Sonia Glogowski - Key Competencies

This was a cluster workshop organised by Jan Thomas and Richard McMillan of Coley Street School. They invited Sonia Glogowski from the Ministry of Education to speak to the cluster on Key Competencies in the New Curriculum. First Sonia went briefly over what the Key Competencies are and how they relate to skills needed to equip people in all occupations. Then she went on to explain how the drivers of change – globalization, ICT revolution, demographic changes and shift in values are impacted through levels of Key Competencies and that we need people to bring ideas together. Sonia reinforced Ohau School’s beliefs that it is impossible to assess the Key Competencies but that they needed to be planned for explicitly in how they are to be taught. The value of e-learning and how it has the potential to change pedagogical practices was looked at and how it is interwoven with Numeracy, Literacy and the Key Competencies. The Key Competencies were also looked at as adults and also how context dependent and value laden they are. Sonia also linked them back to the Principles that are listed in the New Zealand Curriculum and how these form the basis for all learning. This made us think of revisiting the New Zealand Curriculum and the Principles are ensure that staff are aware of all of them and how they are connected to the Key Competencies. This workshop through a Ministry approach was completely different to one attended at Learning at Schools even though based on the same Key Competencies. It provided a different aspect with valuable learning to share with the other staff at Ohau School. Along with paying more attention to the principles in the New Zealand Curriculum, planning will now include a more specific outline of how Key Competencies will be taught.