363 research outputs found
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Will no Child be Left Behind? The Politics and History of National Standards and Testing in New Zealand Primary Schools
No full textThe recently elected National Government has proceeded, under urgency, to pass the Education(National Standards) Amendment Bill, legislation that seeks to provide specific information for both schools and parents about how well every primary and intermediate school student (Years1 to 8) is progressing in literacy and numeracy compared with other children of the same age and in relation to clear national benchmarks. Readers familiar with the history of New Zealand’seducation system will doubtless see in the ‘new’ policy many aspects of what appeared in an earlier policy document released by the then National Government in 1998–Assessment for Success in Primary Schools. This article will outline and explain the historical origins of National Standards andnational testing in New Zealand primary and intermediate schools, and will provide a critique of the policy that is about to be launched. We conclude that politicians and others who are intent on pursuing ‘quick fix solutions’ to very complex educational problems, by embracing the ideological mantra of ‘National Standards’, appear set to perpetuate the very problems that historians had long though were best consigned to our educational past
Getting Together to Learn more About ICT use: Findings from the TELA Evaluation
No full textThe introduction of computers, the Internet, and other Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into the school context has proved challenging for many schools andteachers. In meeting these challenges, professional development for teachers has been seen traditionally as a formal process conducted by an expert from outside the school. Situated andsociocultural views of teacher learning challenge the efficacy of this model and, recently, the notion of professional learning communities has gained traction. Such an approach emphasises collegiality and collaboration both within and across schools.This paper examines the nature of professional learning opportunities experienced by New Zealand teachers following their receipt of government subsidised laptops for their personal use. It also discusses the challenges to teachers and school communities in fostering and supporting teacherslearning more about ICT use
Gifted and Growing up in a Low Income fFamily: Mindsets, Resilience, and Interventions
No full textExploring the lived experiences of young people who are gifted and who come from financially challenging backgrounds may provide insights that lead to effective interventions which enable the potential of this group of individuals to be fully realised.This paper describes the author’s personal experience as a child identified as gifted at school and growing up in a low-income family.It illustrates the impact of a specific and damaging mindset on achievement, attitudes, and actions. Aspects of risk and resilience are explored briefly.Finally, three significant implications for educators and other professionals are identified
Education for Now
No full textThere has been perhaps no greater admission of the general failure of schooling in New Zealand than the Schools Plus programme, which essentially proposes that apprenticeship-type programmes should be made available to students as young as 13. Released close on the heels of the newly introduced national curriculum, it seems to be a form of official recognition that the newly crafted curriculum has little or no relevance to large numbers of secondary school students. The proponents of Schools Plus believe that this relevance can be achieved by allowing young people to partly join the workforce (“Incentives yes, but not compulsion”, 2008). As an admission of failure it tops the 2007 idea from NZQA that a good way to motivate and challenge our brightest was to offer merit and excellence stickers on NCEA records because the work that students do at this level has littleintrinsic interest or reward for even our brightest youth
Scholarship in the design of curriculum and the professional practice of tertiary teaching – a personal perspective
No full textThis paper traces the development of a tertiary teacher’s philosophy and approach to teaching a post-graduate paper for pre-service secondary teachers in science.In her narrative, the teacher, a recent appointment to the university system, reveals the important roles past experiences and scholarship play in informing and shaping her practiceas she familiarises herself with a new community of practice and the requirements of tertiary students.Influences on the curriculum she is developing for her student teachers include her own teaching and learning experiences; her doctoral research; the needs of her students; involvementin further personal academic study; and a growing interest and awareness in the value of reflection in improving professional practice.She identifies the potential of action research for providing valuable insights into the nature and extent of student learning and the pedagogical strategies required to improve outcomes forstudents
Learning styles and other modern educational myths
No full textDespite the widespread claims among teachers and teacher educators that teaching is a researched based profession, unsubstantiated myths are rather more common in educational discourse than carefully interpreted research.Among modern myths are those relating to ‘multiple intelligences,’ ‘emotional intelligence,’ ‘brain research’ (as relevant to educators), and ‘learning styles.’ This paper will:1. Briefly explore some of these concepts and their relationships in educational discourse;2. Examine in some depth the claims made by those who advocate ‘brainbased learning’ and ‘learning styles’;3. Relate the discussion to the political and ideological role played by these fashionable concepts in educational discourse
