Informal formative assessment practices, which occur as part of the dialogic interactions happening in the everyday classroom, are not well understood by many teachers. The successful implementation of formative assessment practices is not widespread in school classrooms. This article examines one aspect of these dialogic interactions—namely, the use of teacher ...

Research has suggested that using early literacy data to inform instruction can prevent reading failure. However, little is known about how teachers learn to effectively link their instruction to student data. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how first-grade teachers used early literacy student data to inform ...

Feedback on students’ written assignments has been deemed critical for improvement. Although teachers’ and students’ views on feedback have been examined, school leaders’ perceptions of what constitutes effective feedback remain unclear. This study investigates school leaders’ perceived quality of feedback that a teacher may provide, with teacher responses formulated based ...

This article introduces the Research, Analysis and Insight into National Standards (RAINS) project, a study of how six schools are enacting the National Standards introduced into New Zealand’s primary and intermediate schools from October 2009. The article provides some background to the National Standards and the RAINS research before concentrating ...

In Sweden, systematic reviews have prompted a strong government focus on implementing formative assessment in science and mathematics education. However, the intention behind this investment—to improve Sweden’s position in TIMSS and PISA appears to overlook the difficulty of putting research into practice. The purpose of this study is to explore ...

Margaret Carr and Wendy Lee. (2012). Learning stories: Constructing learner identities in early education. London: Sage. 168 pp. ISBN: 9780857020932 (pbk); ISBN: 9780857020925 (hbk); ISBN: 9781446258194 (ebk). Reviewed by Alex Gunn, University of Otago

Peter Hay and Dawn Penney. (2013). Assessment in physical education: A sociocultural perspective. London and ...

There is limited research to support our understanding of values implementation in New Zealand schools. This article draws on findings from a recent Teaching and Learning Research Initiative project into the effect of the values statement in The New Zealand Curriculum on teaching and learning. Key findings explore teaching and assessment strategies ...

Feeling respected is important to students. Classroom respect, crucial for creating effective teacher−student relationships, is essential for maximising achievement. This article discusses findings from our study into the teacher behaviours that Year 12 and 13 mathematics students and teachers consider respectful. Dispositional, pedagogical and professional behaviours were identified as ...

This article describes a study in which a mirror was held up to the complexities of classroom interactions across cultures. Both the teachers and Pasifika students were able to discuss what they saw. The study found that teachers looking for, and acting according to “Pasifika ways of learning” may ...

This article discusses some findings from recent studies on the mental health of young people. It then uses findings from an evaluation of Travellers—an early intervention programme for secondary school students (generally in Year 9) who are having difficulty coping with life events and transitions —to show how this programme ...