Using the flexible curriculum for programme planning
These curriculum guidelines are intended to provide a sound basis for teachers to use in planning their Māori language programmes. At each curriculum level, there are achievement objectives for teachers and students to work towards. As discussed above, teachers need not introduce these in the order in which they are presented within each level in the document. For example, they may decide to introduce the achievement objective listed fourth at level 2 before the one listed first at that level. They may also decide to combine aspects of more than one achievement objective within a single lesson. After an achievement objective has been introduced at a particular level, it can be recycled at higher levels, where it is associated with more complex language.
In those schools where te reo Māori is introduced for a very short period as a “taster”, it may not be possible for students to meet all of the level 1 achievement objectives in the time available. Those students beginning to learn te reo Māori in primary and middle schools may spend considerably longer working within level 1 than those beginning in secondary schools. On the other hand, teachers may sometimes wish to combine two levels (for example, levels 1 and 2) within a single, integrated programme.
Although teachers at the initial planning stage will use specific information when deciding on their te reo Māori programme (for example, information about their students’ needs, the community’s wishes and aspirations, and the school’s language policy), they may later make changes when they learn more about particular student needs or interests. Sometimes teachers may simply change the order in which they introduce new aspects of learning. At other times, it may be worth making more significant changes to the planned programme.
For example, a much more advanced programme of te reo Māori learning may need to be provided for individual students who come from Māori-medium contexts either at home or at school.