Additional+Support+Programs+at+Shirley

We came across a number of programs at Shirley Boys High School that provide additional support for students who may need it. These include the Maori __#|Program__, Pacific Islander Program, Literacy Program, Extension Program and the Hearing Impaired Program.


 * Maori Program **

The Maori program acts as an additional support program for all the Maori pupils in the school. It is compulsory for most schools in New Zealand to __#|provide__ extra support for their Maori students, and therefore the Maori Program is not unique to Shirley Boys High, but most schools around New Zealand. The teacher responsible for the Maori Program at SBHS, Toby Hunia, explained that the main purpose was to teach the kids about the Maori culture and learn the native language. Maori is New Zealand’s second language, hence making the program important to have in the school, according to Toby. The students involved in this program will participate in it for around 3-4 hours a week.

In addition to learning the Maori language and culture, the program also teaches students about the history of New Zealand relative to the Maori people. Students will also go on a couple of field trips to places related to the Maori culture.


 * Scope for Personalised Learning**

Not only does this program enable Maori students to an equal opportunity to learn about the history, traditions and language of their own culture, but also what is involved in the program is **personally relevant** to the participating students. Furthermore, as the program involves a number of field trips, students are then __#|apply__ what they learn in the class room to **real life situations.**


 * Pacific Islander Program **

This program was designed for students who come from a Pacific Islander or Samoan background. In these cultures, education is not highly valued and therefore children with a Islander background generally do not academically rank as highly as those pupils from a Western background. Therefore, the aim of this program is to motivate these students and support them to succeed academically. Joe Houghton, the teacher in charge, goes about this by assigning successful university students or graduates with an Islander background as mentors. Each mentor is then assigned to two boys. This way the students will be able to interact with people who have themselves succeeded academically.

At this stage, the program is only a pilot program as this year is the first year it has been running.

Another program Joe Houghton has been planning and is hoping to execute next year is a reading program for the Pacific Islander kids. Here, the mentors will come in for about two hours a week and __#|read__ a book for the pupils, which will help expand their vocabulary.

ven though the Pacific Islander program is in place, Joe says that he doesn’t think the schools in Christchurch can meet the needs of the Pacific pupils just yet. This is because there is currently not concrete system for them in place. He is optimistic for the __#|future__ though, saying that if we’re to come back in 2-3 years we will see a better result in the program in regards to meeting the needs of those students involved.


 * Scope for Personalised Learning:**

This program involves having **links beyond the classroom**, in that mentors from outside of the school will come in and spend time with the students. Furthermore, the mentors come from a similar background to the students involved, therefore making it **personally relevant** to them.

The Literacy Program, which is officially termed //Steps to Literacy//, began at SBHS in 2008. It is for students who need additional help in the area of literacy. It is designed to enhance a student’s literacy abilities by 3 years, in just the course of 1 year. It focuses most strongly on spelling, developing language awareness, vocabulary, comprehension and verbal reasoning skills. The program follows a workbook, and students will work one-on-one with their tutor going through the book.
 * Literacy Program **

“The boys are enthusiastic and the work books are well structured and user friendly” - Staff

In addition to the positivity of the program coming from staff, there seems to be an overall positive attitude amongst the students as well.

The challenges that face those involved in this program involve issues with the funding of resources and lack of staff. In addition to this, Karly Murdoch, the teacher in charge of literacy, claims time is also an issue. She only has about 3 hours a week to work on all literacy admin and organisation.

Before students come to Shirley Boys High School, they are giving a standardised test. The top 60 high-achievers are looked at more closely. Firstly, once they have begun school at Shirley, the staff involved in the extension program will interview the teachers of these 60 students. They find out information such as:
 * Extension Program **


 * Level of intelligence
 * Talent
 * Study patterns
 * Thinking strategies

In addition to this, staff will also put out questionnaires to the parents of these students, collection some of the following information:


 * What age they started crawling
 * What age they started reading
 * What age they started walking

This is because this information, along with other characteristics, has been identified as early signs of a gifted and talented human being. After this, the teacher responsible for the program, Angie Robertson, goes through all the collected data, and finds 30 of these 60 children to form a class of talent. The type of talent is not limited to academia, but can also be students who are exceptionally good at sport or the arts. However, all students must have an above average IQ.

Students in this class are given IEP, which stands for Individual Education Programs. Each IEP is personalised to each individual student, which is based on all of their subjects and their specific talent. Staff involved will look at how they can cultivate their IEP inside the classroom and outside the classroom over the next 5 years of high school.

When certain scholarships are on offer, Angie Robertson will know which students are best suited to apply for certain scholarships depending on their IEP.


 * Nurturing environment for the students**

Angie sees the program as a kind of safe-based for students. The following reasons highlight why:
 * Students get to know others who also value skills and intelligence.
 * Students may be seen by outsiders as “uncool” due to their talents.
 * There is a lot of support for their talents.
 * Sense of belonging.

Students in this program are being recognised and offered support for their talents. Although it is important that those who are under-achieving are given additional support, it is equally important that those who are over-achieving had significant support too.
 * Scope for Personalised Learning**

Firstly, the Extension Program is **interdisciplinary**, especially in the way that in one grade, a group of 30 students with all different types of talents are placed together. Furthermore, these students bring their talents to the mainstream classes, and staff look for ways that the students’ skills can benefit average classes.

Secondly, this program is extremely personalised in the way that each student involved will be given an individual learning plan. This IEP is designed specifically for the individual, highlighting their talents, interests, what they are good at, and also anything they may be struggling with.

Lastly, the extension program creates a good **learning environment** for those involved. They create good relationships amongst themselves and with the teacher, which overall contributes to a good atmosphere.


 * Hearing Impaired Program **

Catherine Kappelle works as a specialist teacher of the deaf at Shirley Boys High School. She supports students who have a hearing impediment, or who are deaf.


 * Supporting deaf students**

Catherine will go in to the classes of the students who are part of the program. Here she acts as a communicator, and may also take notes for the students. She takes care of 4 students at SBHS, and spends a different amount of time with each student per week, depending on their needs:
 * 2 hours are spent with 2 hearing impaired students.
 * 4 hours is spent with another student who just recently had a cochlear implant.
 * 7 hours is spent with a profoundly deaf student.


 * Mainstream integration**

Students in the program are integrated as much as possible into mainstream classes. As soon as a student is withdrawn from mainstream classes, ASN teachers suddenly have a lot of catch-up to do. Catherine noted that pulling a student out of a mainstream class will then isolate them from other students, and also draws attention to them, which further widens the gap between mainstream students and ASN students.


 * Scope for personalised learning**

Catherine works with outside agencies, in that agency for deaf children will give funding to the school to further enhance the program. In addition to this, each student in the program is allocated a specific time slot to receive additional support, and this time is dependent on his or her needs, whether they are severe or reasonable.