Snapshot

Whangaparaoa College is a large public secondary school serving 1,700 students from Year 7 to Year 13, at the heart of the Whangaparaoa community. Known for its innovative and culturally responsive curriculum, the college is committed to continually evolving its teaching practices. One unique feature of the school is its Year 7 cohort, which operates as a "school within a school," delivering targeted instruction to around 300 students.

Client Introduction

Lisa Williams, the Head of Learning for the Year 7 school at Whangaparaoa College, oversees all aspects of the Year 7 curriculum, as well as the well-being of staff and students. As part of her role, she seeks to ensure that the curriculum remains innovative and aligned with new educational standards, including the Digital Technologies curriculum.

Problem

 The Year 7 teaching staff at Whangaparaoa College faced challenges in integrating the new Digital Technologies curriculum into their existing teaching framework. Specifically, they needed support in two areas:

• Understanding and implementing computational thinking in a practical, classroom-based way.
• Meaningfully incorporating Digital Technologies into their integrated curriculum while maintaining the school’s localised and innovative teaching approach.

Lisa and her team recognised that while they were eager to meet the requirements of the new curriculum, they struggled to bring the content to life in a way that felt relevant and achievable within their current teaching methods. Seeking a solution, Lisa connected with Anita, a Professional Learning and Development (PLD) facilitator from Code Avengers, to discuss the specific needs of her staff.

Solution

Anita from Code Avengers designed a tailored PLD program to address the challenges faced by the Year 7 staff. Her approach focused on two key areas of the Digital Technologies curriculum: Computational Thinking and Designing and Developing Digital Outcomes.

• Full-Staff Workshop:
  Anita conducted an interactive and informative workshop to help the Year 7 staff differentiate the requirements of the two strands of the curriculum. The workshop clarified the concepts behind computational thinking and Designing and Developing digital outcomes, providing teachers with a solid understanding of how these elements could be applied in their classrooms. Teachers left the session feeling more confident in their curriculum knowledge and ready to implement new ideas.
• Classroom Support and Engagement:
  Over the following months, Anita spent significant time working alongside individual teachers in their classrooms. She demonstrated activities that highlighted the principles of computational thinking without the need for digital devices, surprising many teachers with how these concepts could be taught away from the computer. This approach allowed teachers to connect computational thinking to other areas of their teaching, fostering integration across the curriculum.
• Curriculum Integration:
  In addition to classroom support, Anita collaborated with a teacher to co-plan an integrated unit of work focused on the Scientific Process. Together, they seamlessly integrated Digital Technologies and specific Code Avengers lessons into the unit, creating a rich, cross-curricular learning experience. Anita also co-developed a Year 7 Digital Technology taster course, which focused on new technologies, computer science principles, collaboration, and fun. This project became a memorable experience for students and a cornerstone of the Year 7 Digital Technologies curriculum.

Results

The PLD program had a transformative impact on the Year 7 staff at Whangaparaoa College. Teachers gained foundational knowledge and increased confidence in teaching computational thinking across various subjects. The strategies introduced by Anita empowered teachers to integrate Digital Technologies into their curriculum planning authentically and effectively. The use of the Code Avengers platform was incorporated into literacy and math units, ensuring students were exposed to digital skills in multiple contexts.
The Year 7 team continues to prioritise digital learning in their curriculum, ensuring that students are equipped with the skills they need for the future while maintaining an innovative, authentic approach to teaching.

Conclusion

Anita’s PLD journey with Lisa and the Year 7 staff at Whangaparaoa College resulted in lasting improvements in their approach to Digital Technologies. The tailored support provided teachers with the skills and confidence to integrate digital learning into all areas of the curriculum. As the school continues to evolve, Digital Technology remains a key priority, ensuring that students are prepared for a rapidly changing digital landscape.

Header image attribution: By Pingelig - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14576130