Older students who are provided with the right resources and support from teachers make awesome learning buddies, Maths or Reading coaches for our Junior School students!   

Across Years 1 and 2 there are a variety of children working alongside ‘Maths or Reading’ coaches at Te Mata School each morning. These coaches are either Year 6 students from Te Mata School or Year 8s from Havelock North Intermediate. They support our students in a variety of ways:  

• They are role models who act as experts - guiding their Junior School buddy with the explicit teacher developed supports that reinforce classroom learning.

• They demonstrate a passion for Reading or Maths - our Junior School students feed off this passion and enthusiasm, they transfer this to their learning within the coaching sessions but also within their classrooms.  

The Year 6 students receive a ‘flash’ to wear on their uniform showing their service to the school.  Their coaching role is part of how they demonstrate a commitment to our school, to their Year 6 responsibilities. The Year 8 students are involved in the William Pike Challenge. By becoming a Reading or Maths coach they are able to complete their community service aspect of the challenge in a supportive environment. All coaches are mentored by Te Mata Staff, Evelyn Jirkowsky and Chris Richardson (Te Mata Teacher Aides). The resourcing, training and planning is provided by Rebecca Northe (Deputy Principal), Maddie Boaler and Michelle Hancock (Junior School Team Leaders) to ensure that the programmes are targeted to the needs of each learner involved.  

Why do we run coaching sessions for students?

• Mileage, it is more likely for students to retain information, through repeated exposure to activities, in these contexts students develop key knowledge/skills (automaticity). When they see a sound/word we want them to be able to confidently say it/read it, or if they are asked a basic fact question we want them to accurately answer it.  

• To improve students' transference of skills learnt in isolation to real life contexts - the more confident they feel the more likely they are to do this. 

• Junior School is where children develop foundational skills/knowledge/strategies that are required for success in later years of learning. 

• As a school we are committed to creating a sense of community and encouraging students, whānau and staff to work together towards common goals which will lead to improved academic outcomes, life skills and overall student and school success (Collaborative Community Culture one of our Strategic Plan Goals). 

What tasks are they doing/completing with their buddies?

• Reading: saying sounds when prompted with a sound card, speed reading words, practising reading and writing ‘Heart Words’ and reading books. 

• Maths: Reading and writing numbers, identifying them on number strips and also with Numicon Equipment (visuals), and representing numbers in different ways and also adding numbers.

All coaches have been trained by a Te Mata Staff member.  They all have a ‘Book Bag’ that contains specific resources to support their Junior School Buddy. 

The equipment in the ‘Book Bag’ matches resources that are also used in classrooms.  

So what do our learners think, feel and do?  

• Havelock North Intermediate coaches think that running the sessions is rewarding and fun.  They can see the joy/positivity on the students faces when they make a number or say a sound.  The coaches can see how their buddies feel. They know that the practice opportunities for the Junior School students are worth it. “We are always so happy for them when they get things right!”   

• Our Junior School students commented that:

  • Having coaching sessions makes them feel good, because they get to do reading and writing (or maths). “It makes us feel good about ourselves. The Intermediate coaches make sure we do our learning, they are all really nice.”  

  • They feel like they are getting better at reading because they do reading in class and at reading club (with coaches).  

  • “It is fun, because you get to learn numbers. You get to write numbers on the whiteboards.  We feel great, we feel better about Maths.”  

  • The students feel like they can now count big numbers. Using the Numicon equipment as part of the programme is helpful because the students can connect the shapes together.   

  • “We feel really smart after Maths Club” (working with coaches).

Further links and information to support your child at home with Reading & Maths, within our Junior School:

• The Speech Sounds of New Zealand English

• Little Learners Love Literacy - Stages 1-4 Speed Sounds

• Little Learners Love Literacy - Stages Plus 4, 5, 6 Speed Sounds 

• Read with your child daily: you could read to them, they could read to you or you could both share the reading responsibility. 

• Numicon Website - Links to support home learning

Article added: Wednesday 05 June 2024