I was privileged to attend the National Assessment Conference 2021 and the Gifted NEX Online Symposium to start the holidays. Below are my key takeaways and provocations for my practice moving forward.
I shared this with staff during term three at a leadership meeting.
If I have an apprehension in New Zealand at the moment, it's not because we're not smart enough. It's because we're not courageous enough. - Pat Sneeden 2017
This quote is an excellent thought to hold onto as I look into the assessment of ākonga. Changing our students, whanau, and community thinking on assessment will require courage.
Over and over again, we hear that the knowledge of the learner is most critical. Do we know our students at a deep level? How do they learn, what stops them from learning, what frustrates them? Who do they think are the champions that support them and want to help them?
Any assessment needs to build the mana and connectedness of students and be a partnership between the student and teachers.
Webber and Macfarlane 2018 unpack what mana is for gifted Maori students.
- Mana Tangatarua: being confident and open to appreciating differences.
- Mana Tū: being persistent and determined
- Mana Motuhake: having a positive self-concept concerning learning and success.
- Mana Ūkaipo: understanding they belong and have connections to places and spaces.
- Mana Whānau: are connected to whānau and aware of collective agency.
Can these also be utilised with all students to support their learning? How does assessment look if we are considering mana enhancement?
Suppose we are talking about the learner's knowledge. Could a learner profile support both the learner and their supports to deepen the understanding of the individual?
- Could this learner profile help them realise they have things to teach others and have something they can learn from them?
- Understand they are connected, and their culture is valued.
- Support who they are and from where they come.
- Identify positive role models that they can aspire to mirror.
- Show that many people from their cultural group have achieved success.
- Identify what they are good at and help them know what areas they need to develop.
- Support them to understand their family, peers, teachers, and members of the wider school community care about them.
- Support them to know what their gifts, academic strengths and interests are.
We must always keep asking the questions of why are we testing? What is the purpose? Do our assessments ensure the realisation of the Learning Support Action Plan vision?
A vision for an inclusive education system where every child feels a sense of belonging, is present, makes progress, where their wellbeing is safeguarded and promoted, where learning is a lifelong journey, and where children and young people with learning support needs get the right support at the right time.
This Learning Support Action Plan vision caters for the students on the edges however if we plan and prepare to those edges we get benefits for all students.
