Rachel Bolstad

Kaihautū Rangahau | Chief Researcher

Rachel is a Kaihautū Rangahau | Chief Researcher at NZCER. Her work in education research is driven by an endless curiosity about the world and a strong commitment to better educational experiences and outcomes for all learners, as well as teachers, families, and communities.  Rachel constantly strives to develop her own, and other people's thinking about education, why it matters, and how our learning and teaching systems may need to change to match the opportunities and demands of a changing world. She enjoys working in teams and drawing inspiration and influence from a wide range of fields, in particular the creative arts. 

Rachel's current work programme includes leading a research project to explore systemic educational responses to climate change. She has previously led several research projects on environmental education and education for sustainability.

Her other research interests include local curriculum design, students' experiences of education, game-based learning, and future-oriented education. Her first digital game, Curriculum for the Future, was launched in 2016.

Publications

Where are your science students going (and how can you help them get there)? Research publication 2004
School-Based Curriculum Development: Principles, Processes, and Practices Research publication 2004
Role of partnerships in environmental education in New Zealand schools Research publication 2004
School-based curriculum development: Redefining the term for New Zealand schools today and tomorrow Research publication 2004
Evaluation of the Business of Science initiative: Final research report Research publication 2003
Environmental education: Roots in the past, visions of the future, opportunities in the present Journal article 2003
Building a “vocabulary of experiences”: Supporting children’s learning in science centres Journal article 2002
Commonsense, trust and science: How patterns of beliefs and attitudes to science pose challenges for effective communication Research publication 2002
Feedback on the draft Years 0–6 English learning area—August–September 2024 Research publication
Seasonal gifts and new year climate resolutions Blog post
Rachel's recommended reads, views, and listens (repost) Blog post
Call for papers: set special issue on playing, gaming, and learning Blog post
Game design is hard. That's why your students should do it. Blog post
Game design: an object lesson in seeking and receiving feedback Blog post
Gazing through the fog surrounding games and learning Blog post
Game developers on an educational mission: Dan Milward and Maru Nihoniho Blog post
Game-based learning: Typologies and butterflies Blog post
Can conference participants gamify their own learning? Blog post
What motivates game-using teachers? Episode 6 Blog post
“Do games help learning? Where’s the evidence?” Simple questions with not-so-simple answers Blog post