Relational learning in practice
A range of teaching practices to support relationship-rich learning.
There are several key questions that are helpful as we consider how we create the learning environments and experiences which will build and sustain these relationships. For example, how do different teaching approaches enable students to build connection with their discipline, with their teachers, with their peers, with place and with their evolving sense of themselves? How do the choices we make as educators contribute to the sense of belonging and meaning needed for student success?
How might staff support relational learning in their practice?
Create opportunities for cohort building within or across programmes.
Encourage collaborative practices that maximise students’ opportunities to engage with and learn from their peers.
Develop learning environments where students and staff are relationally and actively engaged.
Where practical, support place-based learning with environments and communities and establish links with work contexts.
Locate learning ‘in time’.
Māori staff may practice Indigenous pedagogies such as kaupapa Māori pedagogies.
Pacific staff may practice Indigenous pedagogies that centre Pacific values and knowledge systems, such as ako (which means both to learn and to teach) as a process that involves learning and reflecting,1 where both the learner and teacher benefit from the sharing of knowledge.2
Provide opportunities for learners and teachers to dialogue about the learning experience.
Make use of quality blended learning designs that embrace connectivity and participation.
Relational learning in practice
Stats and cats: Herding numbers in large classrooms
Step into Anna Fergusson’s classroom, where STATS 220: Data Technologies is more than just a course – it’s an adventure in data science.
Sprachwellen: Crafting German skills through podcasts and storytelling
Engaging students in creative exploration of German language and culture.
Nursing ed reimagined: Fostering unity, igniting passion, and simulating life
Explore how Dr Miriam James-Scotter is challenging traditional mindsets and practices within nursing education.
Intellectual Property Law: From Zoom to interactive online learning
A Law course redesign emphasises student-centric learning, enriched with tutorials and quizzes.
Teaching purpose-led design using innovative Design4Conservation methodology
Dr Gabriela Baron integrates various pedagogies, including relational, indigenous, TEL, and assessment-for-learning methodologies in DESIGN 233: Design and the Natural Environment.
Transforming student engagement with Perusall
Sparking student-driven learning: How Perusall transformed reading and discussions in an Asian Studies course.
Virtual construction site visits in the Te Pare School of Architecture and Planning
Architecture students will be offered a truly engaging and immersive learning experience through the use of VR technology.
Teaching law: Deepening students’ relationships with discipline, teacher and self
Jayden Houghton aims to make human connections with his students and encourages them to reflect on their values and their Law School experience.
Improving student learning with physical teaching tools
The Faculty of Engineering has developed novel physical tools for teaching the properties of structural steel.
Developing students’ collaboration skills in BIOSCI 399
Helping develop students’ abilities to collaborate in teams comprised of people with different backgrounds and skills.
Page updated 22/02/2023 (minor edit)
- Morrison, Sandra L., and Timote M. Vaioleti. “Ako–A traditional learning concept for Maori and Pacific youth, and its relationship to lifelong learning.” Bildung und Erziehung 64, no. 4 (2011): 395-408. ↩
- Tomoana, Ria, and Whitireia New Zealand. “Sharing successful teaching and learning strategies for Māori, Pacific, and Youth learners.” Whitireia, New Zealand: An Ako Aotearoa Publication (2012). ↩