Designing Learning
What are rich opportunities to learn?
Rich opportunities to learn are carefully designed to increase the breadth, depth and complexity of the learning experiences with which ākonga engage as they progress along their learning pathways. They are designed to support ākonga to contribute to their communities in ways that build on and strengthen both community and ākonga capabilities. (https://curriculumtool.education.govt.nz/Content/Guidance/Files/Rich_Learning_Opportunities_Tool_Guidance_MinEd.pdf)
Why design them?
Engaging in rich opportunities to learn from and with their community supports ākonga to:
• understand their community as a system with social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions
• apply their learning in authentic contexts
• experience belonging to the wider community
• learn from and with role models that they can look up to and respect and who believe in them
• be recognised for their contributions as community members. Learning is not only about what happens within early childhood, school or kura settings to prepare ākonga for the future;
it is also about ākonga being actively involved in the community they live in right now.