Exploring a Future World with Students

Dr Simon Taylor, University of Waikato

Originally posted on NZARE |

School curriculum has been criticised for lacking authenticity in terms of a future focus and having little to do with issues relating to living in a future world. James Dator, a Hawaiian futurist argues that future-oriented thinking should be incorporated into all subjects, and that learning programmes ought to provide opportunities for students to discuss and design their own future. I too, have pondered the question, Do we give students the time, resources, opportunity to identify and pursue their own vision for the future? I believe it is critical that as educators we ensure that every student develops the steps and strategies to not only achieve their dreams but to envision their own future. The following are some examples of how to explore a future world with students.

Learning outside the classroom

Many schools in New Zealand provide education outside the classroom (EOTC) programmes, for example through field trips to museums, industries, shopping centres, and other places in the local community. These environments are used to develop student’s understanding of the past and present world, but I see this as a wonderful opening to envisage a future as well.  There is evidence to show that opportunities to understand a community provide a springboard for effective student interaction, dialogue, and agency to design and create future ideas. We know that students come to school with pre-existing conceptions and misconceptions of what a future could look like, however, new understandings can be developed when students share their views and knowledge about outside-of-school environments. This opportunity is sometimes missed and could easily be incorporated into an outside classroom experience.

Making models

An inquiry process designing and building a diorama model of a future house and community can emphasise communication and argumentation, and this moves students’ thinking forward through specific forms of talk. Diorama modelling can locate the learner in an imaginary habitat, where personal perceptions of scale and role-play are employed as sensory experiences. A key strategy to modelling is to encourage student autonomy and agency, through physical co-construction of a diorama, envisioning homes and a community in which students and their families would want to live in the future. This can probe students’ knowledge in a unique way, using talk and composition as a window into their developing knowledge about their future. The photo below depicts a diorama model designed and built by a group of Year 9 students of how people could live in the year 2100.

Why modelling?

Learning to model a future involves making meaning of representations, and engaging with symbolic depictions of real issues set in real contexts. Modelling is a competency for students to manipulate illusionary spaces where they can develop new solutions through the process. This can open conversations with teachers about the notion of students being future citizens, where they have the opportunity to develop innovative solutions and initiate their own questions.  These strategies provide students with increased opportunities to interact with teachers, peers, experts and scientists, and hence contribute to a shift in power relationships between teachers and students.

Taking action is empowering for young people

Taking personal action to envision a future is to acknowledge that action begins with personal reflection, and where there is awareness of alternative viewpoints through dialogue.  A criticism of some school programmes is that the topics can be heavily focussed on content knowledge and specific skills, rather than giving students an opportunity to explore a range of perspectives involving a real issue or context.  At times, traditional subjects in schools can tend to focus on the content behind the issue, without properly equipping students with the ability to create meaningful action or change in their learning. More in-depth knowledge of an issue does not necessarily create motivation to change a problem. This could create a sense of hopelessness in students. I believe one way for learners to develop competencies to create meaningful change is for them to identify the problem or issue for example: Petrol fuelled cars are to be phased out for the future. Students next steps are to develop an understanding of the root cause of the issue. This often includes societal/cultural/economic factors, or car use behaviour/ public transport perceptions. Students then develop strategies for change involving community/collaborative input. Teachers can explore with students opportunities to encourage cooperation, analyse power relations, and link to political/sociological studies. Finally, students are enabled to develop an alternative vision of the future. Investigating how other cultures/places address issues, can motivate students to enact change close to home.

Developing a preferred future

Rather than ‘doom and gloom’ outlooks, students could develop knowledge from all curriculum areas, and consider a wide range of future scenarios to emphasise that the future is not “fixed” or inevitable. One issue for teachers to address with students is the fact that contemporary and national economic systems are premised on the idea of continued economic growth, in order to keep the cogs of the economy operational.  However, the planet’s resources are limited, and the true environmental costs of current human economic activities, including the costs to future generations and to other species, are not accounted for. Ultimately our current behaviour is not sustainable. This suggests that students and indeed all people, need support to collaborate, create, and envision their preferred futures, and develop their thinking around alternative models for humanity to adapt and thrive in any scenario they are faced with in the future.

Dr Simon Taylor is a Lecturer at the Tauranga campus of the University of Waikato, and he teaches in the secondary initial teacher programme. His research interest lies in the areas of science education, student perspectives in secondary and tertiary environments, futurist learning, youth empowerment and education design.

Exploring Collaboration in Action: Kahukura Community of Practice

The Enduring Effect of Exemplary Teachers of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Most Disengaged Secondary School Students: An Ideology of Hope

Rachel Maitland (Ngāi te Ruahikihiki, Ngāti Huirapa, Ngāi Tūāhuriri) is Assistant Principal at a school that caters to learners sentenced or remanded by the New Zealand Youth Court to a Youth Justice residence.  

— This article was originally posted on NZARE

I watched the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final between the All Blacks and England from a pub in Australia. It was a rare and shocking defeat for the All Blacks, and following this, I observed New Zealand’s reaction to our boys bringing back bronze. For the next few days, my phone screen was flooded with notifications about the “devastating loss”. Third place. New Zealand was not happy.

At that stage, I was midway through writing my MEd thesis and, although I shared in New Zealand’s nationwide disappointment, the rugby result played on my mind for another reason. I had just come across a report looking at educational inequalities across 41 of the world’s high and middle-income countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and/or the European Union (EU). The report presented a glaring illustration of the dire gap between New Zealand’s highest and lowest achieving students with New Zealand ranked 33rd overall in educational inequality. That’s a whole lot worse than third place in a rugby competition. Despite a myriad of policies, initiatives, and strategies dedicated to the issue of New Zealand’s much-lamented tail of educational underachievement, this blight continues to thrive.

Risks of Disengaging from Education

Disengagement from education is strongly linked to poor physical and mental health, increased involvement in high risk activities including substance abuse and unsafe sexual practices, and is also one of the key predictors of youth offending. For the last 19 years, I have worked as a teacher and Head of Department in alternative education (AE), and as a teacher and Assistant Principal in a decile 1 state school delivering education to learners sentenced or remanded by the New Zealand Youth Court to a Youth Justice (YJ) residence. AE is a provision funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Education with a goal of catering to the educational needs of 14 to 16 year olds who meet specific criteria indicating disengagement from mainstream schooling. AE and YJ learners sit at the very end of New Zealand’s tail of underachievement, and represent New Zealand’s most marginalised communities and our most educationally disengaged secondary school students.

In my career, I have worked with a number of teachers whom I consider to be exceptional in their ability to engage the most resistant learners in the learning environment. Over time, I noticed these teachers had some interesting practices and intriguing characteristics, which inspired me to write a thesis on the topic.

Teachers are known to be one of the most significant factors influencing educational engagement. My thesis presents findings from a qualitative research project into the beliefs, practices, and knowledge of exemplary teachers of New Zealand’s most disengaged secondary school students. I had two research questions:

1. What are the understandings, beliefs and practices of highly effective teachers of at-risk secondary students?

2. What teacher knowledge, mindsets and strategies can help to engage Aotearoa New Zealand’s most educationally disconnected secondary students?

The research findings were presented using Sergiovanni’s (2007) head, heart and hand framework. Six generalised statements represent the key findings within each of the three dimensions, and are a compilation of direct quotes and ideas offered by the research participants.

The Head: What exemplary teachers of at-risk learners know:

Mātauranga: knowledge, wisdom, understanding

1. They know they don’t necessarily know how to teach the student sitting in front of them.

2. They know that what works well for these learners would work well in mainstream, and not the other way round.

3. They know themselves, and they consistently turn up as themselves.

4. They know their own personal and professional limitations, and are skilled at working within a collaborative team of other adults.

5. They know what is happening in students’ lives beyond the classroom, and strategically adapt their approach, curriculum content and anticipated outcomes to reflect this knowledge.

6. They know the risk.

The Heart: What exemplary teachers of at-risk learners believe:

Kaupapa: purpose, passion, vision, values

1. They love their work and believe that they can make a difference, but they do not think that they have been sent to save the world.

2. They believe that students are doing the very best that they can with the tools they have, and they do not personalise student behaviour.

3. They like their students, and believe their students are capable and competent and have mana.

4. They have empathy for their students, but they do not pity them. They have empathy but these people are not pushovers.

5. They challenge their own beliefs, the beliefs of the students, and they challenge the system.

6. They believe that there are many variations and models of life, and that there is no ‘one’ pathway or solution to achieve a life well led.

The Hand:  What exemplary teachers of at-risk learners do:

Tikanga: methods, techniques, practice

1. They build powerful relationships and connections with students, students’ peers, families, and communities.

2. They create a safe place, a place of refuge, a culture and climate that allows students to detox from the chaos in their lives.

3. They design resources and are resourceful.

4. They carefully tailor their approach to suit the relationship between the teacher and the student, enhancing the student’s mana never diminishing it.

5. They anchor students with a sense of belonging.

6. They create opportunities for fun and laughter, giving students a bank of happy memories to anchor them in tough times.

The findings of this research project regarding exemplary teachers of New Zealand’s most disengaged secondary school students suggest that more recognition and value be placed on distinctly different knowledge, mindsets and practices, such as teachers’ ability to disengage their ego, to see young people from a holistic perspective, to use time and space strategically, to employ mana-enhancing practices, and to challenge young people to see themselves and their world in a different light. It is hoped these findings provide fresh insight and food for thought regarding how the educational needs of disengaged learners might be met.

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Rachel Maitland (Ngāi te Ruahikihiki, Ngāti Huirapa, Ngāi Tūāhuriri) has a teaching career spanning almost two decades. During this time, she has worked as a teacher and Head of Department in alternative education, and as a teacher and Assistant Principal in a decile one state school delivering education to children and young people in state care.  Rachel is based at one of the school’s seven campuses educating 13 to 18 year old rangatahi sentenced or remanded by the New Zealand Youth Court to a Youth Justice residence. In 2019, Rachel was awarded a TeachNZ Secondary Teachers Study Award, and recently completed her Master of Education thesis at the University of Canterbury.

MOE : Tau Mai Te Reo: The Māori Language in Education 2013 - 2017

MOE : Whakapūmautia Papakōwhaitia Tau ana - Grasp, Embrace and Realise 2011

Ministry of Education: Conducting Excellent Education Relationships

ERO : Evaluation Indicators for Education Reviews in Te Aho Matua Kura Kaupapa Māori

TE RŪNANGA NUI O NGĀ KURA KAUPAPA MĀORI O AOTEAROA 2014

ERO : Framework For Review in Evaluation in Kura Kaupapa Māori Aho Matua

Te Rūnanga Nui o Ngā Kura Kaupapa Māori o Aotearoa 2014

Values for New Zealand School Leadership - Literature Review for the Te Ariki Trust.

Susan Lovett, University of Canterbury