What are Capabilities?

Capabilities foreground the learning dispositions, competencies (including literacy and numeracy skills) and wider disciplinary knowledge that you consider to be critical for your learner cohorts at key points on their learning pathway. They remix aspects of all the key competencies and weave them together with the important knowledge and skills (including literacy and numeracy skills) that are articulated in each of the eight learning areas. They also help teachers to focus on aakonga (learner) dispositions to act in ways that support them to achieve success in their learning and be critical, informed and responsible citizens. 

Typically, capabilities bring together:

• concepts or big ideas (from one or more learning areas)

• appropriate aspects of all the key competencies (including the specific language, symbols and texts of the learning areas)

• values and learning dispositions

The 'transition to school' statements are based on Te Whaariki (2017). The rest of the statements are based upon the New Zealand Curriculum (2007). They highlight four types of capabilities that aakonga (learners) develop within the context of the eight learning areas. 

Beginning with the After three years at school transition, four types of capabilities are highlighted:

1. Making Meaning in discipline-specific ways (MM)

2. Critical Inquiry (CI)

3. Perspective Taking (PT)

4. Taking Action (TA)

These four types of capabilities have been highlighted because they are important in all learning areas. They require students to draw on clearly identifiable aspects of at least two or three key competencies and they bring the intent or purpose of each learning area to life by focusing on important learning area outcomes. The highlighted capabilities can be taught and practiced, and all students can build and strengthen them.