Key competencies and effective pedagogy
There are reciprocal relationships between learning areas and the key competencies. When these relationships are purposefully exploited both the learning areas and the key competencies are strengthened.
About this resource
This section outlines key competencies and effective pedagogy. This tool helps schools audit their progress with integrating the five key competencies of The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum into local curriculum. It includes a self-audit framework, engaging examples of practice, and insight into important aspects of the key competencies.
Key competencies and effective pedagogy
Developing the key competencies within each learning area strengthens learning in both the key competencies and the learning area.
The key competencies development tool helps schools audit their progress integrating the five key competencies from The 2007 New Zealand Curriculum into all learning areas. Schools can explore:
- How well are the key competencies integrated into each of the different learning areas?
- What opportunities does each learning area provide in strengthening the key competencies in learners?
- How does the integration of the key competencies support Te Tiriti o Waitangi?
- Does it give ākonga an opportunity to:
- understand and contribute their own cultural knowledge and identity to this learning area?
- develop their knowledge of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and te ao Māori in this learning area?
- Does the integration of the key competencies within this learning area support the diverse ways of being, understanding, knowing, and doing of all students?
- What impact is the integration between key competencies and the learning areas having on students’ overall development? How do we know?
- What aspects of key competency development might we need to work on?
Introducing the key competencies tool
Sue McDowall from NZCER provides the background to the key competencies tool project.
How the tool is structured
Rosemary Hipkins explains how the key competencies tool is structured.
What does the tool look like?
The tool has two main parts:
- a self-audit framework of questions about effective pedagogy
- a mosaic of 14 engaging examples of practice that show what this pedagogy might look like in different learning areas
It also contains insights into important aspects of the key competencies.
These materials support in-school professional learning conversations.
Where did this tool come from?
This Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga The Ministry of Education funded tool was developed by researchers from NZCER and the University of Waikato. Many teachers contributed examples, which represent a selection across year levels, learning areas, and individual key competencies. Interesting themes have been shaped into sets of discussion questions at the end of each example.