Different children need different things at different times.
Knowing our tamariki | children means recognising when they need more support, a different approach, another way to access learning or an opportunity to be extended. Our collaborative teaching teams work together to respond to the children in front of them, adapting learning and bringing in additional support where needed.
Support can look different for every child. It might mean working alongside a kaiako | teacher or teacher aide, learning in a smaller group, targeted literacy or maths support, assistive technology, a different learning environment, or simply more time and another way to approach something.
Whatever it looks like, we want every tamaiti | child to experience success, recognise their strengths and, importantly, see themselves as a learner.
Building an environment around our tamariki
Sometimes supporting a child means looking beyond what they need individually and thinking about the environment around them.
With deaf tamariki | children part of our kura | school, New Zealand Sign Language has become part of learning across our wider school community, creating more ways for children to communicate, connect and participate.
That learning extends to our people too. Our staff members chose to learn their pepeha | introduction of identity and connection in NZ Sign Language, a small but meaningful example of how our kura | school can adapt and grow around the tamariki | children who are part of it.
Challenge & Extension
Supporting every learner also means recognising when a child is ready for more challenge. Tamariki | children may have opportunities to work with others at a similar stage, explore learning in greater depth or take on additional challenges through experiences such as EPro8, Book Battle and Kiwi competitions.
These opportunities aren’t about placing children into fixed groups. They allow us to respond to where a child is at, provide the right level of challenge and keep creating space for their strengths to grow.