Establish a learning support community team
Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Coordinating community and cluster-wide learning support’
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Partner with local iwi from the outset
Partner with local iwi from the outset
Develop reciprocal relationships with local hapū and iwi. Learn about iwi education strategic plans and how as a team you can support them.
Seek guidance on how to do this respectfully.
The following resources and videos illustrate how other communities are navigating this journey:
- Taihape Area School
- James Hargest High School
- Melanie Taite-Pitama, student achievement function practitioner at the Ministry of Education talking about how schools can build and strengthen a relationship with local marae or hapū
- Partnership between iwi, school, and community
- Engaging with Māori: whānau, hapū, iwi and Māori organisations
- A framework for partnerships/collaboration – Poutama Pounamu
Contact your local regional office for guidance.
Have the right people at the table
Have the right people at the table
Determining who will be part of the learning support community team will require a lot of discussion.
Possible collaborators could include:
- Leadership representatives from each early learning service, school, or kura
- Learning support coordinators or facilitators
- Iwi services
- Disability support groups
- Alt Ed and activity centre leaders
- Local religious or youth leaders
- Ministry of Education specialists (e.g., speech-language therapist, senior advisor: refugee and migrant support, learning support services, learning support roles, local Ministry of Education offices )
- Resource teachers: learning and behaviour
- Local medical, child and adolescent mental health services
- Local social work services
- Ākonga and whānau representation
Make your network of relationships visible
Make your network of relationships visible
Mapping connections.
Every early learning service, school, and kura will have established learning support processes and teams within its community. View this example from Te Kauwhata College.
Each school will also have relationships with other groups, such as ASD specialists or youth group leaders.
As a school, document or create a map of your key relationships that you can share with the learning support community team.
This will enable the team to see common relationships and identify areas of knowledge and expertise (in areas such as dyslexia or NZSL).
Reflection questions
Reflection questions
Reflect on what you will need to uncover and discuss to enable partnership and collaboration.
Learning partnerships flourish when power is shared and the principle of ako – reciprocal learning and teaching – is in play.
- How will these principles underpin your learning community team’s interactions?
- How will you know?
Useful resources
Useful resources
Educationally Powerful Connections video kete
A kete of videos that focus on learning pathways, community, mentoring, and whānau conferencing.
Publisher: University of Waikato
Mana motuhake – Empower
Mana motuhake – Empower is the final stage of the He Pikorua practice sequence for RTLB and Ministry learning support specialists. It focuses on strengthening the capacity of all who support learners, promoting positive relationships and environments.
Publisher: He Pikoura
Next steps
More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Coordinating community and cluster-wide learning support”:
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Current page Establish a learning support community team
Return to the guide “Collaborative planning for learning”
How to use this site
Guide to Index of the guide: 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
- Understanding the Learning Support Delivery Model (LSDM)
- Establish a learning support community team
- Collectively agree a purpose and model
- Follow protocols for sharing information
- Review and refine plans
