Years 9–10 Critical Thinking Unit | 45 minutes
Collaborative problem-solving using Māori values & consensus-building
Key Vocabulary:
Resources Needed:
Group Scenario (Groups of 4-5):
Process Observation:
Key Debrief Questions: "Which groups reached consensus? What helped? What hindered the process? How did you handle disagreement?"
Your class has been selected to allocate a $10,000 community grant from the local council. Three worthy causes have applied, but you can only fund ONE project. Your decision must be made as a class using fair and inclusive processes.
Request: $10,000 to restore native bush area behind school
Request: $10,000 for sports equipment available to all local schools
Request: $10,000 to establish community arts space in unused building
Step 1: Whakarongo (Listen) - 8 minutes
Step 2: Wānanga (Deliberate) - 8 minutes
Step 3: Whakatau (Decision) - 6 minutes
Step 4: Whakapuaki (Share/Present) - 3 minutes
Kaiako note: These are classroom relationship checks, not a claim that all iwi or hapū deliberate in one way. Where the issue is local and consequential, follow the tikanga and authority of the relevant people and place.
Reflection Questions:
Individual Reflection Survey (Complete after class):
Class Process:
Group Members: _________________________________________________
Date: _________ Final Decision: ☐ Environment ☐ Sports ☐ Arts
1. How did your group start the discussion?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
2. What different opinions emerged initially?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
3. How did you handle disagreement or conflict?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
4. Give an example of how your group showed whanaungatanga (connection/relationship building):
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
5. How did you work toward kotahitanga (unity/consensus)?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
6. Did everyone's voice get heard? How did you ensure this?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
7. What were your group's main reasons for the final choice?
a) _____________________________________________________________________
b) _____________________________________________________________________
c) _____________________________________________________________________
8. What concerns or drawbacks did you identify?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
9. How satisfied is your group with the decision? (Rate 1-5, explain)
Rating: _____ Explanation: _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
10. What worked well in your group's decision-making process?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
11. What would you do differently next time?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
12. How was seeking consensus different from just taking a vote?
_________________________________________________________________________
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13. What did you learn about yourself as a group member?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
14. When could you use these decision-making skills outside school?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
15. What's one thing you want to improve about your collaboration skills?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Collaborative Participation (4 points):
Cultural Values Application (4 points):
Decision-Making Process (4 points):
Students will engage with this resource to develop te whakaaro māramatanga — critical and analytical thinking skills — examining claims, evaluating evidence, identifying bias, and constructing reasoned arguments. This unit frames critical thinking through both Western analytical traditions and the kōrero-based reasoning of Te Ao Māori.
Scaffold support: Provide argument frames (claim → evidence → reasoning → counter-argument) for entry-level access. Use structured controversy activities where students argue assigned positions. Offer extension tasks requiring students to analyse a real media article or policy document using the lesson's critical framework.
ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach argumentative language structures ("I argue that…", "The evidence suggests…", "However, one might counter…"). Allow oral argument as a first step before written production. Sentence frames and argument maps lower the language barrier while maintaining cognitive demand.
Inclusion: Structured debate and discussion formats benefit all learners — particularly neurodiverse students who thrive with explicit rules and clear roles. Affirm that disagreement done respectfully is a high-value academic and civic skill. Allow quiet processing time before group discussion. Offer written alternatives for students who find oral argument challenging.
Mātauranga Māori lens: Te whakaaro māramatanga — enlightened thinking — reflects a long tradition of reasoned debate in Te Ao Māori. The whare (meeting house) is a place of kōrero, where multiple perspectives are heard before decisions are made. Tikanga requires that arguments be made with integrity and respect (mana). Māori oratory (whaikōrero) is a sophisticated critical tradition — whakataukī encode compressed wisdom that often challenges surface-level thinking.
Prior knowledge: Best used within a sequence building critical thinking skills progressively. No specialist knowledge required for entry-level engagement with structured tasks.
This lesson applies evidence-based ethical judgement to collective decision-making, requiring learners to hear dissent, weigh values, and justify a group recommendation.
See the unit overview for the exact verified Ministry statements and lesson map.