Who are our heroes ?NZATE conference 2009

Facilitator Trish Holden

Secondary English and Literacy Advisor

UC Education Plus

The job of education

is to strengthen students’ “ability to be good choosers, skilful problem solvers and powerful learners.”

“Doing well at school does not make you a better thinker.”

Guy Claxton, Expanding the Capacity to Learn: a new end for education

Learning intentions for this workshop

To enhance your ability to be a good chooser and a skilful problem solver through your powerful learning

To build understandings about how a thematic approach can link all sections of the NZC in a seamless and relevant way.

To consider how the topic of heroes could be used to connect with students’ curiosity and to make them ‘better thinkers’

To share approaches that would give all students relevant, ‘real life’ contexts for their learning

“The change is as much about reviewing how we teach as what we teach.” [Rose Hipkins]

A thematic study offers

teachers a chance to provide a choice of texts suited to students’ needs, backgrounds and interests, rather than one set text

scope to address the intertwined natures of visual, oral and written texts, to provide a more holistic approach

opportunities to stimulate students’ engagement and enjoyment

students a chance to make deeper conceptual connections within, between and beyond texts, and across learning areas

opportunity for differentiated approaches to meet the needs and interests of diverse learners

Our English Learning Area (p. 18) requires us to offer programmes that help students to "deconstruct and critically interrogate texts". Developing a conceptual understanding of society, in relation to a range of texts, allows for deeper, more connected learning to occur.  We also need to look at ways to assert the "interconnected" nature of the two strands, Making Meaning and Creating Meaning. A thematic approach offers one way to begin to do that.

 

Of course, we all know, too, that, to encourage such deep, connected thinking, the pedagogy of the classroom needs to support the thematic planning. A thematic programme, therefore, will most likely include the kinds of teaching approaches described on pages 34-35 of the revised curriculum.

Karen Melhuish, English online  

Planning for a thematic approach

Need to consider

• Why this theme? What do we know about our students that suggests that this could be a suitable theme to engage and support learning?

• What big picture ideas do we want to consider?

• How does it link to the vision and principles of the NZC?

• What values, KCs and AOs would be appropriate to foreground?

• What effective teaching approaches could we use to engage and support learning?

Who is a hero?

A person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage and outstanding achievements.

Oxford Concise Dictionary 2001

To have no heroes is to have no aspiration... [Charles Horton Cooley]

You cannot be a hero without being a coward [George Bernard Shaw]

It was involuntary. They sank my boat. [John F Kennedy on being asked how he became a war hero.]

Testing our assumptionsThe sports star?

Irwen ven duk

Our most famous hero?

The current reality for some

friends

mothers

none

Isaac Ross

fathers

Barack Obama

Taylor Swift and grandmothers

Travis Pastrana and Michael Jackson

What does this show us about their view of the world? Their values?

Groupings and reasons

friends

family members

sport stars [motor bikes, rugby, netball, rowing, soccer]

arts/entertainment [writing, music, comedy, film, model]

world figures

funny, supportive, close, awesome

brought me up, loving, kind, successful,strong, talented

best, first to do something

pretty/beautiful, new way of doing something, best

changed history for the better

Recurring words/ideas

best, successful, really good at

change

inspiring

role model

beautiful, pretty

always there for me

loving

Fictional heroes

superheroes –Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Catwoman [save people]

heroes from children’s books/ TV programmes e.g. Barney

[helped me learn]

characters from Twilight [kind, romantic, nice, friendly]

Exceptions

Trevor – Pay it Forward [great idea that inspires]

Harry Potter [good and brave, takes risks for others]

Artemis Fowl [saves the world]

Lara Croft [saves lives]

Where are the fictional characters that embody the qualities of a hero that students can learn from? Ones they have read recently?

Ideas worth exploring?

Celebrities v. Heroes

How many of the qualities that you identified earlier also apply to celebrities?

What qualities might be found in celebrities that are not present in heroes?

Can you think of people who are both celebrities and heroes? Can you give reasons for this?

Courage

types of courage – physical, moral

real v. false – examples around school, community

List of issues that people have spoken out for e.g. racism, 1981 Springbok tour

Do you know the names of any people who have stood up for these causes? What are the usual things that they risk?

What gives people real courage?

Gender stereotyping

Can females be heroes? List five women that you regard as heroes? Do they have the same qualities as male heroes?

If you look at any lists of awards, honours etc, there are more men than women. Why do you think that is? What does that suggest about our society?

Does a heroine have the same qualities as a hero?

Reluctant hero

Different cultural perspectives

Samoan idea of finau ma Ia toa lou loto [stand on your ground]

Important qualities in their culture

- service

- education

- leadership [family, village, constituency, island]

- humility [not about me]

- perseverance

Chiefs always male but there are strong women [NaFaNua, Salamasina]

A Maori view

Mana is ascribed to someone, grows over time

Important are:

knowing whakapapa

keeping relationships [whakawhanaungatanga]

knowing where resources are

oratory

having one highly developed skill

All heroes

unsung/everyday/unheralded heroes

local heroes – school, town, area, province – work for the good of a section of that community

small, seemingly powerless person [David] who takes on the giant [Goliath]

national heroes whose deeds/works have national impact

international heroes whose deeds/works have international impact

‘accidental’ hero – in the wrong place at the right time

‘just doing their job’

Qualities of local heroes -people whose achievements have put the town ‘on the map’

person has lived most of their life in Christchurch

person is readily identified by Christchurch citizens as having contributed something of major importance to their sense of pride in their city and its achievements

person’s achievements derive from hard work and persistence as well as talent

person’s achievements are complete, or of such a nature as to make it unlikely that their status in the eyes of the local community will subsequently be damaged

Twelve Local Heroes – a celebration

Differing viewpoints in times of war

active soldiers e.g. Upham, Apiata, Maori Battalion

conscientious objectors e.g. Archibald Baxter

pacifists e.g. Rita Angus

war poets – different/changing views

non violent action in times of war – Parihaka, Mau movement in Samoa

women who took on roles at home in absence of men

Are these all heroes? What qualities do they have in common?

Who are our heroes and why?

Who were the heroes of your parents or grandparents generation? Why were they heroes? How are they similar/different to today’s heroes? What does that suggest about values at the time?

Research Sir Walter Buller. Why was he given a knighthood and honorary degrees? Would he be similarly rewarded today? Reasons?

Do an analysis of the NZ Order – what sort of people are recognised? Why have they been acknowledged? What qualities do they have in common? Are there any that do not seem to ‘fit’?

Who does our school acknowledge – prizes, certificates, honours boards, articles in magazines, newsletters? What does this suggest about the values of our school?

Who does our community acknowledge – newspapers, local awards, displays, memorials [inc street/building names]

Who does our country acknowledge – newspapers, honours awards, bravery awards. What does this suggest about the values of NZ?

Creating meaning

What sort of a hero do we need in our community to ‘fix’ a particular problem? Identify the problem/issue. Describe their personal qualities, lifestyle, relationships, goals, ways of working.

A number of local bodies hold annual awards for local heroes e.g. Waitakere, New Lynn, Wellington City Council [safety in the city]- submit a nomination

Enter the NZ Herald unsung hero competition

Class presentations on people who have been researched – class votes on top 12 heroes using agreed criteria

Who should your council honour as its local heroes? Outline who they should honour and why. In what way do you think that these people should be honoured?

Does your school community honour its heroes? Are there issues of equity? Prepare a submission explaining why the practice should change.

Flexible programme planning across a year

How do you provide choice but still

ensure that students cover a range of text types across years 9 and 10 and still provide choice?

ensure that students produce a range of text types across years 9 and 10 and still provide choice?

Is it feasible to give students a list of text types that they must produce across the year and let them choose when they make these choices?

How does this fit with the big picture of NZC?

Vision – confident, connected, actively involved, life-long learners

Values Key competencies English learning area

Principles – high expectations, Treaty of Waitangi, cultural diversity, inclusion, learning to learn, community engagement, coherence, future focus [citizenship]

Websites Resources

http://www.giraffe.org [US – you tube clips]

http://www.myhero.com/myhero [US recognises a range of heroes]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjTyyn5hVh8 [Royd Kennedy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sUdvlrRka0 [Apiata]

www.the99.org [first superheroes based on Islamic culture – creator’s letter to his sons]

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2008/03/27/heroes.sandra.andersen.cnn

www.nzedge.com/heroes [range of NZ heroes written, images]

www.royalhumanesociety-nz.com

http://www.gg.govt.nz/node/1809

http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/onz.html

http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/mzon.html

http://www.ppta.org.nz/index.php/resources/curriculum-support/curric-resources/cat_view/147-curriculum-resources/163-learning-areas--subjects/153-english

References

Julie Mitchell, Worlds of Difference: Exploring Worldviews and Values in English Texts published by CCES

Julie Mitchell, Worlds of Difference 2: Exploring Worldviews and Values in English Texts

Twelve Local Heroes – A Celebration published by Local Heroes Trust

Guy Claxton, Expanding the Capacity to Learn: a new end for education; opeming key note address British Educational Research Association