Researchers are always hopeful that the findings of their work will inform policy development and influence the thinking and actions of practitioners. A researcher’s job, however, is not finished when the research report is completed – this is just the beginning. For research to speak to the audience of interest ...

Research into mathematics education has highlighted that many students struggle to develop an appropriate understanding of the equals sign. When over 300 students at a large intermediate school were asked to demonstrate their understanding of the sign by solving a simple equation, more than half interpreted it incorrectly. This article ...

The notion of “kanohi ki te kanohi” contact between boards of trustees, teachers and Māori whānau is explored as a simple yet effective mode for developing genuine partnership between schools and their Māori communities.

This paper condenses our conclusions from an extensive review of published evidence concerning teaching strategies used with children with learning difficulties. The review was carried out in 1999–2000 and has parallels with “best evidence” reviews in medical education.

How can the New Zealand curriculum encompass Māori values and perspectives? Arohia Durie comments on the issues.
 

In 1997 the Ministry of Education launched the School Entry Assessment (SEA) kit, a non-mandatory set of standardised assessment tasks for new entrants. Teachers at 75 Auckland primary schools were asked about which SEA tasks they were using, and why – or why not. Teachers’ judgments about SEA were influenced ...

A group of teachers examined over 400 assessment tasks in the NEMP probe study reports from 1995 to 2000. From mapping each task onto the curriculum, the teachers were able to identify 23 tasks which were particularly innovative, exciting, easy to implement, and excellent models of the wide range of ...

In this article, two recent case studies are used to give examples of how Assessment Resource Bank (ARB) resources, along with other assessment tools, are being used for both formative and summative purposes in a primary and intermediate school. Staff at both these schools engage in a detailed analysis of ...

Research suggests that teachers need a great deal of professional support if they are to acquire and use new knowledge and skills, but within the area of formative assessment teachers have often been expected implement policy with little help or support. A research project investigating the factors that have shaped ...

In November 2001, NZCER conducted a survey of the English and mathematics assessment practices of teachers at Years 5, 7, and 9. Initiatives such as the changes made to the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs), the new literacy and numeracy initiative Assessment Tools for Teaching and Learning (asTTle), the introduction of ...