Road code learning online, in class

Online literacy tool with road code content gets good response from secondary students.

An online learning tool is helping secondary students in Canterbury learn about safe road use while strengthening literacy.

The way that Pathways Awarua links to real-life contexts makes it a winner, says Jan Stark, the Literacy Coordinator and Specialist Classroom Teacher at Darfield High School, Canterbury.

Pathways Awarua is the Tertiary Education Commission’s (TEC) online literacy and numeracy resource. This year it became freely available to students in Years 9-13. Themed content includes the road code and heavy vehicle pathways, developed in collaboration with the NZ Transport Agency.

“The students I have using Pathways are in my Year 11 Literacy class. I use the road code modules and the vocabulary building modules the most as they support the classwork we do,” says Jan.

She has built a unit of work around the idea of becoming a responsible driver and the Pathways Awarua modules form the reading part of the unit.

“The Road Code is great for helping the students work on their reading skills as it is at the appropriate level and it is of high interest and relevance to the majority of my students. My literacy class focuses on the literacy skills students need to function as informed New Zealand citizens so any work that is linked to real life is a winner,” says Jan.

“As most of the students who go for their learner's licence pass and the students themselves ask to use the tool, I count that as successful.”