Shared Values in Action

Curriculum Area:

Aotearoa New Zealand Histories
Learning Area: Social Sciences
Curriculum Level: Level 8
Year Level: Year 13
Assessment Context: This is a preparatory learning experience focused on the "Understand" and "Do" strands in the Aotearoa New Zealand’s Histories curriculum. This lesson contributes toward internal assessment by developing key historical thinking and collaboration skills relevant to curriculum change and critical inquiry.

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Lesson Duration:

60 minutes

Learning Intention:

Students will collaboratively create team agreements that give practical effect to values such as partnership, respect, and guardianship—without overtly naming te Tiriti o Waitangi—while exploring how these values guide meaningful curriculum and assessment change across learning contexts.

Success Criteria:

By the end of the lesson, students will:

• Draft shared team values that reflect kaupapa Māori-informed principles
• Explain the significance of these values in practice within learning and assessment contexts
• Reflect on how these values can support equity, inclusion and co-agency in schooling environments

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New Zealand Key Competencies Developed:

• Participating and Contributing – developing agreements that serve the learning community
• Relating to Others – navigating group dynamics and diverse perspectives
• Thinking – critically reflecting on values and their practical implications
• Using Language, Symbols and Texts – expressing abstract values in shared language
• Managing Self – owning group roles while contributing to shared goals

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Resources Needed:

• A3 sheets of recycled card (for visual drafting of agreements)
• Marker pens / coloured pens
• Sticky dots for peer feedback
• Laminated copies of anonymised whakataukī (relevant to values like kotahitanga, manaakitanga, kaitiakitanga)
• Speaker/whiteboard for collaborative summary
• Optional: Bluetooth speaker for playing ambient instrumental waiata to support tikanga-based environment

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Pre-Lesson Setup:

Place A3 cards and materials at four workstations. Include on each station:

• One whakataukī
• A discussion prompt tied to curriculum design
• Space for drawing/writing

Display the Learning Intention and Success Criteria at the front of the class.

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Lesson Breakdown

🕒 0–10 Minutes – Whakawhanaungatanga and Intent-Setting

Activity: Karakia + Unpacking the Purpose

1. Begin with a short karakia to set the tone (acknowledging that not all students may share cultural beliefs — offered respectfully).
2. Introduce the lesson’s purpose: "We are creating principles that will help shape how we learn and assess together — ones that reflect shared care, leadership, and respect."
3. Clarify that we won’t be naming te Tiriti directly — but will express its spirit through action.

Teacher Role: Facilitate and frame the importance of collective responsibility and honouring diverse contributions within a values-based kaupapa. Ask:

“What does it mean to truly co-create learning experiences where everyone feels heard, respected, and involved?”

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🕒 10–25 Minutes – Whakataukī-Based Group Dialogue

Activity: Collaborative Interpretation of Māori Wisdom

1. Split the class into five groups of six. Distribute a whakataukī and discussion card to each group.
2. Groups discuss:
   • What does this mean to us as learners?
   • How might this concept shape a powerful learning community?
   • What kind of behaviours would live this value?
3. Each group writes key ideas, images or key words on the A3 sheets.

Teacher Role: Float through groups as a facilitator — listen carefully for students making links between abstract values and familiar classroom or curriculum experiences. Reframe complex ideas if needed.

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🕒 25–40 Minutes – Drafting Team Agreements

Activity: Value Agreement Prototypes

1. Each group drafts 2–3 “Team Agreements” that are:
   • Positive in tone
   • Action-focused (not just belief-based)
   • Able to guide learning, assessment, and shared decision-making
   • Transferable across subjects
2. Examples might include:
   • “We value voices not yet heard and build space for them.”
   • “We honour the knowledge every member brings and seek to uplift it.”
   • “We make decisions that sustain learning for future ākonga, not just our own outcomes.”

Teacher Role: Prompt depth:

“What might this agreement look like during a group project? During a tough assessment week? In a Science class? In PE?”

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🕒 40–50 Minutes – Peer Feedback Circle

Activity: Dot Voting + Refinement

1. Groups rotate around the room and read one another’s agreements. Each student has 3 sticky dots to place next to the most impactful agreements.
2. Return to home groups. Students reflect and edit their values based on peer input and shared resonance.

Teacher Role: Encourage groups to consider:

Which agreements seem doable, powerful, and respectful of multiple worldviews?

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🕒 50–60 Minutes – Whole-Class Agreement Share and Reflect

Activity: Circle of Commitment

1. One representative per group reads their most powerful agreement out loud.
2. Teacher writes them on the board and asks the class:

   “Would we be willing to use these values as part of how we make decisions about learning and change this year?”

3. Invite one sentence reflections: "This agreement matters to me because..."

Optional: Photograph final A3 sheets for a display titled:
🛠️ He Mahere Waka – Our Agreement as Navigators
("He Mahere Waka" = A map/plan for our canoe journey — a metaphor for unified direction)

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Extension and Assessment Possibilities:

• Revisit these team agreements during any future curriculum or school-wide decision-making opportunity
• Adapt them into a co-written class kawa (protocol)
• Analyse them in assessment settings – how do they shape co-created rubrics or evidence of learning?
• Tie into Level 8 achievement objectives from the ANZH curriculum:
  “Understand how histories shape contemporary identity and inform change.”

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Teacher Tip:

As this lesson indirectly centres enduring values underlying te Tiriti (without direct reference), it sensitively builds ākonga ability to engage in changemaking aligned with equitable and bicultural learning futures. Use this as a launching pad for long-term projects where students act as agents of curriculum influence—and ensure their values remain visible throughout the journey.