Number Agents

The Weight and Urgency of Educational Change Yesterday, I blogged about the sweeping changes currently overtaking education—changes implemented rapidly, often without genuine consultation with those of us on the ground, and with an overt agenda. The weight of these changes is palpable. In fact, I found myself spending this Sunday reminding myself of all the reasons I love being a teaching principal, trying to restore the spark before stepping back into the classroom tomorrow. There is no denying that change is essential. We must improve outcomes for our learners in literacy, mathematics and wellbeing. The need is real and urgent. However, it is equally important that the process of change prioritises teacher understanding and involvement. Only then can educators become the greatest advocates for real, lasting transformation. The Importance of a Thoughtful, Staged Approach Starting Small: The First Year Change should begin with small, intentional steps. Those leading change usually know...

When Change Feels Like a Weight  Trying to Prove a Point – But Missing the Heart Right now, we are facing a government intent on proving something—determined to make sweeping changes in the name of a “world class education system”. Yet, there seems to be little understanding that true, lasting change requires teachers to be at the very heart of the process. Instead, change is being thrust upon us, as if to say, “Look what I’ve done!” without considering the people who will actually make it happen or even realising that this should be about the needs of the children. Replicating, Not Respecting It appears that our Minister has seen other education systems she wishes to emulate. Rather than recognising that real change takes time, she is intent on pushing these changes onto an already change-weary system—all to be able to declare, “See, I did it!” But simply flooding us with pages of fancy rubrics and polished reporting templates, bundled with a curriculum that feels like overpacked ...

In The Beginning When I first started whole-class teaching a few years ago, I began to think more about connected texts. Many of the texts that were promoted as connected texts for use were simply connected based on the sound pattern being learned. I understand this focus—the point is practice, and practice is important. However, the texts were often simplistic and, honestly, made little sense. Again, I get it. Those early texts for novice learners are important. With limited sounds, it is hard to create texts that are both relevant to learners’ needs and genuinely interesting. These decodable sentences absolutely have an important role to play when it comes to practice, as do word ladders and similar word-reading tasks. I still use these regularly as part of my literacy sessions. However, when it came to whole-class reading, I wanted more of my “connected” texts to have a real connection to what we were learning—not just connected through sound patterns, but through meaningful conten...

The narrowing of the curriculum "winners and losers" Over recent years, significant changes have taken place within New Zealand’s education system under the banner of improving “achievement.” These shifts—often framed around The Science of Learning and promoted as best practice—have driven widespread curriculum reform and reshaped and narrowed professional development. While we all would acknowledge that change in pursuit of improvement is both necessary and expected, concern arises when its direction is leading us down a path where only certain achievement is valued and the gap between those winning and losing only widens. It is very apparent that these reforms appear to be influenced by perspectives that prioritise standardisation, comparison, and measurable outcomes over the complex realities of teaching and learning.  I know that many educators (myself included) who put their hands up to be part of this conversation were ignored in favour of those with little understand...