Leading Local Curriculum Guide – Part 2

This guide explores the key capabilities for understanding and implementing the new curriculum content. It supports school leaders working with teachers to:

• examine the Understand, Know, Do elements of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum and how to weave them together to develop rich learning opportunities
• review their social sciences programmes to include Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories
• look after everyone’s wellbeing when learning about the past.

Self review and readiness tool

The poutama shows four stages that you can work through with kaiako to understand, implement, embed, and sustain Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in social sciences. The actions within the poutama are part of a long term, iterative journey towards teaching confidently and capably about our past. Use this self review tool as a touchstone to monitor where you have moved to and where you are going next.

This guide focuses on the third stage of the poutama: implementing Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. The first guide focuses on the first two stages: getting started and developing understandings.

As your school moves beyond the implementation stage, follow the actions in stage four of the poutama to help your ongoing self review and to guide you in strengthening Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in your teaching and learning programmes.

Important things to note

• The activities in this guide relate to actions in stage three of the poutama and these are signposted.
• The suggested actions in the poutama are not exhaustive. Your school may identify additional actions to meet the needs, priorities, and aspirations of your community.
• The implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories is not a linear process. Schools may move forward and back through the stages of the poutama depending on circumstance and need.
• The actions within the poutama build as you move through the stages. Schools continue to develop actions from stage one to stage two, and so on. For example, leaders and teachers will continue to improve their knowledge of te reo and mātauranga Māori (stage one) as they complete actions at stages two, three, and four.

Stage One

We are getting started, as we:

• identify what we already know about Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and who our experts are
• improve knowledge of te reo and mātauranga Māori
• know and connect with local whānau, hapū, and iwi
• connect with community networks to help us explore the historical significance of local places and people
• understand the what, why, when, and how of including Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in the social sciences learning area.

Stage Two

We are developing understandings and relationships, as we:

• grow awareness of national and local histories using a broad range of sources and perspectives
• develop our critical inquiry skills
• recognise the links between current contexts/events and the past
• grow productive and reciprocal partnerships for learning between our school and whānau, hapū, and iwi
• make use of Kāhui Ako/school networks to explore mutually beneficial opportunities
• take a closer look at the details of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in the social sciences learning area.

Stage Three

We are implementing Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, as we:

• use it to design our local curriculum (Activities: 1, 2, 3, 4)
• support ongoing professional growth of our people (Activities: 1, 2, 3, 4)
• collaborate with students, parents, whānau, hapū, iwi, and communities to refresh our social sciences programme and implement Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories (Activities: 2, 4)
• reflect Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural heritage and use mātauranga Māori sources (Activities: 2, 4)
• design learning experiences to reflect the diverse histories and experiences of the peoples of Aotearoa (Activities: 1, 2, 4)
• include national and local content that is relevant to all members of our school community (Activities: 1, 2, 3, 4)
• use the resources we have available – people, cultural heritage organisations, and local places. (Activities: 2, 4)

Stage Four

We are embedding and sustaining Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, as we:

• use it to review and refine our local curriculum
• support ongoing professional growth of our people
• grow enduring and reciprocal relationships with hapū and iwi
• reflect on our programme regularly and collaboratively to ensure it continues to meet the needs and priorities of our community
• offer students rich learning experiences across a range of contexts
• use learning progressions and design assessment systems to know and show the development of students’ learning and critical inquiry skills.

Refreshing our national curriculum

The New Zealand Curriculum is being refreshed to ensure that it is clear, easy to use, and is delivering inclusive and equitable learning for all ākonga. Social sciences is the first learning area to be updated and it includes Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories as new content.

Features of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content that reflect the wider curriculum refresh model, include:

• Understand, Know, Do elements that explicitly describe the learning that cannot be left to chance
• opportunities for the development of mātauranga Māori, key competencies, and literacy
• progressions that identify the depth and breadth of learning required at each phase
• clear requirements for national and local content.

“I think one of the benefits of this curriculum for teachers is a much greater clarity about what it is that students need to study and a greater clarity about that study at different levels.”

Graeme Aitken, ANZH writing team member

The national curriculum content provides guidance on what ākonga should learn about Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories as they move through schooling. Leaders and kaiako decide on the teaching approaches to use, and work with their communities to determine the specific topics to be taught.

Positioning Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories within social sciences enables schools to:

• explore histories that are historically significant and important to students’ lives and the modern world
• encourage ākonga to take action as critical, informed, and responsible citizens.

“Learning in the social sciences aims to help students to thrive in the diverse communities and environments of Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond ... Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories supports this aim through its focus on stories of interactions across time that connect people to each other and to place.”

Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories in The New Zealand Curriculum (2022), page 1

The implementation process

Schools and kura will start to implement Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories from 2023. Full implementation will take time. The incremental stages of the poutama and the range of existing and upcoming resources and professional support will help you move steadily towards embedding and sustaining Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.

To learn about the resources and supports that are being developed for the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories, go to Social Sciences Online.

Visit the Ministry of Education website for further information about curriculum changes, including indicative timelines.

“We know that our students want to have a place in their community and want to have a voice. Part of this histories programme is to really encourage students to be involved in their communities.”

Michelle Tamua, ANZH writing team member

 

 

“History has a key part to play in terms of informing our
learners regarding the relationship between the past and the present and how learners can engage in that process of shaping our future. Knowledge of our history is a key part of how we understand the world.”

Hēmi Dale (Te Rarawa and Te Aupōuri), Te Takanga o te Wā writing team member

There are three elements to the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content: Understand, Know, and Do. These elements are not separate, and they are not in sequence.

“Teachers design learning experiences that weave these elements together so that student learning is deep and meaningful.”

Aotearoa New Zealand's Histories in The New Zealand Curriculum (2022), page 1

Understand – Big ideas

The big ideas for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories are enduring understandings that ākonga explore in all learning about our histories. Although the big ideas don’t change across year levels, students gradually deepen their understanding of them as they grow their knowledge of national, rohe, and local contexts and develop their use of inquiry practices.

The topics and themes that schools select provide fertile grounds for exploring the big ideas and transferring understandings to new contexts.

When selecting a topic, teachers can ask the following question:

• How will the topic help ākonga explore the big ideas:
  • the foundational and continuous history of Māori
  • the impact of colonisation and settlement
  • the power people and groups hold
  • and the relationships that have shaped our history.

Kaiako and ākonga can frame inquiry questions and learning experiences around one or more of the big ideas to develop depth and breadth of context.

“I like the fact that the big ideas that we’ve got underpin the curriculum and that the learning is taking place across the different year levels and that it’s building and deepening student knowledge through stories and interpretations of history.”

Bronwyn Houliston, Head of Social Sciences at St Mary’s College and ANZH writing team member

Know – National, rohe, and local contexts

The big ideas come to life for ākonga as they develop knowledge of national, rohe, and local contexts. These contexts are made up of stories about events, people, the land, and how they interact. As students move through schooling, they gain richer understandings of the big ideas through new and more complex contexts.

• The prescribed contexts describe the expected learning for all students across Aotearoa New Zealand.
• Rohe contexts are defined by iwi and hapū and are guided by the question, ‘What stories do local iwi and hapū share about the history of the people of this rohe?’
• Local contexts include histories that are important to local communities and students.

Learning will connect local iwi, hapū, and community histories with the prescribed contexts in ways that are relevant to the lives of ākonga, their whānau, and communities.

Exploring the rich and diverse histories and experiences of all of the peoples of Aotearoa New Zealand is an important part of knowing about our collective heritage. The learning experiences listed under each progress outcome in the curriculum provide examples of the histories of diverse groups. Teachers can use these examples to grow their own knowledge of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and decide what national and local content to focus on in programmes of learning.

“We wanted all New Zealanders to be able to see themselves in the curriculum and not feel like they are studying a history that’s unrelated to them. We wanted to ensure that your history journey begins with yourself and the relationships you have to local iwi and their land… Then as you start to progress through the curriculum, you start to see the layered moments of history … You can explore some really big national concepts through local contexts.”

Dr Nēpia Mahuika (Ngāti Porou), Convenor of History at the University of Waikato and ANZH writing team member

Do – Three inquiry practices

The three inquiry practices are the processes and skills that ākonga use to deepen their understanding and knowledge of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. They are the means by which students understand the big ideas and know national, rohe, and local contexts.

Through the inquiry practices, history becomes more than learning about facts, names, and dates. The inquiry practices are used to think critically and empathetically about our past and explore the different ways it is interpreted and told.

As students move through schooling, they apply the three inquiry practices in new and more complex ways. The Do progression describes what each inquiry practice looks like at each phase of learning. These progressions help teachers understand the increasing sophistication of the processes and skills that need to be taught.

“It’s not just about learning stories, learning narratives, learning what happened in what order, it’s also learning how to think critically. And that acts like a safety valve to some degree, for young people to think rationally and reasonably and critically about what they’re engaging with.”

Dr Mark Sheehan, Faculty of Education, Victoria University of Wellington

Progression – The phases of learning

The progressions model “chunks” learning about Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories into phases – years 1–3, 4–6, 7–8, and 9–10. Each phase makes the big purpose of learning at that phase clear. For example, years 1–3 has a focus on building a strong literacy, numeracy, and social emotional foundation, whereas years 9–10 brings in consolidating deeper learning and using the language and conventions of the discipline.

The progressions model gives clarity about the direction of learning and the key outcomes that matter across the phases, so teachers, ākonga, and whānau can see what is important and how learning develops.

“We’re providing a structure that’s much clearer about where things sit and at what level they sit.”

Graeme Aitken, ANZH writing team member

Activities 1 to 3

The following three activities support leaders and kaiako to explore the Understand, Know, Do elements of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories using the 1981 Springbok tour as an example topic.

Through these activities you will learn how:

• the big ideas give depth and breadth to a topic
• the Knows and Dos describe what it looks like at each phase
• to weave the three elements (UKD) in your planning.

Using your own topic

You may prefer to examine the Understand, Know, Do elements through a topic of your choice and adapt activities 1–3 to suit.

Before you begin, check that your selected topic:

• is historically significant and provides varied opportunities to understand the big ideas
• is relevant to the lives of ākonga, whānau, and local communities
• supports learning at local, national, and global levels
• has contemporary significance.

Source a range of stories about your selected topic to explore through the activities. You could search for national stories related to your topic on New Zealand History and Te Ara. Find local stories by making use of community partnerships and networks.

Understand

This activity is for school leaders and kaiako to use the big ideas of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories to strengthen a topic. The activity uses the events of the Springbok tour as an example, but what happened is part of a wider national and international story about race relations.

Watch Tales from Te Papa Episode 4: Rugby ball and John Minto, a short film about the 1981 Springbok tour. Explain to teachers that the Springbok tour is a historically significant event and an example of a meaningful topic that provides rich opportunities to understand the curriculum’s big ideas.

Ask kaiako to share what they already know about the Springbok tour. Some teachers may have limited knowledge and want to learn more about the events and impact of the Springbok tour. NZ History is a reliable source of background information. Some teachers may remember the tour and want to share first-hand accounts and perspectives.

Learning about the past involves recognising the varied experiences and perspectives of different groups of New Zealanders. Teachers’ own identities, experiences, and perspectives will influence how they feel about specific histories. Refer to Reviewing and refining your social sciences programme in this guide for strategies to protect people’s wellbeing and build understanding and empathy.

Print copies of pages 2–3 of the ANZH curriculum and read through each whakataukī and big idea statement. Highlight key words and phrases and ask teachers to share, in their own words, what they think each big idea is about.

Discuss how the 1981 Springbok tour relates to the big ideas using the following questions to guide conversations:

• What does each big idea mean in relation to the 1981 Springbok tour?
• Which big ideas have the greatest relevance to this particular topic? Why?

Capture your thinking from all three activities in a shared file or on a large piece of paper so that each activity adds to the whole.

Know

This activity is for school leaders and kaiako to explore and make connections between local contexts and ANZH national contexts using the 1981 Springbok tour as an example topic.

Listen to the ANZH curriculum writers talk about national, rohe, and local contexts for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in this Ministry of Education video (watch from 5:30 to 7:55). Discuss how the writers emphasise the importance of rohe and local contexts, and make connections between local histories, the wider New Zealand context, and the big ideas. Make sure that teachers know the difference between topics and contexts here.

Explain that:

• a topic is an overarching theme or event that has personal and social significance for society and helps ākonga understand the curriculum’s big ideas
• contexts are the national, rohe, and local stories that relate to the topic and bring the big ideas to life.

View the 1981 Springbok tour schedule to find out what happened in different parts of Aotearoa New Zealand when the Springboks toured in 1981. Investigate what events took place in or near your region.

Learn how local people responded to the Springbok tour by:

• inviting family members of kaiako and ākonga to share anecdotes and memories
• partnering with whānau, hapū, and iwi to find out about Māori narratives and perspectives
• sourcing information from your community museum or library
• researching online.

Compare and contrast the experiences and perspectives shared through local stories.

Use the progress outcome pages from the ANZH curriculum. Ask teachers to look through the key knowledge, key questions, and learning experiences for each national context at each phase of learning. Identify curriculum content that has relevance to the 1981 Springbok tour.

Consider and discuss:

• which national contexts have the greatest relevance to this particular topic
• how local stories about the Springbok tour connect to the national contexts and the big ideas
• how learning about the Springbok tour will look different at different phases of learning. (What will younger ākonga explore? What will older ākonga explore?)

Capture your thinking from all three activities in a shared file or on a large piece of paper so that each activity adds to the whole.

Do

This activity is for school leaders and kaiako to consider what the inquiry practices look like across the phases of learning using the 1981 Springbok tour as an example topic.

Listen to the ANZH curriculum writers talk about the inquiry practices in this Ministry of Education video (watch from 3:40 to 5:26). Consider and discuss how the writers describe the inquiry practices and the role of the practices in developing critical thinking skills.

Read through the learning experiences in the table, which promote critical thinking about the Springbok tour through use of the ANZH inquiry practices. Choose at least one learning experience to complete together as a staff.

Read the Do statements in the ANZH curriculum.

Consider and discuss:

• how the learning experiences in the table connect to and reflect the practices
• how you could simplify or extend the learning experiences to suit students working at different year levels. 

Capture your thinking from all three activities in a shared file or on a large piece of paper so that each activity adds to the whole.

School examples

Pukekohe Intermediate School

Teachers from Pukekohe Intermediate developed a rich learning opportunity for ākonga around the history of Pukekohe East Church, a local heritage building that was the site of a dramatic battle during the Waikato War in 1863. This local history exemplifies the national context Tūrangawaewae me te kaitiakitanga and provided many opportunities to explore the big ideas.

Using a wide range of sources and perspectives, teachers designed a histories unit weaving the Understand, Know, and Do elements together. They compared year 6 progress outcomes with year 8 progress outcomes to identify what understandings, knowledge, and competencies students needed to develop.

A key focus of the inquiry was exploring and understanding the different perspectives and experiences of people connected to the conflict, including tangata whenua, Governor Grey, the Crown, and British settlers.

“So when we looked at doing a lesson on the Pukekohe East Church, we realised that we had to go back a little bit further and that created an even bigger picture for us. When we looked back at the curriculum, it really covered three big ideas. We were looking at Māori history being our first history, we were looking at colonisation and power struggles. So what we thought was actually something quite small actually became something that was quite a powerful lesson and quite thought provoking for our students.”

Kelly Andrew, Lead Teacher of ANZH at Pukekohe Intermediate

Resources for further exploration

Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in action
Watch part two of these histories videos to learn how teachers have designed rich learning experiences that weave the elements of the ANZH curriculum together and support ākonga to work towards progress outcomes.

Once leaders and teachers have explored the Understand, Know, Do elements of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum, they can use their knowledge of the new curriculum content to review and refine existing social sciences programmes and look for opportunities for histories learning.

As you work with staff to review your social sciences programme, seek input from students, parents, whānau, hapū, iwi, and community groups so that your local curriculum reflects what is important to people in your community.

Consider how you and your teachers can work with the community to:

• unpack the detail of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum content and understand its position in social sciences
• identify local and rohe contexts that are important and of interest
• create a safe space for local people to share local stories
• ensure that everyone can see themselves in teaching and learning that reflects the diversity of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories
• find supporting resources – people, cultural heritage organisations, and local places.

For community engagement ideas, please refer to part one of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in action videos, where teachers describe how they have engaged with whānau and iwi about ANZH. Use ideas from these videos to think about how you could start or continue collaborating with your community about histories learning.

“Part of what we can do as teachers is look at what we’ve already got, what’s really good and what’s working in our classrooms in the social sciences … and to look for places where we can really draw out the history in a bit more detail, but also keep it in a contemporary setting.”

Bronwyn Houliston, Head of Social Sciences at St Mary's College and ANZH writing team member

Planning for, and implementing, Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in social sciences requires schools to build productive and enduring partnerships with Māori whānau, hapū, and iwi. Mana whenua have authority and agency over their mātauranga, tikanga, and taonga – they are the decision-makers about what histories will be shared and how.

Find advice and strategies for working with Māori communities on pages 15–19 of the first ANZH guide.

Building Closer Partnerships with Māori, developed by Te Arawhiti The Office for Māori Crown Relations, can also be used by schools to guide the development of effective partnerships with whānau, hapū, and iwi.

This activity is for school leaders and kaiako to review their current approaches to teaching social sciences and look for opportunities to include Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.

Watch part one of the Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in action videos, where teachers talk about their approaches to ANZH planning and explain how they chose topics and themes for classroom trialling.

List topics and themes that you already explore in your social sciences programme and that ākonga enjoy learning about. For each topic/theme, talk about how (and if) it can be related to the ANZH big ideas and how (and if) it provides opportunities to develop the critical thinking practices that are needed to explore histories.

Work through the traffic light questions below to identify things you need to STOP, CHECK, and START to strengthen your social sciences programme with Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories. As you explore and answer these questions, seek out and listen to the ideas of students, parents, whānau, hapū, iwi, and community groups.

If you work within a Kāhui Ako, compare your ideas for implementing Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories with teachers across your schooling network to ensure that there is a progression in complexity and depth of learning. You may want to explore some of the traffic light questions as Communities of Learning.

Stop, Check, Start

Use these questions to help you make a list of things to STOP:

• Which topics and themes have little or no relevance to Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories or other social sciences curriculum content?
• Which topics and themes do not suit the needs and interests of our ākonga and community?
• What content and resources reflect outdated or negative stereotypes of different groups of people?

Use these questions to help you make a list of things to CHECK:

• What aspects of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories do we think we already explore well through social sciences? How do we know?
• What histories are engaging for ākonga and important to parents, whānau, hapū, iwi, and community groups?
• What resources and contexts do we already use to support histories learning? Do they offer diverse perspectives and include mātauranga Māori sources and approaches?
• What existing units of work can be enhanced with a focus on histories?

Use these questions to help you make a list of things to START:

• What do the progress outcomes tell us about what we should be teaching?
• What topics and themes could we enrich with histories learning?
• What new topics and themes could we introduce? At what levels?
• What histories content and stories do kaiako need to know themselves to be able to successfully design and teach rich learning programmes for Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories?

School examples

St Mary’s College, Ponsonby

Teachers at St Mary’s College in Ponsonby carried out a stocktake of their current social sciences units for years 7 to 10. Guided by the progress outcomes in the draft curriculum, they identified units that already aligned with Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories and units that could be easily adapted to include histories content.

Teachers found that a year 10 unit, that investigates Pacific migration to Aotearoa New Zealand and focuses on the dawn raids and Polynesian Panthers, closely related to the national contexts of ANZH and an aspect of the years 9–10 progress outcome. A year 7 unit that explores local history through a place-based approach had clear links to the ANZH big ideas, especially Māori history as continuous and foundational, and the impacts of colonisation.

“So this is something that we are already doing in our classes and something that will really easily align with this new curriculum that’s coming in. It just might mean that we change the emphasis a little bit on what we’re focusing on in class but all the base work is there.”

Bronwyn Houliston, Head of Social Sciences at St Mary's College and ANZH writing team member

School and iwi collaboration in Tauranga Moana

Schools and iwi in the Bay of Plenty Te Moana-a-Toi are working together to create a localised curriculum resource that can be used by teachers across Tauranga Moana to support the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories in social sciences. Three local iwi are collaborating with the region’s five Kāhui Ako to create a resource that encompasses te reo Māori, tikanga Māori, stories, and local history. The resource provides a rich range of rohe contexts that can be used to bring authenticity and diverse perspectives to histories learning. Te Tai Whanake ki Tauranga Moana Kaitiaki is an initiative that has been developed over several years, as the region’s Kāhui Ako have worked to strengthen relationships with each other and local iwi and hapū.

Read more about this curriculum partnership in the Education Gazette.

Resources for further exploration

Guidance on Relationships for Learning
The Relationships for Learning Tool has a series of collaborative tasks to help you make strategic decisions about the relationships that can support the learning of all ākonga in your setting.

ANZH Planning Tools
Find helpful prompts in the planning log and planning and implementation guide to support the design of your Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories programme.

Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories are diverse and multilayered. Learning about our past involves interpreting multiple stories and recognising the varied experiences and perspectives of different groups of people across time and place. Through this learning we develop knowledge about the origins, decisions, actions, and experiences of our own tūpuna, which helps us understand who we are and where we stand in the world today.

Some histories that kaiako and ākonga encounter may describe past events and decisions that do not reflect contemporary attitudes and values. Teachers’ and students’ own identities, experiences, and perspectives will influence how they feel about specific histories. Stories that tell of conflict, discrimination, and displacement may give rise to feelings of hurt, blame, loss, anger, and guilt.

It is important that the implementation of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories is accompanied by consideration of teacher and student wellbeing. A positive school culture that focuses on community, belonging, diversity, and tolerance provides the foundation of wellbeing and is a prerequisite for histories learning.

The table following includes a range of strategies that can be used by leaders and teachers within a staffroom or classroom learning environment to explore histories in safe ways and build historical empathy. Strategies in the right column make use of the curriculum inquiry practices. Collaborate with your learning community to refine and add to this list.
 

“Before we get to the Understand, Know and Do, the context has to be right within your class … There has to be a whānau vibe or atmosphere or an environment where tamariki feel like they know who they are, they know their tūrangawaewae, where they stand … and feel safe enough to be able to express that before they actually make sense of New Zealand’s history … If you don’t have that partnership right at the very beginning, the tamariki will not be able to be critical because they are not able to feel safe in their classroom to do that.”

Atama Cassidy, Kaiako at Fergusson Intermediate School

Resources for further exploration

Climate Change Wellbeing Guide
Although this resource has been developed to support learning about climate change, the information, strategies, and activities it includes can be adapted and used to support people’s wellbeing when learning about Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories.

Unteach Racism
Unteach racism is an initiative that supports kaiako and leaders to have safe and productive conversations about racism that result in changes to behaviour and practice.