Figure 1.--The junior classes in secondary schools are fairly standard at most schools. The senior students on the other hand are offered a wide range of elective subjects to study.
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Figure 1.--The junior classes in secondary schools are fairly standard at most schools. The senior students on the other hand are offered a wide range of elective subjects to study. |
New Zealand schools deal with a wide range of subjects. Primary schools still stress the basics, but often through interesting projects to engage the children's interests. Secondary schools, especially the larger ones, have quite diverse course offerings. Have a look here to see how different subjects are being taught.
Art is one of the most popular non-academic subjects. Many of the students involved are quite passionate about art and the older students have often impressve portfollios to show case their skills. Many students have quite strong memories of their art teachers and classes.
Graphics or mechanical drafting at New Zealand schools is included as part of an overall design and technology program. It is thus organied with the various work shop and realted classes. Quite a few of the students taking drafting, however, come from students involved in academic programs. Many of the students we have noted taking drafting are boys, but girls also commonly take drafting.
Food technology or cooking used to be a subject that only girls took. However boys in our modern age have figured out that girls no longer want to stay in the kitchen. Thus id they are going to eat, they better learn how to cook themselves. As a result, quite a number of boys at New Zealand schools sign up for food technology. Notably few boys sign up for other courses in the home economics area--such as sewing. Cooking is another matter. Despite all the changes underway, few mothers have taught their sons how to cook.
Foreign language curricula in most countries commonly reflects the languages og neigboring countries. Cultural and economic factors are also important. Of course there are not amy other coutries close to New Zealand, except Australia which also speaks English. The nearest country besides Australia is Indonesia. The foreign language program consists mostly of other European languages. As in Britian, French is the most common. There is more emphasis on Spanish than in Britain, probably because of the geoographic importance of South America. One interesting development in recent years has been the addition of Japanese to the foreign language program, reflecting Japan's economic importance. Maby schools also offer Mairi, but that can not be called a foreign language.
In many New Zealand schools there is an emphasis placed on horticulture as an academic subject. This reflects the fact that land management is one of the important things in New Zealand.
I am not sure what deparment the journalism classes fit, but we would guess the English Department. This is an elective (optional) course offered in secondary schools. Often the journalism class is involved in school activities like the newspaper or yearbook.
Numeracy skills are essential. There is a great debate in modern education as to how maths should be taught. Unlike some other subject, math teachers need considerable ingenuity on how to make math interesting. One of the major problems teachers face is the wide desparity of math skills among children in classes that are not streamed by ability.
Music is one of the subjects that it takes little effort to interest students. There is a tremendous interest in music, perhaps more today than ever before. Music has been a subject that has in the past been neglected at many New Zealand schools, but that is no longer the case today.
Physical Education or PE has been a traditional standard at Britgish and American schools for years, but many schools and deephazied the subject and in many cases made it optional. New Zealand schools continue to place a considerable emphasis on PE. This is coupled with an activities program that provide opportunities for children of all abilities to participate in and enjoy sport.
There are a number of New Zealand schools wih religiou afflilations. These schools are either integrated schools or private schools. The integrated schools are mostly Catholic. Many of the private schools are associated with the Anglican Church. These are most of New Zealand's established private schools. In recent years several new schools with affliiations with various Protesant denominations. One of these schools explains their mission, "Bethlehem College provides a Christ-centred education for the preparation of students for effective service and leadership, while aiming for excellence in all educational and personal endeavours." The schools also have actual religious courses called Religious Education.
The authors have found a strange dichotomy about teaching science. Few sublects are potentially more exciting. Some subjects are difficult to make interesting to young people. It takes considerable imagination, for example, to make grammar interesting exciting. But science should be an inherently interesting topic. It is surprising to find that many children rate science as one of their least favorite subjects. This is true in America and is also true of many New Zealand students we spoke with. I am not sure why this is. Perhaps science teachers have focused on the subject matter and not on teaching methods. Perhaps the rigors of scientific disciplines and the attention to detail needed does not appealing to young people.
Social Studies curriculum in many countries has traditionally been highly focused on the history and society of that particular country. New Zealand as a small country highly impacted by developments in larger foreign countries has to give more emphasis to world hitoryand econmics tha larger countries. At first New Zeland largely followed a British curriculum, but this has changed, especially since World War II. New Zealand schools has made major changes in the social studies curriculum in recent years. The New Zealand social science curriculum involves a multi-disciplinarian approach organized into five stands: 1) Social Organisation; 2) Culture and Heritage; 3) Place and Environment; 4) Time, Continuity, and Change; and 5) Resources and Economic Activities. The Ministry of Education explains, "Each of the strands has two aims. All achievement objectives are derived from these achievement aims. There are two achievement objectives for each strand at each level. The achievement objectives are expressed at eight progressive levels, in accordance with The New Zealand Curriculum Framework. The objectives at each level are appropriate to students' development and maturity as they move from junior primary to senior secondary school. Students learn at different rates, and therefore, at any time, individual students or groups of students of the same age could be working towards achieving objectives at different levels within and across the strands."
Teachers at the primary level commonly work with the children to provide some speech abd debate experiences. At the secondary level there are commonly optional speech courses. The offerings here depend somewhat on the size of the school. There are competitions at different levels for speech giving. Often schools hold competitions, but there are also competitions among the schools.
This program goes by different names at different schools and this has changed over time. New Zealand schools tend to call it Technology or Mannual Arts. I was often called Shop in American schools from the fact that much of the work was dome in various workshops. It is a subject that have traditionally been given considerable attention at New Zealand schools, probably as a result of the practial bent of many New Zealanders. New Zealand intermediary schooks are equiped with excellent shop facilities. Both boys and girls are introduced to basic carpentry and metal working. The New Zealand national curriculum reqquires that pupils be exposed to mannual arts at this level and as result, private schools without the necessary facilities are allowed to use the facilities at the intermediate schools. The high schools of course have much more elaborate facilities, but at this level it is mostly the boys that participate but a few hearty young ladies do take shop courses--especially carpentry.
New Zealand secondary schools have classes to prepare senior students for life after school. These classes address a wide range of topics. These classes generally are directed to less academically oriented students who are not planning to attend university. The single most important is how to apply for, get, and keep a job. Many other topics. however, are addressed. The students are provided actual work experiences with local compamies.
