The Refreshed Curriculum Te Mātaiaho has been released and is open for consultation. It is very prescriptive in terms of English, the Arts, Health and Physical Education, Mathematics and Statistics, Science, Technology and Social Sciences. These are all “must provide instruction”. (see Page 11)
However, the Learning Languages area statement has been copied and pasted from the previous curriculum without any thought given to what this means for the future of language learning in NZ. Languages remain “an endeavour to provide instruction from years 7-10”.
So why should this change? What does learning another language do for students?
The benefits of language learning
In the Significant Learning developed by the Ministry of Education during the NCEA Refresh, it has been recognised that language learning is central to a student’s identity and culture. Language, identity and culture are inextricably linked.
This is taken from the Ministry’s NCEA website:
Language and culture continuously evolve together, influencing one another in the process. Language encodes culture and provides the means through which culture is shared and passed from one generation to the next – contributing to personal, community, national, and global identities.
Learning an additional language gives students the richest possible access to another culture. It enables them to communicate with the people that live it and allows them to explore the authentic spoken and written expressions of it.
In this way, students gain an understanding of that culture which provides a strong foundation for intercultural respect and acceptance as well as an appreciation for diversity.
Students gain an insight into how their own 'cultural lens' shapes their perceptions and ways of doing things. This helps to deconstruct cultural stereotypes and allows them to appreciate the rich knowledge each individual brings to the learning environment.
Links to student success
That link between language, identity and culture should mean that languages are placed at the core of our Curriculum instead of on the fringes.
For example, students in Māori Medium Education (MME) are outstripping their English Medium Education (EME) peers. In 2021, 18.8% of Māori students in EME left with University Entrance (UE), in MME the percentage was 29.9%. Māori students leaving school in 2021 with NCEA Level 3 were at 35.8% (EME) versus 53.4% (MME).
Students’ success at school improves when that connection between language, identity and culture is explicit and strong. If we put the Languages Curriculum closer to the centre of our education system, achievement outcomes for students would also improve.
Boosting literacy
Another piece of Significant Learning is that each language has a unique system of communication, both written and oral, that gives rise to endless possibilities for expression and exchange.
As students become more familiar with the language they are learning, the resulting linguistic differences give students the opportunity to reflect on what happens in their mother tongue.
Thus, their literacy skills in their mother tongue develop alongside their linguistic proficiency in the target language. Placing languages at the centre of our education system would impact our dropping literacy outcomes for students and reverse the current trends.
Have your say!
I encourage you to have your say on the Refreshed Curriculum to ensure that the power of language is recognised as more than just a "nice to have". The feedback survey is open until Friday 12 May 2023. Have your say using the feedback survey below!
Te Mātaiaho | The Refreshed New Zealand Curriculum - Feedback Survey
