Dilworth School
Learning Areas
Read about the different learning areas and the course available in each learning area.
English
English Learning Area
What is English about?
Ko te reo te tuakiri
Ko te reo tōku ahurei
Ko te reo te ora.
English is the study, use, and enjoyment of the English language and its literature, communicated orally, visually, and in writing, for a range of purposes and audiences and in a variety of text forms. Learning English encompasses learning the language, learning through the language, and learning about the language.
Understanding, using, and creating oral, written, and visual texts of increasing complexity is at the heart of English teaching and learning. By engaging with text-based activities, students become increasingly skilled and sophisticated speakers and listeners, writers and readers, presenters and viewers.
English offers the freedom to explore: English gives us the freedom to travel to other places, discover other cultures, and visit other times. We explore learning through a wide range of experiences and often choose what and how we learn.
English fosters creativity: English enables us to enter new worlds. We can use our imagination to interpret and visualise these worlds, and they provide windows through which we can view our own world.
English develops creative thinking: It encourages us to use our imaginations both when we interpret texts and when we create our own. This process is challenging and satisfying. English gives us a voice.
English enables learning: English develops the skills and communication competencies we need to access and engage with learning across the curriculum. Through studying English, we work out how to understand and ask questions of ourselves, of other people, and of texts.
English develops thinking: English gives us the skills we need to take a stand – to research, evaluate information, think, justify, argue an opinion, and share it with confidence. English helps us to become critical thinkers and make better sense of the world around us.
English promotes participation: Through studying English, we learn how to contribute with respect, and we learn to value our own voice, and the voices of others.
English is compulsory for all students in Years 10 to 12.
In Year 13, English is available as an option subject.
At Dilworth we aim to move every student through the literacy components of both Level 1 and Level 2 NCEA. There is a major emphasis at Dilworth on developing literacy skills which should culminate in every boy successfully gaining the Level 2 NCEA literacy component for University Entry.
English provides students with a wide range of transferable skills which are important in many career fields. Understanding and analysis of writing are of key importance and can be applied in many other fields of work.
Mathematics & Statistics
What is mathematics and statistics about?
Kei hopu tōu ringa ki te aka tāepa,
engari kia mau ki te aka matua.
Mathematics is the exploration and use of patterns and relationships in quantities, space, and time. Statistics is the exploration and use of patterns and relationships in data. These two disciplines are related but have different ways of thinking and solving problems. Both equip students with effective means for investigating, interpreting, explaining, and making sense of the world in which they live.
Mathematicians and statisticians use symbols, graphs, and diagrams to help them find and communicate patterns and relationships, and they create models to represent both real-life and hypothetical situations. These situations are drawn from a wide range of social, cultural, scientific, technological, health, environmental, and economic contexts. It is through mathematics we help make great citizens. It is the front end of the curriculum that is actually most important and as Maths teachers we develop all this in the context of mathematics and statistics.
Mathematics is a compulsory subject in Year 10 and Year 11 because the skills taught and habits developed are essential for most learning areas and career pathways. All strands of the New Zealand Curriculum are covered and students who are not consistently achieving at the appropriate Curriculum level will receive extra support to ensure they are prepared for success in NCEA.
Inspire thinking
Mathematics and statistics make sense of information, experience, and ideas by engaging students to think:
Flexibly and creatively
Critically and effectively
Strategically and logically.
Stimulate creativity and curiosity
Mathematics and statistics open the door to a world of beauty, mystery, and awe. They provide students with the enjoyment of intellectual challenge: opportunities to explore ideas and to wrestle with interesting problems. Mathematics and statistics provide ways of connecting abstract ideas with real world thinking.
Equip students for the 21st century
Mathematics and statistics equip students with the knowledge and skills to be global citizens in the 21st century. Effective citizens have the ability and inclination to use mathematics and statistics at home, at work, and in the community by: using problem-solving strategies
using mathematical and statistical models to solve problems
making sensible estimates
using and interpreting data
evaluating mathematical and statistical information
communicating ideas.
Science
Science Learning Area
Science is about how the world works.
What is Science about?
Science is the study of how the universe works
Scientific knowledge is dynamic and evolves over time
Science is a collaborative activity
Science is both logical and creative
Why learn Science?
Learning in science feeds off curiosity
Learning in science encourages critical thinking
Science knowledge is important for everyday living
Science knowledge drives innovation
Learning in science opens up career opportunities
Science is compulsory for all boys in Year 11.
Having experienced each individual Science discipline, boys in Year 12 can choose to study one or more of the individual Sciences through to Year 13 and NCEA Level 3.
Science includes practical components which teach the skills of observation, measurement, processing and the analysis of data. Science is a necessary subject for many career paths.
Social Sciences
Social Sciences Learning Area
Te ao tangata, or Social Sciences, fosters students' curiosity about people, societies, and places, while promoting engagement with societal issues. The discipline equips students with knowledge and skills in social, cultural, economic, and political domains, empowering them to become critically informed, ethical, and empathetic citizens. This ethos aligns with Aotearoa New Zealand's values and responsibilities embodied in Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi).
A central focus is on Aotearoa New Zealand's histories, examining how Māori and other communities have influenced the nation's past. The subject also expands globally, teaching students research skills, decision-making, and the ability to understand diverse perspectives. Through data interpretation and critical thinking, students develop literacy and numeracy skills, gaining deeper insights into societal issues and challenges like human rights, inequity, and sustainability. This understanding equips students to take informed, positive actions in response to local, national, and global challenges.
Commerce
Commerce is an exciting area of learning for our students. As a Commerce student you will be involved in many aspects of business: Entrepreneurship, understanding how the Economy works, finances of a business and how they can make an impact in our world.
Economic activity shapes the daily lives of all New Zealanders. How we earn and spend has a significant effect on our quality of life, as well as the environment in which we live. Commerce looks at how financial decisions are made. This includes the influences on decision-making, and the impacts that these decisions have.
All parts of society need to make choices about how to best meet their needs and wants with finite resources. For a household this could be decisions about personal budgets. For a business it could be about what they produce and how they produce it. For the government, it could be about what services they fund for the population.
By studying Commerce at Dilworth, you will be equipped and inspired to make a difference in whatever organisation or venture you are part of in the future.
Why study Commerce?
Studying commerce enables students to appreciate the issues that challenge businesses and stakeholders. In a rapidly changing world, it is important that we are able to make informed and rational decisions about business matters.
Commerce contributes to the development of a culture of enterprise in New Zealand and supports our efforts to improve economic and community well-being.
Technology & Art
Technology & Art Learning Area
The Technology & Art learning area fosters creativity, problem-solving, technical proficiency, and innovative thinking through subjects like Design & Visual Communication, Digital Technologies, Hard Materials, Hospitality, Printmaking, Photography, and Design. We provide unique, hands-on opportunities for students to explore and express their ideas, learn through practical experience, and develop their creative practice. This comprehensive approach equips learners with the tools to navigate and contribute to a rapidly evolving world.
Technology
Develop creative solutions for practical problems Students in technology apply practical skills and discipline knowledge in an activity-based, project-driven environment in which they solve problems and create innovative solutions for real needs.
Be informed In technology, students learn to make informed choices about the use of technology, and to consider the impact of technological change on our world. They come to understand how technological decision making is influenced by cultural, ethical, environmental, political, and economic factors.
Develop vital knowledge and skills Technological knowledge and skills are vital for the future well- being of New Zealand. We need a wide range of technology professionals in many different fields in order to be competitive, sustain economic development, and make a contribution internationally.
Art
The visual arts provide forms of communication that inform where we have come from and how this has shaped our current place in the world. By engaging in the visual arts, students assimilate, create, produce, and respond critically through visual communication and contribute to the process of social and cultural development.
Visual communication is one of the most essential ways of communicating and interpreting our identity as individuals, groups, or communities and how we interact with each other and the world we live in.
Visual arts connect mind, heart, body, and spirit as students learn to express their thoughts, feelings, ideas, and actions in the development and creation of visual art. Through studying and making art works, students respond to and make sense of themselves, their community, and the world in new and different ways. Students become reflective thinkers within the creative process, able to formulate problems and apply inquiry to generate new knowledge and or understandings.
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts are a broad and diverse field that encompasses drama, music, and dance. These Arts offer students a unique opportunity to express themselves creatively and to develop their skills in communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Drama is the art of acting and storytelling. Students who study Drama learn how to develop characters, create dialogue, and perform in front of an audience. Drama can help students to improve their public speaking skills, develop their imagination, and learn about different cultures.
Music is the art of performing and creating vocal or instrumental sound through an expression of emotion. Students who study music learn how to read music, play an instrument, sing, compose music and learn about music in context. Playing a musical instrument can also help students to improve their memory, concentration, and creativity. It can also help students relieve stress and improve their overall well-being.
Here are some of the benefits of studying the Performing Arts:
Improved communication skills: The Performing Arts require students to communicate effectively with others, both verbally and nonverbally. This can help them to develop their public speaking skills, improve their listening skills, and learn how to work effectively with others.
Increased self-confidence: The Performing Arts can help students to develop a sense of self-confidence and self-esteem. This is because they are often required to perform in front of an audience, which can be a daunting task. However, when students are able to successfully perform in front of others, it can boost their confidence and self-esteem.
Enhanced creativity: The Performing Arts are a great way to express creativity. Students who study the performing arts are often encouraged to experiment and explore different ways of expressing themselves. This can help them to develop their own unique voice and style.
Improved problem-solving skills: The Performing Arts can help students to develop their problem-solving skills. This is because they are often required to think on their feet and come up with solutions to problems that arise during rehearsals or performances. This can be a valuable skill in any field, but it is especially important in the Performing Arts, where things don't always go according to plan.
Physical Education & Health
Physical Education & Health Learning Area
In Physical Education we provide fun and engaging learning activities to help develop the students’ confidence and competence to lead healthy lives, including a gym-based Functional Movement module, delivered in our state of the art weights room.
Within Health, we cover a range of diverse topics which will enable students to make safe and informed decisions. We aim to develop their knowledge and understanding of Hauora, to maintain a balanced lifestyle, both now and beyond life at Dilworth.
Core Physical Education and Health is compulsory in Year 10 and Sport, Health & Fitness is compulsory in Years 11 and 12. Academic Physical Education can also be selected as an option subject in each of Years 11 – 13. Year 11 involves a Dilworth bespoke course, with Years 12 and 13 completing Achievement Standards and attaining credits as they work towards their NCEA qualification.
Physical education helps students to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies to live healthy and physically active lives both at school and through the rest of their lives. They learn ‘in, through, and about’ movement, gaining an understanding that movement is integral to human expression and can contribute to people’s pleasure and enhance their lives.
Te Reo Māori and Languages
Te Reo Māori Learning Area
“Ko te reo te taikura o te whakaao mārama”
Language is the key to understanding
-Te Wharehuia Milroy
Te reo Māori is the key to understanding the Māori world. Te Reo Māori lays the foundation of communicative skills and cultural knowledge to enable students to be bilingual and bicultural with an appreciation and consideration of a Māori worldview.
In line with the government’s commitment to ensure that all New Zealanders have an opportunity to learn and speak te reo Māori as expressed in the Maihi Karauna, “Audacious Goal 2: By 2040, one million New Zealanders (or more) will have the ability and confidence to talk about at least basic things in te reo Māori", there is a strong emphasis on the acquisition and improvement of oral language competence in Te Reo Māori as a subject area.
Te Reo Māori is taught to a highly diverse group of students, in many different contexts, including Māori students who are taking the opportunity to reclaim their heritage language and culture and non-Māori beginning their journey into the Māori world that will strengthen the bicultural and bilingual fabric of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Careers and Pathways
The Careers and Pathways Learning Area fulfils a key function of secondary schools in preparing students for their future. This involves delivering curriculum and non-curricula opportunities to support students’ interests, strengths and aspirations, and assists them to make informed decisions about their subject choices and pathways.
Learners can become much more engaged in education and highly motivated about the future when they have a clear understanding of themselves and how they might live and work when they leave school. There are economic and social benefits when learners are supported to make effective transitions from secondary school to tertiary education and training. Having information about the labour market can help students make decisions about tertiary study and training. Informed decisions also support young people’s overall quality of life, sense of purpose and the contributions they make to their families and communities.
Careers education and guidance has an important role to play in a successful curriculum that supports:
• students’ interests, strengths and aspirations
• students’ achievement
• students at risk of poor outcomes
• students making informed decisions about their subject choices and pathways.
Year 11 and 12 Transition (TRN): All Year 11 and 12 students follow a life skills curriculum through their timetabled semester-based Transition course. Here they develop valuable knowledge and skills including Career Pathways Planning; Employability; Financial Literacy and Healthy Eating.
Year 12 and 13 Pathways (PAT): The Pathways course is an option for students in Year 12 and 13. The courses are designed to engage students through future pathways planning and tailored needs. The nature of the class and the flexibility in curriculum enables the teacher to cater for all abilities. (Students who are intending to go to University to study a degree programme, are advised to take 5 approved subjects to give them the best chance to meet any rank score requirements for entry. However, this is looked at on a case by case basis.) Students should seek guidance from their Dean and the Careers and Pathways Learning Area should they be interested in applying for this course at either year level.
