Kia ora koutou,
Preparations for Term Two are well underway. As I sit here and plan, I am reflecting on wānanga and all that we achieved during Term One.
What is wānanga?
Wānanga is time spent with my Year 7-9 composite class. We have seven hours of wānanga time per week. This time is spent focussing on 'front-end of the curriculum' skills. A key part of my personal teaching philosophy is that relationships are key. I know that I share this philosophy with a number of my colleagues. We use this wānanga time to build and strengthen relationships, creating a safe, open and supportive environment for our learners.
What did I do during wānanga Term One?
I spent a good chunk of time at the start of the term playing fun get-to-know-you games and focussing on establishing connections. Circle time was also a big part of wānanga time and really helped to build a sense of community and belonging.
Why did I do this and what was the impact?
It was important for this to happen early on as the class I have this year is composite Year 7-9 class and not all students knew each other. We had lots of students from outside of our Uru Mānuka cluster starting with us in 2021 and new year 7 students transiting into high school.
What were the highlights of wānanga?
What would I like to change for next term?
