Who are our heroes ?

1. Who are our heroes ? NZATE conference 2009 Facilitator Trish Holden Secondary English and Literacy Advisor UC Education Plus

2. The job of education is to strengthen students’ “ability to be good choosers, skilful problem solvers and powerful learners.” “Doing well at school does not make you a better thinker.” Guy Claxton, Expanding the Capacity to Learn: a new end for education

3. Learning intentions for this workshop • To enhance your ability to be a good chooser and a skilful problem solver through your powerful learning • To build understandings about how a thematic approach can link all sections of the NZC in a seamless and relevant way. • To consider how the topic of heroes could be used to connect with students’ curiosity and to make them ‘better thinkers’ • To share approaches that would give all students relevant, ‘real life’ contexts for their learning “The change is as much about reviewing how we teach as what we teach.” [Rose Hipkins]

4. A thematic study offers • teachers a chance to provide a choice of texts suited to students’ needs, backgrounds and interests, rather than one set text • scope to address the intertwined natures of visual, oral and written texts, to provide a more holistic approach • opportunities to stimulate students’ engagement and enjoyment • students a chance to make deeper conceptual connections within, between and beyond texts, and across learning areas • opportunity for differentiated approaches to meet the needs and interests of diverse learners

5. Our English Learning Area (p. 18) requires us to offer programmes that help students to "deconstruct and critically interrogate texts". Developing a conceptual understanding of society, in relation to a range of texts, allows for deeper, more connected learning to occur.  We also need to look at ways to assert the "interconnected" nature of the two strands, Making Meaning and Creating Meaning. A thematic approach offers one way to begin to do that. • Of course, we all know, too, that, to encourage such deep, connected thinking, the pedagogy of the classroom needs to support the thematic planning. A thematic programme, therefore, will most likely include the kinds of teaching approaches described on pages 34-35 of the revised curriculum. Karen Melhuish, English online  

6. Planning for a thematic approach Need to consider • Why this theme? • What do we know about our students that suggests that this could be a • suitable theme to engage and support learning? • What big picture ideas do we want to consider? • How does it link to the vision and principles of the NZC? • What values, KCs and AOs would be appropriate to foreground? • What effective teaching approaches could we use to engage and support • learning?

7. Who is a hero? A person, typically a man, who is admired for their courage and outstanding achievements. Oxford Concise Dictionary 2001 To have no heroes is to have no aspiration... [Charles Horton Cooley] You cannot be a hero without being a coward [George Bernard Shaw] It was involuntary. They sank my boat. [John F Kennedy on being asked how he became a war hero.]

8. Testing our assumptionsThe sports star? • Irwen ven duk

9. Our most famous hero?

10. The current reality for some • friends • mothers • none • Isaac Ross • fathers • Barack Obama • Taylor Swift and grandmothers • Travis Pastrana and Michael Jackson What does this show us about their view of the world? Their values?

11. friends family members sport stars [motor bikes, rugby, netball, rowing, soccer] arts/entertainment [writing, music, comedy, film, model] world figures funny, supportive, close, awesome brought me up, loving, kind, successful,strong, talented best, first to do something pretty/beautiful, new way of doing something, best changed history for the better Groupings and reasons

12. Recurring words/ideas • best, successful, really good at • change • inspiring • role model • beautiful, pretty • always there for me • loving

13. Fictional heroes • superheroes –Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Catwoman [save people] • heroes from children’s books/ TV programmes e.g. Barney [helped me learn] • characters from Twilight [kind, romantic, nice, friendly] Exceptions • Trevor – Pay it Forward [great idea that inspires] • Harry Potter [good and brave, takes risks for others] • Artemis Fowl [saves the world] • Lara Croft [saves lives] Where are the fictional characters that embody the qualities of a hero that students can learn from? Ones they have read recently?

14. Ideas worth exploring? Celebrities v. Heroes How many of the qualities that you identified earlier also apply to celebrities? What qualities might be found in celebrities that are not present in heroes? Can you think of people who are both celebrities and heroes? Can you give reasons for this?

15. Courage • types of courage – physical, moral • real v. false – examples around school, community List of issues that people have spoken out for e.g. racism, 1981 Springbok tour Do you know the names of any people who have stood up for these causes? What are the usual things that they risk? What gives people real courage?

16. Gender stereotyping • Can females be heroes? List five women that you regard as heroes? Do they have the same qualities as male heroes? • If you look at any lists of awards, honours etc, there are more men than women. Why do you think that is? What does that suggest about our society? • Does a heroine have the same qualities as a hero?

17. Reluctant hero

19. Different cultural perspectives • Samoan idea of finau ma Ia toa lou loto [stand on your ground] • Important qualities in their culture - service - education - leadership [family, village, constituency, island] - humility [not about me] - perseverance Chiefs always male but there are strong women [NaFaNua, Salamasina]

20. A Maori view • Mana is ascribed to someone, grows over time Important are: • knowing whakapapa • keeping relationships [whakawhanaungatanga] • knowing where resources are • oratory • having one highly developed skill

21. All heroes • unsung/everyday/unheralded heroes • local heroes – school, town, area, province – work for the good of a section of that community • small, seemingly powerless person [David] who takes on the giant [Goliath] • national heroes whose deeds/works have national impact • international heroes whose deeds/works have international impact • ‘accidental’ hero – in the wrong place at the right time • ‘just doing their job’

22. Qualities of local heroes -people whose achievements have put the town ‘on the map’ • person has lived most of their life in Christchurch • person is readily identified by Christchurch citizens as having contributed something of major importance to their sense of pride in their city and its achievements • person’s achievements derive from hard work and persistence as well as talent • person’s achievements are complete, or of such a nature as to make it unlikely that their status in the eyes of the local community will subsequently be damaged Twelve Local Heroes – a celebration

23. Differing viewpoints in times of war • active soldiers e.g. Upham, Apiata, Maori Battalion • conscientious objectors e.g. Archibald Baxter • pacifists e.g. Rita Angus • war poets – different/changing views • non violent action in times of war – Parihaka, Mau movement in Samoa • women who took on roles at home in absence of men Are these all heroes? What qualities do they have in common?

24. Who are our heroes and why? • Who were the heroes of your parents or grandparents generation? Why were they heroes? How are they similar/different to today’s heroes? What does that suggest about values at the time? • Research Sir Walter Buller. Why was he given a knighthood and honorary degrees? Would he be similarly rewarded today? Reasons? • Do an analysis of the NZ Order – what sort of people are recognised? Why have they been acknowledged? What qualities do they have in common? Are there any that do not seem to ‘fit’? • Who does our school acknowledge – prizes, certificates, honours boards, articles in magazines, newsletters? What does this suggest about the values of our school? • Who does our community acknowledge – newspapers, local awards, displays, memorials [inc street/building names] • Who does our country acknowledge – newspapers, honours awards, bravery awards. What does this suggest about the values of NZ?

25. Creating meaning • What sort of a hero do we need in our community to ‘fix’ a particular problem? Identify the problem/issue. Describe their personal qualities, lifestyle, relationships, goals, ways of working. • A number of local bodies hold annual awards for local heroes e.g. Waitakere, New Lynn, Wellington City Council [safety in the city]- submit a nomination • Enter the NZ Herald unsung hero competition • Class presentations on people who have been researched – class votes on top 12 heroes using agreed criteria • Who should your council honour as its local heroes? Outline who they should honour and why. In what way do you think that these people should be honoured? • Does your school community honour its heroes? Are there issues of equity? Prepare a submission explaining why the practice should change.

26. Flexible programme planning across a year How do you provide choice but still • ensure that students cover a range of text types across years 9 and 10 and still provide choice? • ensure that students produce a range of text types across years 9 and 10 and still provide choice? Is it feasible to give students a list of text types that they must produce across the year and let them choose when they make these choices?

27. How does this fit with the big picture of NZC? • Vision – confident, connected, actively involved, life-long learners ValuesKey competencies English learning area • Principles – high expectations, Treaty of Waitangi, cultural diversity, inclusion, learning to learn, community engagement,coherence,future focus [citizenship]

28. Websites Resources • http://www.giraffe.org [US – you tube clips] • http://www.myhero.com/myhero [US recognises a range of heroes] • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjTyyn5hVh8 [Royd Kennedy] • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sUdvlrRka0 [Apiata] • www.the99.org [first superheroes based on Islamic culture – creator’s letter to his sons] • http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2008/03/27/heroes.sandra.andersen.cnn • www.nzedge.com/heroes [range of NZ heroes written, images] • www.royalhumanesociety-nz.com • http://www.gg.govt.nz/node/1809 • http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/onz.html • http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/mzon.html • http://www.ppta.org.nz/index.php/resources/curriculum-support/curric-resources/cat_view/147-curriculum-resources/163-learning-areas--subjects/153-english

29. References • Julie Mitchell, Worlds of Difference: Exploring Worldviews and Values in English Texts published by CCES • Julie Mitchell, Worlds of Difference 2: Exploring Worldviews and Values in English Texts • Twelve Local Heroes – A Celebration published by Local Heroes Trust • Guy Claxton, Expanding the Capacity to Learn: a new end for education; opeming key note address British Educational Research Association