Education – Unprecedented change

Education in Aotearoa is in a constant state of change. One of the main reasons for this is the politicisation of education in our country, which sees ideological shifts in schooling oscillate in rhythm with changes of government – swinging from a social learning model, which focuses on students as part of a community of learners, all learning in collaboration with one another, to a more atomised view of education with a focus on ‘back to basics’ rhetoric around “the 3 R’s”.

Currently, there is a level of change that I’ve never seen before. The difference, and the thing that a lot of educators are finding most challenging, is that we are not only being told what to teach (curriculum changes), but how to teach (pedagogical approaches). This impacts on classroom teachers and, ultimately, students, for better or worse.

While most educators welcome increased clarity around what students need to be taught at different stages of their schooling, many view the directives to teach in prescribed/structured ways as an erosion of the teaching profession, and a return to the textbook-based learning of yesteryear.

While all of this change is going on, Tomarata School continues to do what it does best – create dynamic and engaging learning experiences for our students. We place strong emphasis on the importance of learning in the outdoors wherever possible. We have several programmes running that support this.

We are a Garden 2 Table School, which means that students get opportunities to be involved in the planting and harvesting of vegetables. We also gather fruit from our orchard, and use eggs from our chickens to do cooking. Students get to see how the effort you put in to growing fruit and vegetables can be transformed into delicious food that we learn to cook, and share together. We also participate in the Trees for Survival programme. Each year we grow around 800 native plant seedlings, which we plant in revegetation projects on local properties.

The jewel in the crown for Tomarata School is our Nature Classroom. We have a beautiful area of native bush set aside for our use on a nearby farm. Each week, two classes spend the day in this pristine environment, beneath the trees, alongside a stream where we feed the local eel. We also have a classroom space on-site, where we can spend time if the weather is a bit wet. As a school, we use this area to provide meaningful contexts for learning for our students. Art, science, literacy, Te Ao Māori, technology, maths and physical education all take place within the context of our Nature Classroom.

An emphasis on community involvement underpins everything that we do at Tomarata School. We are blessed to have an amazing parent community, who are actively involved in supporting all of our initiatives with the ultimate goal of delivering awesome learning experiences and outcomes for our students.