Build high expectations and strengths-based approaches
Set high expectations and foster strengths so everyone knows how to be the best they can.
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Use strengths-based approaches
Use strengths-based approaches
Support practice that:
- acknowledges and enhances strengths, abilities and interests.
- incorporates the cultural traditions, identity, language, and ways of knowing of mokopuna and their whānau.
- focuses on the future and not the past.
- facilitates change and hope.
- is sustainable.
- enhances the motivation, capability and capacity of the collaborative team.
Source: Strengths-based approach – He Pikorua (opens in a new tab/window)
Foster high expectations
Foster high expectations
Empower students
Empower students
For example:
- Mana-enhancing, restorative, problem-solving, inclusive rather than punitive, blaming, labelling, problem-finding, excluding.
- A holistic lens that focuses on recognising potential, skills, and the essence of the whole child, rather than an accusing lens that focuses on disobedience, defiance, and the behaviour of the child.
- An ecological lens that focuses on the whole child, their history, whakapapa, and whānau, and the relationships in the class, rather than an individual focus with a snapshot perspective of the present event and the individual child’s behaviour or response.
- A circular process of restoration, rather than a linear process of blame.
- Cultural approaches using the big picture, achieving balance and restoring mana, and relational trust, rather than clinical approaches looking at the small picture, solving crises, regaining power, and leaving relational mistrust.
- Behaviour is seen in the context of overall wellbeing, rather than in the context of authority and control.
Promote high expectations in teacher practice
Promote high expectations in teacher practice
- Build high but realistic goals for students.
- Foster ākonga confidence and self-belief.
- Support ākonga aspirations.
- Build pedagogies and teacher capability to set and support high expectations.
- Monitor the impact of teaching practice and take action when needed.
- Work with whānau to identify a student’s full potential.
- Communicate high expectations across the school.
- Communicate and collaborate with Māori and Pacific whānau and ākonga.
Support students to have high expectations
Support students to have high expectations
Teacher Wayne Robinson shares how he sets up and develops student ownership and high expectations for learning.
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Commit to whole-school approaches”:
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Current page Build high expectations and strengths-based approaches
Return to the guide “Behaviour and learning”

How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: Collaborative planning for learning
Understand:
- Understanding collaborative planning for learning
Strategies for action:
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Collaboratively planning a universally designed learning environmentShow suggestions for Collaboratively planning a universally designed learning environment
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Making a collaborative learning support planShow suggestions for Making a collaborative learning support plan
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Coordinating community and cluster-wide learning supportShow suggestions for Coordinating community and cluster-wide learning support