Specific phonological-based deficits may hinder student’s reading progress. This study found evidence for the presence of these deficits among a sample of older pupils with reading difficulties. Some implications for teaching practices are discussed.

This action-research project investigated the efficacy of negotiation and power sharing during a physical education unit in an alternative education programme for students at risk. The students preferred enjoyable learning experiences that took place outside the classroom and wished for greater responsibility and ownership for their own learning. Staff and students preferred this approach, despite tensions that arose in the negotiation process. A philosophical and pedagogical shift occurred as the programme moved away from an approach based on tangible rewards.

How is creativity defined and what are the implications for staff working in early childhood settings? In this article, Caroline Sharp considers evidence from research and theory as it applies to developing young children’s creativity and identifies some common myths about developing young children’s creativity.

The last few years have seen a burgeoning of official interest in educational research as the Ministry of Education espouses evidence-based policy making and teaching. A number of best evidence syntheses have been commissioned and published. These are encouraging trends even if the definition of best evidence is sometimes narrower than some of us would wish. At the same time the research imperative for academics across the country has sharpened following the Tertiary Education Commission’s research assessment exercise the Performance-Based Research Fund (PBRF). There has been much rhetoric on the need for education academics to research and publish more. There are dilemmas here: how to increase research activity without denigrating teaching and professional activities; how to develop a genuine desire to explore problems and question practice; how to determine broad definitions of research evidence; and how to report findings to the wider education community.

This article presents results from a national survey on the extent, nature, and effectiveness of planned approaches for identifying and providing for gifted and talented students. Recent national data on gifted education and policy development are combined with practical ideas for identifying and providing for those with mathematical promise.

Instruction can help students develop a richer understanding of estimation and a wider range of strategies.

The students in this study started with a fairly limited understanding of estimation, often equating it with rounding. They quickly developed new skills and awareness of how estimation could enrich their mathematical skills.