Implementing New Zealand Curriculum

Competition appears to have become increasingly discouraged in educational settings in New Zealand in recent years, with a push towards “protecting” our children from being constantly compared with others or experiencing failure. This article reports on a study that explored the lived experiences of gifted and talented young people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These young people reflect on the role that competition and their competitive natures played in their talent development.

An integrated curriculum has not been a strong tradition within secondary schools. However, since the promotion of curriculum integration in the 2007 New Zealand curriculum, a growing number of secondary schools have begun to implement programmes to promote curriculum integration. This article outlines key findings from recent research into four “early adopter” secondary schools.

This article describes findings from a study concerning students’ experiences of being in-role as atmospheric scientists and discusses how these experiences facilitated learning about the Nature of Science. Twenty-seven Years 5 and 6 children, their teacher—recently returned to the classroom after a teacher fellowship experience in a local crown science research institute—and teacher educators participated in a drama inquiry process over 4 half days.

The current schooling system finds it difficult to truly engage Pasifika learners and bring out their inner giftedness. While Pasifika giftedness is recognised by Pasifika parents, families, and communities, it is not overtly visible in schools. This article supports teachers and schools to explore the notion of Pasifika giftedness. Pasifika learners are gifted when aspects of their cultures are highlighted.

Gifted students are often grouped by ability, across a continuum of inclusive education provisions, in order to facilitate learning with like-minded peers. The literature on like-mindedness is limited; research investigating preferences for how students and teachers perceive like-minded groupings is also limited. This article reports the results of interviews with four gifted students, their parents and teachers, specifically seeking to understand grouping preferences. The students’ preferences for working in groups were context, activity, and membership dependent.