It has been mandatory since March 2015 for New Zealand schools to use the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) (Ministry of Education, 2008) to determine English language learners’ eligibility for Ministry funding of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programmes and support. Teachers are expected to “use a ...

This article considers the assessment of individuals’ contributions to collaborative creative groups. It draws on research into collaborative group composing and its relationship to a secondary school qualification system, the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA). It explains how a conceptual model of group composing was used to support valid ...

Students often report that feedback experiences at university are insufficient to make progress. The size of many large courses means the provision of personalised and timely feedback to individual students is challenging. Online systems have been promoted as a way students can receive feedback for learning. This study explores the ...

This research compares the relative effectiveness and efficiency of personalised feedback versus annotated exemplars as two approaches to providing high school students with formative feedback in the development of their writing skills. The study was a randomised experiment conducted in situ in two English classes in one high school in ...

This study involved a group of 61 teachers in Ontario, Canada, who participated in a case study about classroom assessment practices. The participants were part of a district one-to-one technology programme that provided an iPad to each student and teacher in all Grade 7 to 9 classrooms. As part of ...

COVID-19 relevance: Wellbeing

Awareness of mindfulness in New Zealand school communities is growing, and many teachers are becoming aware of its significance to support health and wellbeing in the classroom. This article discusses qualitative research on a 6-week mindfulness programme for teachers and students which showed that teachers perceived specific ...

COVID-19 relevance: Digital learners / online

Set interviews computer scientist Professor Tim Bell to figure out how computational thinking differs from digital literacy, and why both might be important for today’s society. Tim explains his mission to introduce teachers and students to computational thinking, even without a computer in sight ...

COVID-19 relevance: Digital learners / online

Recent moves within New Zealand and internationally have called for the inclusion of computational learning through activities such as coding, in school curricula. However, including activities such as coding in school curricula is a bold move, and one that will require significant support if ...

Who gets to define belonging? The nation state or its citizens? The government or civil society? This article argues that, for Māori, citizenship is and has been contested and conditional. It examines the history of belonging in New Zealand, from the Treaty of Waitangi to the Citizenship Act 1977, and recommends a framework ...