Teaching for engagement and success

Sue McVeighSocial Sciences Facilitator

Team Solutions/University of Auckland

Learning Intentions

• To reflect on the characteristics of our teaching and learning programmes that exemplify engagement and success

• To celebrate the new Business Studies curriculum and share strategies for engagement and successful outcomes

What does engagement look like?

And success?What is the evidence of success to you as a teacher.

Youtube video

www:whateverwheneverwherever

Embracing the 21st Century Learner

• Let go of control. • Engage with learners.• Explore emerging tools.• Celebrate the potential.

And Success?

What does it look like?

How do we know students are successful?

Surely we would consider successful those students who have demonstrated growth in the key competencies from the New Zealand Curriculum.

And of course, we must consider that success is measured in terms of credits and qualifications gained.

Business Studies teachers, as part of the broader teaching community, have a responsibility to contribute to national goals.

2017

Target 85% of the 2013 Year 9 class achieving NCEA level 2 or equivalent

If we continue to do what we have always done we’ll continue to get the same results!

Strategies must start now

… with every class taught

Strategies can be summarised as the 6Rs

1. Assume RESPONSIBILITY for making a shift2. Establish RELATIONSHIPS that will foster

success and engagement3. RECOGNISE students’ (and your own)

strengths, weaknesses and learning needs)

4. Be RESPONSIVE to student voice and use effective pedagogical practice

5. Take advice from RESEARCH6. REFLECT on your practice

Effective teaching

The most powerful way to raise student achievement is to foster excellence in teaching so that teachers have not just a positive effect, but a ‘marked and meaningful’ one. (Hattie 2003)

The magic can and does happen within Business Studies because business activity is of such relevance to the lives of our students and their families/whanau.

Business activity affects the daily lives of all New Zealanders as they work, spend, save, invest, travel and play. It influences jobs, incomes and opportunities for personal enterprise. Business has a significant effect on the standard of living and quality of life of New Zealanders, and on the environment in which they live and which future generations will inherit.

The four mechanisms of effective pedagogy in Business Studies

[and other social sciences]

Alignment

• Find out what students already know• Align activities to teaching outcomes• Provide opportunities to revising learning

- multiple practice of a concept necessary for activities to become meaningful

Connection

• Learning should be relevant to the student

• Relate learning to students’ lives and experiences

• Ensure inclusive content that embraces the diversity of the students

Community• Establish a productive teacher:student

relationship• Build a community in which all learn

from each other• Involve students in effective group work that reinforces each person’s contribution

Interest

• Real experiences embed learning• Select resources and activities that

students will find appealing• Use a variety of activities• Know your learners!

And so to

BusinessStudies

• The new kid on the block!• Like all young ‘uns, somewhat problematic!• Achievement Standard course introduced

progressively from 2010– Level 1 first assessed 2010– Level 2 in 2011– Level 3 in 2012

• Business Studies builds on the lengthy history of Young Enterprise and is loosely based on Cambridge and IB Business Studies

“Business Studies is an easy subject, ideal for non-academic students.”

Teachers of Business Studies

• May be highly enthusiastic• May have emerged from Young Enterprise or

Sixth Form Certificate Business StudiesBut• Do not have significant subject history to draw

on (such as 60 years of Economics and 20 years of Accounting)

They must be committed, resourceful and connected.

They benefit from belonging to the tightknit Facebook community to

share and debate.

Nceabusinessteachers

You might want to create a new, possibly empty, Facebook profile linked to your school email address for the purpose of this group.

To join, send a friend request to nceabusinessteachers

or email s.mcveigh@auckland.ac.nz to be invited to join

Drilling down into the Curriculum

The curriculum is based on 4 Big Ideas

And five curriculum themes

Seven curriculum strands

And at Level 3 only, a 7th strand

The Externals 2012 results

As is the case for other realigned subjects, the Teaching & Learning Guide is more about concepts than content

At this stage teachers of Business Studies wish to grow their confidence with content. From this comfort point their confidence in concepts will follow.

Maori Business concepts

A Māori business is a business that identifies itself as a Māori business. It will be owned by Māori and may be predominantly staffed by Māori. Typically, it will strongly value Māori culture and tikanga. Part of its kaupapa may be to support particular outcomes for Māori, and te reo may often be used in workplace interactions. Curriculum Guide

Image from maori.org.nz

What are the concepts?• Kaitiakitanga – guardianship of resources• Putaki – origin or reason for being (similar to vision statement)• Rangitaratanga – leadership or authority• Tikanga - ethical framework underpinning customs, systems,

processes and appropriate behaviours (similar to a mission statement)

• Turanga - legal framework of a company e.g. limited liability however in a Maori context this is complicated by dual ownership of communal assets e.g. land

Fuller interpretations appear in the Curriculum Guide

The idea is that these concepts will be naturally and authentically woven into the teaching and learning programme, particularly through the use of case studies.Guidance for teachers appears in the Business Studies Teaching and Learning Guide, and on the social sciences wikispace.

Secondarysocialscience.wikispaces.com

There is ample opportunity for introducing Business Studies to your curriculum:• In its pure form ~ full programmes of

achievement standards• In tandem with other social science subjects:– With Economics– With Accounting– With both of these

– With senior Social Studies– With Legal Studies

• Or with such subjects as AgHort (Agribusiness)Such courses are fine for Merit/Excellence endorsement providing there is a combination of internal/external standardsThey are, however, problematic at L3 in terms of university entrance

The curriculum and Young Enterprise

Many schools incorporate the Young Enterprise programme in their Business Studies courses at Levels 2 and 3. Some offer the YE Certificate - level 3, 24 credit equivalentsTo gain the certificate, the Young Enterprise student must: • Complete YE Course Requirements level 3, 10 credit

equivalents• Pass the YE Exam level 3, 14 credit equivalents

This Certificate is a stand-alone qualification. It does not have A/M/E levels attached to it. However, the credits do count towards NCEA and university entrance.

Many schools continue to offer YES as they have a history of doing so ~ and students like the experience: create a business >> have fun (hopefully) >> make money.

A combination of the YES Programme (course requirement) and the business activity standard 2.6 presents some challenges ~ the business must meet the community context required of AS 2.6, and there must be two cycles of the business activity.

“Carry out, review and refine a business activity within a community context with guidance.”

Freedom to set context for internal standards to engage students

At each level the internal standards allow the flexibility for teachers to create authentic, local contexts that will capture student interest.Don’t feel hemmed in. Trust your professional judgment about whether or not the spirit of the standard is being adhered to.The language of standards enables this flexibility.

For example, 1.4 / 90840 Marketing Mix

Explanatory Note (EN3)“To apply would typically involve:• Defining, describing, identifying or outlining the

marketing mix for a product• Applying appropriate skills and ideas• Stating relevant business knowledge• Stating a Maori business concept/s where

relevant”

Structuring coursesConsider students’ talents, aspirations and needs. Teachers need to plan what content will be covered, in order: • to limit duplication• to ensure that there is a progression of depth

and breadth in learning• to ensure that students remain motivated and

engaged in learning.

The subject places significant literacy demands on students ….

both in terms of subject-specific literacy

… and the literacy of flexibility described by Alvin Tofler.The curriculum and the learning of Business Studies lies within a constantly changing dynamic environment.

Business StudiesA work-in-progress

Challenging and demandingAlready impacting positively on students’ livesLet’s regroup at the next SocCon and celebrate

progress and success!In the meantime, let’s be part of the BST

community!