planners International. It brings together architects, educators and planners with a passion for education design and thinking.
CEFPI is quite new in New Zealand. It is a valuable forum for sharing ideas about the connections between design and thinking about teaching and learning.
Hobsonville Point Secondary School (HPSS) had only been open for 27 days. Principal Mauri Abraham, DP, Claire Amos and an enthusiastic and passionate team of teachers explained their thinking about the school design and thinking about teaching and learning.
The building design is based on a series of learning hubs. In these open learning areas, the students work on an integrated curriculum called "Big Modules" with three teachers at a time. The learning theme is focused around a theme, currently, "Identity' which is delivered in a co-teaching style through the lens of the relevant curriculum.
Teachers all have a role as 'learning coaches'. Each learning coach currently has up to 10 students assigned to them. The learning coach stays with the student through their secondary schooling years and supports the student and family with their learning action plan. They meet regularly to coach and mentor students, supporting them to achieve the best they can. This is a way of developing true partnerships around learning and really brings latest educational research to practice in an innovative way.
Students also have passion projects, called 'Big Projects". These include subjects of students choice, including; Dance, Dance , Robotics, Design, Enviro studies (utilising the school wonderful wetland environment), drama, music and a range of other rich curriculum areas.
They also have individual projects called "My Time". These are workshop style and students can sign up for them during the week or work on them in their own time. As we walked through the building we could see notices for workshops that included E-learning, Music, Gaming and a range of other topics.
The learning principles of - being Open, Visible, Connecting and Flexible have driven the design ensuring that this is an exciting, future focused learning and environment. It is a place where students are truly empowered as learners.
I could see many links to the thinking of our curriculum design at Freemans Bay Primary School - our curriculum design is around enriching, engaging and empowering students. The HPSS, Big Module, integrated curriculum around a relates to our "learning pathways' integrated, action learning curriculum. The 'Big Idea' - passion projects - aligns with our Funky Fridays - where teachers and students choose learning workshop around student interest and teacher / parent passion. We are developing a more personalised curriculum - where our students take more responsibility for their timetables and managing their learning. For example our Yr 5 and Yr 6 students can sign up for workshops that supports their learning goals and action learning.
The staff at HPSS school explained that many of the staff are studying or have completed study at Masters level. At FBS our Board of Trustees supports our teachers to continue post grad study. This means we bring a educational research focused lens to our practice. I love the idea of every child having a learning coach, and wonder how we could resource that in a primary school. Could it be expanded to the community - local business people or high school students? This is something we could certainly think about.
I note the commitment to being a cashless school as well - and this is something we are working on at Freemans Bay School. Our parents are notified of how to pay accounts on line and now our lunch system will be paid only through the YQ app available on smartphones or through the web. (Not related to curriculum - but a huge savings of time and very convenient).This approach has improved payments for school donations and activity fees from the beginning of the year so it is a win win!
I think it is much easier to integrate curriculum at the primary school level. HPSS has made a committment to a more holistic and deeper approach to learning - rather than a traditional secondary school timetable and silo approach to curriculum. The learning environment at this school certainly supports the statement on their webpage - " A school where learners enjoy innovative personalised learning, engage through powerful partnerships and are inspired through deep challenge and inquiry to achieve academic and personal excellence." An inspirational visit!
I could see many links to the thinking of our curriculum design at Freemans Bay Primary School - our curriculum design is around enriching, engaging and empowering students. The HPSS, Big Module, integrated curriculum around a relates to our "learning pathways' integrated, action learning curriculum. The 'Big Idea' - passion projects - aligns with our Funky Fridays - where teachers and students choose learning workshop around student interest and teacher / parent passion. We are developing a more personalised curriculum - where our students take more responsibility for their timetables and managing their learning. For example our Yr 5 and Yr 6 students can sign up for workshops that supports their learning goals and action learning.
The staff at HPSS school explained that many of the staff are studying or have completed study at Masters level. At FBS our Board of Trustees supports our teachers to continue post grad study. This means we bring a educational research focused lens to our practice. I love the idea of every child having a learning coach, and wonder how we could resource that in a primary school. Could it be expanded to the community - local business people or high school students? This is something we could certainly think about.
I note the commitment to being a cashless school as well - and this is something we are working on at Freemans Bay School. Our parents are notified of how to pay accounts on line and now our lunch system will be paid only through the YQ app available on smartphones or through the web. (Not related to curriculum - but a huge savings of time and very convenient).This approach has improved payments for school donations and activity fees from the beginning of the year so it is a win win!
I think it is much easier to integrate curriculum at the primary school level. HPSS has made a committment to a more holistic and deeper approach to learning - rather than a traditional secondary school timetable and silo approach to curriculum. The learning environment at this school certainly supports the statement on their webpage - " A school where learners enjoy innovative personalised learning, engage through powerful partnerships and are inspired through deep challenge and inquiry to achieve academic and personal excellence." An inspirational visit!
