Helping extraordinary teachers

Grow extraordinary people

Nau Mai, Haere Mai

Kia ora koutou!

Kagan helps teachers create classrooms where every student thrives through the magic of cooperative learning. We believe every student needs to find and celebrate their ‘extraordinary’ in a safe and inclusive space.

Our structures are a perfect match for dialogic learning and neurodiversity - think cosy team sizes, reassuring routines, and just-right scaffolding. Plus, they align beautifully with culturally responsive teaching and te ao Māori values.

The best part? You'll walk away with practical strategies you can use in your classroom tomorrow.

Ready to chat about bringing this to life in your classroom? We'd love to hear from you!

Check out our top workshops for 2025

We’ve listened to you and what you need - here are our top three!

Kagan Structures for Active Engagement: Ako Mahi Tahi (Cooperative Learning)

  • Ready to transform your classroom into a space where every student actively participates and thrives? Welcome to Ako Mahi Tahi, where Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures create vibrant communities of engaged learners.

    Imagine a classroom where participation isn't just wishful thinking - where every student, including those who typically hesitate to contribute, becomes confidently involved in their learning journey. These research-backed structures, perfectly aligned with the New Zealand Curriculum, make inclusive education feel natural and achievable.

    When Kagan structures work their magic, you'll see:

    - Full participation from all learners, not just your usual enthusiastic volunteers

    - Neurodivergent students flourishing within clear, predictable routines

    - Behavior challenges diminishing as genuine engagement takes center stage

    - Learning that feels safe, supported, and genuinely enjoyable for everyone

    This isn't a theoretical workshop filled with abstract concepts. Instead, you'll experience first hand how these practical structures transform team work from challenging to collaborative. Through active participation and guided practice, you'll develop:

    - Ready-to-implement strategies that work from day one

    - Tools for creating an inclusive environment where every learner belongs

    - Techniques that make high engagement the norm rather than the exception

    Join us for Ako Mahi Tahi - where proven structures meet practical application to create classrooms where everyone succeeds. Experience the difference when every student feels valued, capable, and eager to participate.

  • This workshop is designed for New Zealand teachers committed to creating inclusive, engaging, and culturally responsive learning environments that support all students to reach their full potential.

    Ideal for:

    - Primary and secondary teachers across Aotearoa seeking evidence-based strategies that weave together cultural responsiveness and support for neuro-diverse learners

    - Educators looking to enhance their skills in creating safe, inclusive learning spaces where every student's cultural identity and learning needs are valued and celebrated

    - Teaching professionals wanting practical classroom management techniques that honour both cultural perspectives and individual student needs

    - Kaiako working to strengthen their culturally responsive practice while supporting students who benefit from differentiated learning approaches

    - Educators interested in building a comprehensive toolkit that brings together cultural competency, social skill development, and student wellbeing

    Whether you're experienced in working with neuro-diverse learners or looking to build your confidence in this area, this workshop offers practical strategies that acknowledge and embrace both cultural diversity and neurodiversity in your classroom. The focus is on real-world solutions that fit within the dynamic reality of teaching life in Aotearoa, ensuring you can support every learner while maintaining an effective, culturally affirming learning environment for all.

    Perfect for both experienced teachers looking to refresh their approach and those seeking to deepen their understanding of inclusive, culturally responsive teaching practices that support every ākonga to shine.

Win-Win Discipline: A Blueprint to Positive Behaviour Solutions

  • Our Win-Win Discipline Blueprint aligns seamlessly with our curriculum's emphasis on hauora, providing a systematic approach to transforming behavioural challenges into win-win opportunities. Understanding the seven positions - including attention-seeking, avoiding failure, expressing anger, being hopeless, defying authority, seeking power, and aggressive retaliation - gives us valuable insights into creating positive learning outcomes for all.

    Rather than traditional one-size-fits-all approaches, this win-win methodology offers three powerful tiers of response:

    * Prevention strategies that build strong classroom communities and address underlying student needs

    * In-the-Moment solutions that maintain everyone's mana while redirecting each type of position

    * Follow-Up approaches that transform each behavioural position into an opportunity for growth

    When we understand what students really need - whether it's connection, competence, or control - we can craft solutions that benefit everyone in the learning community.

    By implementing strategies tailored to each position, we create inclusive environments where both teachers and students succeed together. Every challenge becomes a stepping stone to mutual understanding, every student feels valued for their unique needs, and teachers can focus on what truly matters - nurturing growth and learning.

    Would you like to explore how these win-win strategies could transform your classroom dynamics?

  • This workshop is perfect for educators at any stage of their journey who want to create more harmonious, successful classrooms (and who doesn't want that?). You'll find immense value if you:

    Are an experienced teacher who:

    * Has tried various approaches but still faces ongoing behavioural challenges

    * Wants to move beyond "putting out fires" to creating lasting positive change

    * Is looking to refresh your classroom management toolkit with evidence-based strategies

    Are new to teaching and:

    * Want to start your career with a robust, proven behaviour management framework

    * Are seeking strategies that grow with you and your students

    * Need practical tools you can implement from day one

    Are a school leader who:

    * Wants to support staff with a cohesive, school-wide approach to behaviour management

    * Is looking to create more positive learning environments across all classrooms

    * Aims to reduce teacher stress while improving student outcomes

    Whether you're feeling a bit stuck with current challenges or simply want to enhance your professional practice, this workshop provides the kind of practical, win-win solutions that make teaching more rewarding for everyone involved. After all, the best behaviour management strategies are the ones that leave both teachers and students feeling successful!

Dynamic Vocabulary: Basic to Brilliant

  • # Transform Your Vocabulary Instruction!

    Increasing our students' vocabularies impacts nearly all academic subjects. Update your vocabulary instructional practices to best support all students, through discovering approaches that work brilliantly in our New Zealand classrooms. You'll learn engaging, easy-to-implement structures to expand and refine your students' academic vocabularies across both English and te reo Māori.

    Experience first hand the power of proven Kagan Structures that promote vocabulary acquisition. We'll explore research-based methods for active word learning and ways to implement vocabulary seamlessly into your existing lesson plans.

    Workshop Highlights

    * Master strategies that make vocabulary words truly unforgettable

    * Structure team conversations that get students using grade-appropriate words

    * Help students convey ideas precisely through thoughtful word choice

    * Develop word knowledge through reading, writing, listening, and speaking

    * Transform vocabulary practice into engaging learning experiences

    * Support achievement objectives across all learning areas

    * Create inclusive activities that work for diverse learners

    What Makes This Special?

    Everything you'll learn works seamlessly with our local curriculum while building essential academic language skills. These strategies support both English and te reo Māori development, making them perfect for today's New Zealand classrooms.

  • This workshop is perfect for educators who want to energise their vocabulary instruction (and no, we don't mean adding hot sauce to the dictionary!). We especially welcome:

    Primary and Secondary Teachers

    * Classroom teachers Y1-13 looking to revitalise their vocabulary teaching

    * English/Literacy specialists seeking fresh approaches

    * Subject area teachers who want to boost specialised vocabulary learning

    * ESOL teachers aiming to accelerate word acquisition

    * Learning support teachers looking for inclusive vocabulary strategies

    Leadership and Support Staff

    * Literacy leaders ready to champion effective vocabulary instruction

    * Team Leaders wanting to support team-wide vocabulary development

    Ideal For Those Who

    * Want practical strategies they can use tomorrow (not in some distant future!)

    * Are tired of vocabulary lessons that lack sparkle

    * Need ways to support diverse learners in one classroom

    * Would love to hear students say "Can we do vocabulary again?"

    * Are looking for approaches that work across the curriculum

    No prior Kagan experience needed - just bring your enthusiasm and readiness to transform how your ākonga learn new words!

Where to start…

Take the first step by reaching out via email to schedule a consultation. During our meeting, we'll explore your specific needs and educational objectives. The best part? We'll demonstrate our methods right in your classrooms, allowing you to see first hand how your students engage and respond. After all, their success is what drives everything we do!

Once you're confident in moving forward, we'll collaborate to develop a comprehensive training plan and provide ongoing support to ensure smooth implementation. Think of us as your educational partners, here to help every step of the way.

Ready to get started? We're excited to work with you!

You know what's fascinating about classrooms?

Isn't it fascinating how something meant to empower students - giving them the choice to participate - can actually create deeper inequalities? When participation is optional, we often see our confident students (maybe those who've had lots of practice at home) eagerly jumping in, while others hang back, wrestling with self-doubt or language barriers.

These invisible barriers can shape learning experiences in profound ways, effectively creating two different classrooms within the same four walls. The real challenge lies in finding ways to make participation feel safe and accessible for everyone, not just our most confident learners.

And that’s where Kagan comes in…

Kagan Structures Interaction

Picture this: You've got a classroom where only the bold and brave raise their hands, while your quiet superstars sit on their brilliant ideas. Sound familiar? Here's where Kagan Structures work their magic - perfectly aligned with what the NZ curriculum wants us to achieve.

The NZ curriculum calls for confident, connected learners who can work together - and these structures make that happen naturally. No more hoping shy students will suddenly become chatterboxes! With Kagan, participation isn't just encouraged, it's built right into the fabric of your lesson.

Want to see your whole class light up with engagement, not just your front-row enthusiasts? Let's talk about how to make it happen in your classroom!

Powerful yet simple

You know what makes Kagan Structures so powerful? They take all that valuable educational research and theory and transform it into clear, practical teaching strategies that actually work in real classrooms. It's like having a trusted mentor who's already figured out how to bridge that tricky gap between theory and practice.