New Zealand History Curriculum

Took part in a meeting with Dr. Alexis Siteine on the new New Zealand Histories Curriculum. Before the meeting, I only skimmed through the curriculum and was on the surface level of knowledge regarding the new curriculum. Through this meeting, I could ask questions about parts I was curious about and see the curriculum through the light of the 3 core concepts of Know, Understand, and Do.  

After the meeting, I decided to look for views about the Curriculum and gain a better understanding of what this Curriculum means for our students and how it would further their knowledge about the country they live in. What stood out to me was a comment made by the former Prime Minister who said it would give students a better understanding of one another through learning “more about Māori, the migrant history of Pasifika, and our Asian communities”.

I myself, do not know much about the history of New Zealand, so this curriculum will be an amazing tool to use in the classroom. 

Three key ideas from the "Understand" component outline the big picture stuff through four key concepts:

1. Māori history is the foundational and continuous history of Aotearoa New Zealand
2. Colonisation and settlement have been central to Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories for the past 200 years
3. The course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories has been shaped by the use of power
4. Relationships and connections between people and across boundaries have shaped the course of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories

These components are big ideas that I hope my learners will know and understand through the teaching and knowledge taught in class.