Waikato Teachers Tick Curriculum

Waikato teachers have given the new curriculum the thumbs up.

The Government launched the new curriculum for schools last week. It was the result of one of the most extensive consultation exercises undertaken by the Education Ministry.

The philosophy is about teaching children to learn, rather than teaching content knowledge.

Major features of the updated curriculum are the introduction of new key competencies, including thinking, relating to others, and participating.

They will sit alongside the eight learning areas of English, the arts, health and physical education, languages, mathematics and statistics, science, social studies and technology.

Melville Intermediate principal David Cooke said most of the curriculum was already being implemented in the top schools in the country. “The ministry should be congratulated on catching up with what schools are doing.”

He said the document was clear and concise. The only snags would be the need for greater resourcing and the need for more moderation in consistency between schools.

Insoll Avenue School principal Linda McCabe said the new curriculum was a “great document”. “Children need to know how to find information, to sort it and to know whether it’s valid to be able to use it.”

New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Waikato branch president and teacher at Insoll Avenue School, Denise Hird, said the curriculum was a “guiding document” for schools.

“The vision is for young people who will be confident, involved, life long learners,” she said.

(c) 2007 Waikato Times. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.