Ahutoetoe - FLE and Collaborative Practice

Flexible Learning Spaces

Our beautiful new building is designed with flexible learning spaces, often referred to as FLE.

By definition, an FLE is a sufficient size to accommodate a range of different learning activities and groupings, and can be easily reconfigured or adapted to suit the activities taking place. It is also a space where different personalities and working styles can be met due to its flexible nature.

Our FLE has awesome and interesting spaces and a variety of furniture to allow for student choice so that they can choose how they learn best. There are break out spaces for quiet study, teacher workshops, or collaborative groups.

Research supports giving your child a learning environment with quality teachers and a wide range of learning experiences. These learning spaces enable learning experiences and teaching that is simply not possible in a single classroom. Not only does your child have more space and options, they will also have multiple teachers to support learning.

Learners are encouraged and supported to become self-regulated. Self-regulation is a skill we all want and one of the goals of the New Zealand curriculum.

Your child gets the best of both worlds, a Kaiako who is your first point of contact and your child’s ‘go to’ person. However, is also other teachers who will get to know your child well, work with them and support them.

Check out what an FLE looks like at Stonefields School:

COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE

Why Collaborative Practice?

21st Century learning encompasses being student centered, innovative, and inquiry based.

By one popular estimate, 65% of children who are currently entering primary school will eventually work in a job that does not exist today (World Economic Forum, 2017).

Student-centered, 21st century learning prepares students for the challenges and opportunities that will arise from changes in technologies, economies, and societies.

Evidence shows a need to shift towards developing skills in the 4Cs:

Creativity

Creative Thinking

Collaboration

Communication

By focusing on strengthening a student's ability to evaluate information and to combine that information with imagination and ingenuity to create something new and innovative.

Collaborating with others develops the cognitive and interpersonal skills they will need to communicate, innovate and use information differently in the digital age.

Evidence, both nationally and internationally, highlights that teachers are better able to meet the diverse needs of children and provide targeted support and challenge through collaborative teaching.

Likewise, learning through collaborative teaching and collaborating with one another in a variety of ways enables learners to build skills in team work, listening, sharing their ideas, reflecting, and cooperating.

Our spaces are perfectly set up to enable this teaching and learning. Teachers work side by side with each other and learners have opportunities to work with all teachers in their hub as well as all of their peers.

Dr Julia Atkin, an independent education and learning consultant, discusses collaborative teaching and learning, and the spaces we learn in. "How well is this space set up for me to learn...?"