What are specialist subjects at a New Zealand intermediate school?

Weekly classes outside the homeroom, grouped into Art and Technology. At Min's school, Art covers Visual Art, Digital Art, Music, Dance and Drama, and Technology covers Soft Materials, Mechatronics, Food Technology, Product Design, Control Technology and Science — eleven subjects in total.

Do Year 7 students choose their specialist subjects?

Not at Min's school. In Year 7, students rotate through all the subjects across the year so they can try a bit of everything. In Year 8, they choose three to study in more depth, based on what they discovered.

Year 7 Specialist Subjects at a NZ Intermediate School

MHJ SCHOOL GUIDE Year 7

Specialist Subjects at NZ Intermediate

What we noticed in Min's first term, written down for parents who, like us, hadn't met this system before.

How it runs: Specialist classes happen once a week. In Year 7, students rotate through all subjects across the year. In Year 8, they choose three to study in more depth.

The two streams: Art and Technology. Art covers Visual Art, Digital Art, Music, Dance and Drama. Technology covers Soft Materials, Mechatronics, Food Technology, Product Design, Control Technology and Science. Eleven subjects in total at Min's school.

Where to see the work: Some pieces come home as printouts. The rest can be seen through the HERO app, where teachers post photos and notes. We've found it useful to scroll through every now and then.

A few things we noticed

Trying before choosing: A whole year of rotation means the Year 8 choice comes from experience, not a guess.

Subjects she'd never have chosen: Min would not have picked Science, Mechatronics or Drama on her own. The rotation gave her a chance to meet them anyway.

Mind can change: Min has tentatively pencilled in two subjects for Year 8, but three terms of trying are still ahead.

From a Year 7 family in Mairangi Bay. mhj.nz

Min started Specialist subjects when she began intermediate. The school offers a wide range of Specialist subjects, each running once a week. In Year 7, students rotate through them so they can try a bit of everything. After experiencing all of the subjects, students choose three for Year 8 based on their own preferences and what they discovered along the way, and study those in more depth.

Our School's Subject Range

The Specialist subjects are grouped into Art and Technology. Art is divided into Visual Art, Digital Art, Music, Dance and Drama. Technology covers Soft Materials, Mechatronics, Food Technology, Product Design, Control Technology and Science. Through these classes, the children get a chance to try out a variety of creative and practical fields — both the theory and the hands-on side — and slowly find their way toward what interests them.

Min's Term 1 Experience

In Term 1, Min took Digital Art and Science. Pieces from Digital Art come home as printouts now and then, and we can also see them through the HERO app. Digital Art was the class Min had been looking forward to most — she's always loved making images on her iPad — and after actually trying it out, she has already pencilled it in as one of her Year 8 choices. She has also tentatively chosen Soft Materials (sewing) for next year, though we'll see how that holds up after she has tried more of the other subjects.

[Y7] Intermediate Guide: Specialist Subjects — photo 1

[Y7] Intermediate Guide: Specialist Subjects — photo 2

Min's Artworks from Digital Art class

Why No Choice Worked

My girls love making things with their hands, so I'm quietly pleased that the school doesn't ask them to choose specialist subjects in their first year. If it did, Min would never have ended up in Science, Mechatronics or Drama on her own. What I'm hoping for, over the three terms still to come, is that she stumbles into something she didn't expect to enjoy — that some quiet, unfamiliar subject turns out to be the small surprise of the year.

한국어 요약

Min은 인터미디어트에 올라가면서 스페셜리스트 과목을 시작했다. 학교에는 여러 과목이 있고 각각 일주일에 한 번씩 수업한다. Year 7에서는 모든 과목을 돌아가며 조금씩 경험하고, 그 경험을 바탕으로 Year 8에 세 과목을 골라 더 깊이 배운다.

과목은 예술과 기술 두 갈래다. 예술에는 시각 예술, 디지털 아트, 음악, 무용, 연극이 있고, 기술에는 섬유(Soft Materials), 메카트로닉스, 식품 기술, 제품 디자인, 제어 기술, 과학이 있다. Min의 학교는 모두 11과목이다. Term 1에 Min은 디지털 아트와 과학을 들었다. 아이패드로 그림 그리기를 좋아하던 Min이 가장 기다리던 디지털 아트는 벌써 Year 8 선택 과목으로 점찍어 두었다. 작품은 가끔 출력물로 집에 오고, HERO 앱으로도 볼 수 있다.

첫해에 과목을 고르게 하지 않는 방식이 나는 조용히 반갑다. 골라야 했다면 Min은 스스로 과학이나 메카트로닉스, 연극을 택하지 않았을 것이다. 남은 세 학기 동안, 낯선 과목 하나가 뜻밖에 즐거운 올해의 작은 놀라움이 되기를 바란다.

Yussi

Writer · Social work student, Massey University

A mother of three girls and a Korean immigrant making Mairangi Bay home — writing about starting school, home learning and everyday life on Auckland's North Shore.

More about Yussi →

Frequently asked questions

What are specialist subjects at a New Zealand intermediate school?: Weekly classes outside the homeroom, grouped into Art and Technology. At Min's school, Art covers Visual Art, Digital Art, Music, Dance and Drama, and Technology covers Soft Materials, Mechatronics, Food Technology, Product Design, Control Technology and Science — eleven subjects in total.
Do Year 7 students choose their specialist subjects?: Not at Min's school. In Year 7, students rotate through all the subjects across the year so they can try a bit of everything. In Year 8, they choose three to study in more depth, based on what they discovered.
How can parents see their child's specialist subject work?: Some pieces come home as printouts. The rest can be seen through the HERO app, where teachers post photos and notes.

#nzschools #intermediateschool #mairangibay #lifeinaotearoa #schoolspecialist

Join the conversation