Creativity Empowers Learning!

Last Friday, the Maniakalani Kahui Ako convened at Point England School for research presentations and create workshops. "Create" stems from the Manaiakalani "learn, create, and share" cycle implemented across our Kahui Ako schools.

During the workshops, teachers within our Kahui Ako had the opportunity to exchange ideas on incorporating "create" in their classrooms. It was a great honor to co-present this workshop with my colleague, Ms. Naicker, to a group of teachers from the Manaiakalani Kahui Ako during our teacher-only day. Our aim was to demonstrate how creative tasks can enhance student engagement, activate prior knowledge, establish connections to the text, and familiarize learners with relevant vocabulary. We showcased practical examples from our own classrooms, as displayed in the accompanying slides.

Following Ms. Naicker's example, we guided the teachers in crafting whetu (stars) from harakeke (flax). I also had the pleasure of conversing with junior school teachers and teaching them how to make the Manu (birds) that my five-year-old students and I had created. Additionally, I valued the opportunity to learn from the collective wisdom present in the room. Engaging in a discussion with one teacher regarding the Tikanga (customs) surrounding harakeke and the importance of explaining its significance to our learners was particularly intriguing.

For a glimpse into our create workshop, please refer to the slides below.