We can no longer predict knowledge needed for the future, which has significant implications for contemporary literacy programmes. In this article we argue that reconceptualising current literacy approaches will support teachers to develop future-focused literacy teaching. We suggest that a critical multiliteracies lens can provide rationale for a future-focused literacy programme (the “why”), and that ...

Professor James Dator has spent nearly five decades in the discipline of future studies. In this article, he suggests that all images of the future can be described within four categories that he calls continued growth, collapse, disciplined society, and transformational. He argues that four big variables—energy, the economy, the environment, and government—have ...

I’ve been teaching since 1973, some in area schools, some in intermediates, but mostly in secondary schools. Throughout my career I have enjoyed studying part-time, and in 2004 I was privileged to spend the year as an e-Fellow. I’m still studying, still reflecting on education in general and teaching in particular, and still very interested in ...

Now is an exciting time to be involved in educating our next generation. The way we think about education and our approach to teaching is continually evolving, and our libraries are also undertaking a parallel evolution. They are no longer dusty, silent spaces where the main function is to store and catalogue books. Today’s libraries are ...

Each year several hundred New Zealand student teachers complete a final practicum before graduating to take on the critical role that teachers play in children’s learning. This final practicum is crucial to determining the student teacher’s suitability for entry into the profession. However, assessment of student teachers’ competence during ...

The successful implementation of electronically networked (e-networked) tools to support an inquiry-learning approach in secondary science classrooms is dependent on a range of factors spread between teachers, schools, and students. The teacher must have a clear understanding of the nature of inquiry, the school must provide effective technological infrastructure ...

The 2007 New Zealand curriculum introduced the idea of a “social inquiry” in the social studies curriculum. However, it appears that the nature and purpose of a social inquiry is still unclear to many teachers. The purpose of this article is to clarify what a social inquiry is, to ...

Young people have an important contribution to make in helping adults understand what their lives are like and how they learn best. Youth–adult partnerships can provide opportunities for adults and young people to engage in conversations about teaching and learning, and can assist students to share their voices and ...

Learning mathematics for children in Māori medium is about fulfilling their potential as Māori and as mathematicians. While there has been a strong focus on numeracy in many New Zealand schools in recent years, teachers in Māori-medium settings are trying to provide a mathematics programme for their learners that ...