Kiwi ingenuity leading the way in improving learning

Kiwi ingenuity leading the way in improving children’s learning, strengthening families.

Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu (formerly The Correspondence School), has been assisting children's learning and development around the country for over 90 years. They remain leaders in supporting remote learning.

Storypark is a private, online learning community based around children, their families and their teachers. Storypark has been successfully piloted by Te Kura this year with a selection of the school’s Early Childhood Education students and families and will be rolled out in 2014 to a much wider group.

Of the benefits experienced by the families, inclusion of family members who live too far away to be involved in day to day experiences is one of the most helpful. Recording the activities of the child from a young age through learning stories and ePortfolios has proven to increase family engagement. Family members can comment on the child’s story or add their own story.

Offline, parents and other family members can extend learning by phone or in person in a way that is immediate and intentional. This immediacy is not possible with paper portfolios or paper correspondence. Storypark has users in more than 45 countries worldwide which reflects the international nature of modern life.

Peter Dixon co-founder of Storypark, says “The ability to engage the family around the child’s learning builds stronger families and supports the child through their experiences in education. For rural families or for families with special circumstances, this sense of closeness is incredibly beneficial.”

Te Kura Early Childhood teacher Helen McConnell says "A really important part of
Storypark is that it is a private environment with only family-selected people involved so you can share learning stories and support parents and children. We're already getting great feedback from parents and creating results that were impossible to achieve without Storypark."

The Baker family, part of the Te Kura trial, note “All the family just love Storypark as they now feel involved in the children’s learning. Nan and Granddad in Wellington have just sent an email saying how much they are enjoying the stories. Storypark is really special for our relatives overseas as there is only so much I have time for in letters or emails. Now Great Nanny and Uncle Tim and Grandma say they are learning so much more about Jazmine and Ilana’s life on the other side of the world.“

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