Date
18 April 2024

Talk with the student and consider a learner profile

Suggestion for implementing the strategy ‘Getting to know the student and what they can do’

On this page:

Find out about students

Find out about students

Kaiako and ākonga talk about creating environments with students at the centre, where Pacific students have the focus and learning support they need.

Video hosted on Vimeo http://vimeo.com/120408493

Source: Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga | The Ministry of Education

Closed Captions

Build connections

Build connections

Strengthen your own understanding.

  • Create opportunities for the student and those who know them well to share their insights and stories with you.
  • Explore your student’s culture, languages, strengths and interests.
  • Look for connections with your own experiences.
  • Consider where you may need to deepen your knowledge.

What to include in a learner profile

What to include in a learner profile

A useful profile (whether an official document or questions you might ask) includes information on these topics.
  • Important people
  • Cultural connections and experiences
  • Languages spoken
  • Things the student is good at
  • Memorable life experiences
  • How they like to unwind and relax
  • Likes and interests
  • Dislikes and things they avoid
  • How they like to learn and what helps
  • Things that make it hard for them to learn
  • What they do when they need help

Support self-advocacy with learner profiles

Support self-advocacy with learner profiles

Create opportunities where students can tell you what supports their learning and what gets in the way.

Having students create a learner profile for themselves is a great way to have them develop a better and fuller understanding of who they are as learners ...

This develops their independence and places them in a better position to self-advocate for the tools, learning materials, and presentation options that can optimise their learning experiences.

Naryn Searcy

Source: UDL Resource (opens in a new tab/window)

Source:
UDL Resource

Useful resources

Useful resources

File

Primary school learner profile

An example of a NZ primary school student’s learner profile, developed by the adults around her.

Download DOC (613 KB)

Rachels learner profile NZ high school

Secondary school learner profile

An example of a NZ secondary student’s learner profile.

Download PDF (331 KB)

Developing learner profiles

Developing learner profiles

Read time: 3 min

This document provides general support and guidance when developing a learner profile. It includes prompts and questions, alongside purpose and benefits for students.

Publisher:

Download PDF (211 KB)

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Get to know the student”:

Return to the guide “Transitions – managing times of change”

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