Critical Communication Portfolio
Kōrero Arohaehae • Tracking Your Growth as a Critical Communicator
📚 My Critical Communication Portfolio
"Ko te reo te tuakiri"
Language is identity
Name / Ingoa:
Class / Akomanga:
Year / Tau: 2025
My communication goal:
👤 Section 1: About Me as a Communicator
My communication strengths (things I do well):
Areas I want to develop:
My preferred communication styles:
Languages I use:
📊 Section 2: Skills Tracker
Rate your current level in each skill (colour or mark your level):
| Skill | Beginning | Developing | Capable | Confident | Expert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluating Sources Aromatawai Pūtake |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Identifying Bias Kimi Whakaaro Taha |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Building Arguments Hanga Taunaki |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Considering Perspectives Whai Tirohanga |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Respectful Discussion Kōrero Manaaki |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| Asking Good Questions Pātai Pai |
☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
📎 Section 3: Evidence of My Learning
Attach or describe pieces of work that show your critical communication skills:
Evidence 1
Type:
Date:
What it shows:
Evidence 2
Type:
Date:
What it shows:
Evidence 3
Type:
Date:
What it shows:
Evidence 4
Type:
Date:
What it shows:
🪞 Section 4: Reflections
Reflection 1: A time I changed my mind
Describe a time when critical thinking helped you change your opinion about something:
Reflection 2: Considering others
Write about a time you had to consider a perspective very different from your own. How did it feel? What did you learn?
Reflection 3: Using my skills
How have you used critical thinking skills outside of school (e.g., with media, family discussions, online)?
✅ Section 5: End-of-Unit Self-Assessment
I can now:
My biggest growth this unit:
What I want to work on next:
Overall, I would rate my critical communication skills as:
👩🏫 Teacher Feedback
Strengths observed:
Next steps for growth:
Teacher signature: Date:
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum alignment for this handout has not yet been verified against the live curriculum statements. A generated placeholder that stood here was removed on 2026-08-29 because it matched no real statement.
📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot
Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions
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.
Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria
- ✅ Students can identify a claim, evaluate the evidence supporting it, and detect potential bias or fallacy.
- ✅ Students can construct a reasoned argument using evidence, acknowledging counter-perspectives.
Differentiation & Inclusion
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.