HISTORY “Change” – this was the theme for the academic programme at College. For the History department, change was the word that could be used for every aspect of teaching and learning. Unbeknown to the year group, the Year 9 programme saw the term- long history of Christ’s College and the Middle Ages topics effectively removed and replaced with a week- long look at College and then a focus on Aotearoa–New Zealand history. Our national introspection ranged from myths to exploring the origin of Ma¯ori and their homeland, to Ma¯ori and European interactions, to the Treaty of Waitangi. And, this was now all completed in 12 weeks, less the traditional College interruptions. For Year 10 students, out went the Origins of World War II, and in came the two optional topics of Abuse of Power and War and Society. Samantha Stevenson led the development of how to be a dictator by investigating the circumstances required for and of an individual to assume absolute power. In the end, the boys had to create their own guide to becoming a totalitarian leader. The War and Society topic looked into the origins of both World Wars and provided scope for the development of interest areas. The second year of the diploma replaced Level 1 NCEA. Outwit, Outlast and Outplay focused on Stalin’s accession to power, while Rugby, Race and Revolution saw the 1981 Springbok tour as the topic. These half-year courses ended up being a little over a term in teaching time (after interruptions), so this had an impact on the depth, breadth and detail that could be explored. All the classes attempted to also gain an understanding of perspectives and research. While these instituted changes were significant, we also had to continue to deal with the ongoing impact of Covid-19. The impact for 2022 was more significant in this third year. The boys would come and go from class – and, that is, every boy who either had the virus,
or had been in contact with family members who had. This “rotating turnstile” approach meant that every boy was on an individual learning and assessment programme. This was complicated for students and teachers. An example of this being a Year 12 internal assessment which began in Term 1 being finally completed in the last week of November. And finally, Sam Stevenson taught Year 13 for the first time. Change! Thomas Fuller was an English churchman and historian from the 17th century. It was he who stated, “All things are difficult before they are easy”. And this is certainly true in 21st century education. Without doubt, our History department is looking forward to a more settled 2023, where refinement of our programmes will hopefully be complemented by healthy students. Hopefully, John Wooden’s (Wooden being one of the most revered coaches in the history of all sport) idea that “good things take time” does not turn out to be accurate. Warren Lidstone HoD History LEARNING CENTRE & ESOL Learning Support numbers have remained constant this year and we have continued to work with a large number of students with a variety of learning differences. The introduction of the College Diploma has enabled us to have more flexibility with timetabling, which has been a positive change. Some students have been able to have four periods of support a week, others two periods and the remainder coming in once a week. We were also able to increase or decrease support at the end of the first semester, depending on need, and this was also advantageous. It is always a juggle ensuring that each boy has the support he needs, but we are confident that no one slips through the cracks along the way. In junior tuition, we have spent more time on Structured Literacy and,
in 2023, we plan to have a Year 9 Literacy Class focused solely on this approach. This class will sit alongside other classes working more broadly on literacy deficits. In Year 11, we will be working alongside classroom teachers to ensure our students are well prepared to tackle the new literacy and numeracy standards being rolled out by the Ministry of Education. The recent debate around falling literacy and numeracy standards in New Zealand and the concerning statistics from recent trials of the new standards are a stark reminder of how important
strong literacy and numeracy strategies are within a school.
Senior tuition continues to support students with assessment tasks with the intention of encouraging greater independence as our boys prepare for life beyond school. As always, we have been very proud of so many of our Learning Support students who have completed Year 12 and Year 13 with great success. Shelly Jackson continues to be increasingly busy in Numeracy Support. As the College Diploma has been implemented, the existing numeracy programme has evolved alongside changes in the Mathematics and Statistics department curriculum. Another important focus has been the development of a structured numeracy programme catering for the increasing number of students coming to College with significant gaps in numerical reasoning and mathematical skills. ESOL numbers declined due to the borders being closed and because those students who remained during this time had developed their language skills sufficiently to move into the position of no longer needing timetabled ESOL classes. Three of our international students achieved UE reading and/or writing credits through the EAP course this year. We look forward to welcoming more international students in 2023. Next year sees a changing of the guard as I retire after a 40-year association with Christ’s College. Gill Kilpatrick will replace me as HoD and Sarah Loughnan and
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Christ’s College Canterbury
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