Key Findings

• Students, whānau and parents told us that alignment with their hopes, dreams and aspirations is central to their engagement with learning.
• Students, and their whānau and parents, value teachers who make learning engaging, focus on understanding and help them persevere when learning is new or challenging.
• Students in secondary school told us that what works best for their learning is when teachers not only attend to subject matter, but also to their emotions, adjusting approaches when students are struggling, or aren’t in the right mindset, and encouraging them to always aim for their best. Practical and interactive approaches to learning work best with students at secondary school alongside focused time for individual tasks and assessments.
• Collaboration and peer support are important to students of all ages.
• We heard that literacy & communication and maths learning encompasses all facets of life.
• Effective relationships and communication between whānau, parents and schools is crucial for supporting learning at home.
• Students told us that success comes from mastery – of skills, concepts, strategies – and is largely personally validated.
• We heard that feeling successful positively influences the self-perception of students, their sense of belonging and eagerness to engage in school.
• Some facets of literacy communication and maths can be challenging.