Collaborate with open minds to analyse and summarise information
Making meaning of the information collected, drawing inferences and interpreting what is happening can help to identify key knowledge, skills, strengths and areas for development. You will need to consider all relevant contextual variables to construct meaning and how support will be managed as part of this process.
Sense-making is a socially and culturally mediated process – it involves encouraging input from all members of the team, including the mokopuna and their whānau, to collectively analyse the information gathered from various sources.
“Collaborative problem-solving and decision-making focussed on teaching and learning for students with disabilities have the potential to create fundamental change in the ways that teachers teach and students learn.”
(Mitchell et al., 2010, p. 24).
Sense-making as a team
Use information to formulate hypotheses about responses to the environment and learning. Use collective expertise to test hypotheses and identify key influencing factors.
It is important to consider the links that may influence the situation, and the interdependence of individuals and the social systems within the environment.
Sharing observations and making links to environmental and social factors can be helpful. Consider factors like routines in the environment, expectations of adults and local cultural understandings.
Interpretation is a key aspect of the process and requires strong and explicit evidence.
Collaborative feedback helps create a shared understanding of a situation from varying perspectives. Prioritising the key themes that have emerged ensures the team has a sound foundation to work from.
Practitioners will use their professional training and judgement to guide their practice.
Examples of collaboration from practice
A team is using Te Pikinga ki Runga to guide decision-making by using the 12 Te Huia dimensions within the domains of hononga (relational aspects), hinengaro (psychological aspects), tinana (physical aspects) and mauri (unique essence). The kōrero and analysis of these aspects helps to strengthen understanding and relationships between the home and school in a way that enhances mana.
A PB4L School-Wide Tier 2 team in a high school are being supported to analyse their ‘Big 5’ data reports and decide what additional data they need to:
- clarify mokopuna needs
- hypothesise about the functions of behaviour
- decide on a response.
They decide to collect additional data from attendance and academic records to support their decision-making.
During an initial home visit, a practitioner explores information gathered through the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme with the whānau. Together the whānau and the practitioner co-construct how to start the journey to best support their baby’s communication, language development and well-being in the baby’s natural environment.
The lead practitioner in a team facilitates a meeting where everyone involved with a mokopuna (including whānau) shares, discusses and collectively interprets the assessment information. A summary is developed which forms a shared understanding of the key strengths, needs and challenges of the mokopuna and their contexts.