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Deepen understanding by gathering evidence from multiple perspectives

As part of building connections, the team starts collecting information that will help to guide decision-making. These can help to shape and develop inquiry and problem-solving, to achieve the aspirations and goals of the team – which includes the mokopuna, their whānau, educators and practitioners.

Through whakawhanaungatanga kohikohi has already begun. Kohikohi is about gathering rich information.  

  • ‘What are we learning already through our connections and conversations?’  
  • ‘What are we noticing as we listen and observe?’ 
  • 'How are we validating cultural beliefs, values and practices of ākonga, whānau and kaiako from the outset?'

You and your team will make decisions about how to gather information, from whom and for what purpose.  

Collaborative consultation

Collaborative consultation is an ecological approach to deepen the team’s understanding of the situation by incorporating multiple perspectives.

It can support holistic decision-making. Through collaborative consultation, you can understand patterns that occur over time and in wider contexts. 

For example, an education setting can use collaborative consultation across the layers of Te Tūāpapa to identify patterns, make links and plan supports.

 

“… a collaborative problem-solving process during which the consultant facilitates the creative, coping skills of the consultee and learns from the consultee about the unique aspects of the problem and the consultee’s situation.”
(Conoley et al, 1981 as cited in Kelly et al, 2016 p. 196).

OPF Diagrams 03 Circle of Evidence v2

Circles of evidence

Teams can work together to actualise the vision of educators and whānau. Teams can evaluate the shared expertise and what could be strengthened to support it.

Deepening the team’s understanding of a learner or situation can involve using the three circles of evidence: whānau, practitioner expertise and research (Macfarlane and Macfarlane, 2013).

Circles of evidence [PDF, 46 KB]

Macfarlane, S., & Macfarlane, A. (2013). Culturally responsive evidence-based special education practice: Whaia ki te ara tika. Waikato Journal of Education, 18(2).

Understanding mokopuna focuses on the important connections between mokopuna, their learning environment and their relationships with others. This enables practitioners to build a deeper understanding of the strengths and needs of mokopuna in different contexts. The process is active and ongoing. The team needs clearly defined purposes before selecting information-gathering tools and approaches.

Mokopuna self-assessment offers powerful feedback to educators about their teaching, and to their whānau about their home experiences. Self-assessment can empower mokopuna to take more responsibility for their learning.

Whānau, hapū, iwi and community members have lifelong experience of the mokopuna and can provide invaluable information about their behaviours and experiences in different contexts.

Practitioners have experience of mokopuna with similar learning support needs across different contexts, and they can provide relevant strategies to support the team.

For example, a bilingual assessment can distinguish whether an English language learner has language learning needs or additional learning and social and emotional needs, through a dual assessment in their first language and English.

NZC Scenario 19 Patterns 13 Daniel 720px

Assessment within learning support is:

  • collaborative, working in partnership with whānau, the mokopuna, and those who work most closely with them
  • designed to promote the strengths of the mokopuna
  • conducted over time and across different contexts
  • minimally intrusive, while achieving the best outcome for the mokopuna and their whānau
  • built on and informing the continuing cycle of assessment, planning, intervention and review.

Communicate the information gathered with whānau, mokopuna, educators and other members of a team as appropriate. Ways of reporting back information can vary based on the purpose and the audience. For example, in some situations, a written report will provide valuable information for multiple audiences. In another scenario it may be most appropriate to discuss the information as a team and capture some notes for everyone.

Supporting educators and leaders to participate in self-review and assessment can help to facilitate reflective practice and solution-focussed planning discussions.

Gathering information across Te Tūāpapa

Download Full Set of He Pikorua Reflective Questions [PDF, 1.8 MB]

Examples of information-gathering from practice

Top tip

Top tip

Support for strengths-based assessment

You can use the following diagram to support strengths-based assessment that upholds the notion of ‘less intrusive, more inclusive’. All assessment is informed by and undertaken within context. You can use these activities across Te Tūāpapa to inform sense-making, planning, implementation and review.

Kohikohi - Gathering information to deepen understanding
Least intrusive, most inclusive

 Ecological assessment [PDF, 212 KB]

The figure above emphasises gathering a wide range of information within the everyday conversations, activities and routines of mokopuna within their learning settings.

 

Assessment tools, to gather information used by learning support practitioners, should reflect and respect the diverse cultural identities, backgrounds, and experiences of all mokopuna.

 

Within He Pikorua in Action, collaborative relationships are fundamental to the kohikohi inquiry approach to recognise, understand and respond to diverse situations.

 

Working together prioritises the important and valid perspectives everyone brings to the situation. This practice begins with gathering information within everyday conversations, activities and routines of mokopuna as part of the assessment process.

 

Practitioners working within He Pikorua recognise the limitations of using psychometric tools in isolation and apply a strengths-based, ecological lens to gathering information. This lens focuses in on the importance of cultural responsivity and recognising how larger systems or structures can affect things.