Kaiāwhina and Teacher Aides & the Spiral of Inquiry
Why include teacher aides in Scanning?
The Scanning phase asks:
“What’s going on for our learners?”
Teacher aides are uniquely positioned to contribute to this question because they:
Spend sustained time alongside wonder learners (target learners, struggling learners)
Observe learning across contexts (classroom, small group, transitions)
Often hold strong relational, cultural, and whānau connections
See patterns teachers may miss when managing whole-class instruction
Used well, kaiāwhina can strengthen the validity, richness, and equity focus of scanning, but only if the partnership is intentional.
Principles for Teacher–Kaiāwhina Partnership in Scanning
1. Kaiāwhina are contributors to sense-making, not data collectors only
A common misstep is asking teacher aides to:
“Keep an eye on X”
“Collect notes”
“Monitor behaviour”
Good practice shifts this to:
Joint noticing
Shared interpretation
Professional dialogue, even if roles are different
This aligns with evidence showing that aides are most effective when they understand why they are doing something, not just what to do.
Key stance shift
From: supporting students
To: supporting understanding of learners
2. Scanning focuses on learning experiences, not learner deficits
To avoid deficit framing (a known risk in both assessment and aide deployment), scanning with kaiāwhina should centre on:
What learners are experiencing in teaching and learning
How they are responding to instruction
Where engagement lifts or drops
Which conditions seem to support success
This mirrors Russell Bishop’s insistence on changing interactions rather than locating problems in students.
What Kaiāwhina Can Contribute During Scanning
A. Fine-grained observations of learning
Kaiāwhina often notice:
How learners respond to specific tasks or prompts
Where learners hesitate, disengage, or persist
What scaffolds support independence
How learners use language, tools, or peers
These observations are especially valuable for:
Literacy and numeracy learning
Students receiving additional support
Learners whose voices are less heard in whole-class settings
B. Patterns across time and context
Because kaiāwhina often work with the same learners across days or weeks, they can identify:
Recurring barriers to learning
Conditions where learners are more successful
Differences between small-group and whole-class learning
This helps the team move beyond single snapshots toward patterns — a core purpose of Scanning.
C. Student voice and relational insight
Kaiāwhina may be well placed to:
Hear informal student voice
Notice confidence, anxiety, or identity signals
Understand cultural or whānau influences on learning
Used ethically and respectfully, this can deepen the inquiry’s equity and cultural responsiveness.
What Effective Partnership Looks Like in Practice
Before Scanning: Clarifying purpose and focus
Teachers and kaiāwhina:
Co-construct a clear scanning question (e.g. “What are our Year 3–4 learners experiencing when we teach writing?”)
Agree on what to notice, not just what to record
Connect scanning to valued learning outcomes
This prevents aides being positioned as “extra eyes” without professional context.
During Scanning: Joint noticing in action
Kaiāwhina may:
Observe specific learners during agreed learning moments
Note learning behaviours, responses, and conditions
Capture examples of engagement, confusion, or success
Crucially, this is framed as learning-focused, not surveillance or behaviour tracking.
After Scanning: Sense-making together
This is where partnership really matters.
Teachers and kaiāwhina:
Share observations in structured conversations
Look for patterns, not individual stories
Ask:
What are learners experiencing?
What might our teaching be signalling?
Where are opportunities for change?
The teacher retains responsibility for pedagogical decisions, but the understanding is co-constructed.
Boundaries and Safeguards
To keep the partnership ethical and effective:
Kaiāwhina are not positioned as evaluators of teachers
Observations are not used for performance judgement
Teachers remain responsible for instructional decisions
Time is deliberately allocated — this cannot be “extra”
Without these conditions, involving kaiāwhina risks tokenism or overload.
Why This Strengthens the Spiral of Inquiry
Involving teacher aides / kaiāwhina in Scanning:
Deepens understanding of learner experience
Surfaces inequities that might otherwise remain hidden
Builds coherence between support and classroom teaching
Signals that inquiry is a collective responsibility
Most importantly, it aligns with what we know accelerates achievement:
Better noticing → better sense-making → better teaching decisions
