Earlier this week there was an unexpected announcement from our Education Minister, Erica Stanford, about modern learning environments. It came as a surprise to most people - schools and principals were certainly not told about it, and media coverage about it so far has been limited. Here is coverage of Tuesday’s announcement. Minister Stanford has branded modern learning environments (MLEs) such as Amesbury School as ‘a failed experiment’, and announced that funding will be made available to MLEs to build walls, converting the spaces back to single classrooms. The announcement is part of the government's current focus on modern learning environments and the general assertion that MLEs are not working for students, particularly neurodiverse students.
I absolutely refute the assertion that modern or flexible learning environments don't work for neurodiverse students. Our school is a fabulous example of this type of environment being really effective. As Dr. Sarah Aiono stated in her article, "Wrong Room, Wrong Focus," "We are, once again, mistaking the container for the content." While I have no doubt that some modern learning environments don't work for some ākonga (students), the same is true for some single classrooms. The key issue is not the physical space, but the learning design and teaching approach within it. I have been an effective teacher in both single classrooms and large flexible learning spaces, and I have seen poor teaching in both as well. The key message here is that it’s more about the people within the space than the physical space itself. That is where the investment should be going.
I can confirm that Amesbury School will not be applying for funding to put up walls in our beautiful and effective learning spaces. We would love the funding, don't get me wrong, but we would use it in other ways to best support ngā ākonga (our students). Minister Stanford stated her key focus: "I want, as Minister, to make sure we get the best outcomes for our kids." I wholeheartedly endorse that focus—tēnā koe, Minister, I agree. We all want the best outcomes for ngā ākonga. Our vision for the best use of the funding:
Significantly invest in learning support, to ensure our ākonga with additional needs can be adequately supported, and to ensure our kaiako (teachers) have the resourcing and support needed to meet those needs
Reinstate the free and accessible te reo me ona tikanga Māori courses for kaimahi (staff), to enable schools to fulfill the edict in the Education and Training Act 2020 of honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi
Show you value the teaching profession by ensuring our salaries will keep up with inflation over the next three years. In effect, ensure we do not end up worse off in terms of cost of living
Using the funding for more walls, not so much.
Last week, we welcomed the Education Review Office (ERO) into our kura. While our official report is not yet available, the verbal feedback we received was incredibly positive. The review team noted that inclusion and wellbeing are a real strength of our school and viewed our learning environments as very supportive and highly collaborative. They noted positive relationships and clear routines, and that the way students are supported in their learning spaces is subtle and mana-enhancing. The review team also noted a broad and rich range of opportunities for learning and strong tracking of student progress. Naturally, all schools have areas to keep progressing in, and we have ours. However, the picture painted by our review team was certainly not one of experimentation or failure.
I could continue to express my concerns about Tuesday's announcement and my reservations about approaching a complex concept like teaching and learning in a binary "good versus bad" way. Our kaimahi certainly know I have a propensity for wordiness! However, I would now like to hand over to our kaimahi and ākonga to show the effectiveness of our learning spaces. Over the past couple of days, I have spent time in our hubs and across the school, taking photos of all the collaboration and learning happening in the wonderful and very varied spaces we thankfully have. You can see these images below.
If you would like to show your support for the funding streams I outlined above, you can sign the open petition from NZEI Te Rui Roa (teaching union) to our government around valuing and supporting the future for ngā tamariki (our children).
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata, he tangata, he tangata; what is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people. My key message to Minister Stanford in her very worthy mission to make sure we get the best outcomes for kids is to focus on, and invest in, people, not walls.
