Building on earlier work in Set on “confusion” around the term constructivism in education, this article explores four different meanings of constructivism, looking at their very different origins and purposes. It argues that mixing up these meanings has produced the confusion identified in the earlier article. The article also suggests that constructivism has been ...

In June 2016, Paraparaumu College and Kenakena School, from the Kāpiti Coast, investigated the use of digital technology in supporting a personalised learning framework. This article presents three case studies of how personalisation was used, and explains the development of markers of personalisation for the two schools.

This article explores the experiences of Chinese international secondary school students who were in danger of not achieving NCEA credits. Research suggests schools value the income students bring, but little research has explored the nature of the support such students require. The at-risk students in this study had clear suggestions ...

There is increasing recognition that the underachievement of Māori, Pasifika, and other diverse students in New Zealand schools is in large part owing to systemic factors that disadvantage these students. Responding to the urgent need for significant change in our schools and classrooms, the developing mathematical inquiry communities model is ...

The focus on teacher inquiry to enhance student learning is a key feature of The New Zealand Curriculum and in New Zealand’s approach to teacher professional learning. This article examines how a collaborative inquiry team comprising two teachers (one each from two Auckland primary schools) and a teacher educator used inquiry ...

This article considers the important matter of language availability in the lives of babies and children. Without this language availability, knowing, thinking, and expression cannot blossom and mature. It draws on insights gained  during a research study of 5–6-year-old children in low socioeconomic schools, designed to explore the impact of ...

In Q&A Pam Hook reflects on what drew her to SOLO taxonomy and why she is so motivated to develop its classroom-based use to enhance student learning. She explains what SOLO is and how it can help students to articulate their learning outcomes, understand the learning process, and set new learning ...

An assessment seminar series in the April 2018 school holidays saw the launch of the New Zealand Assessment Institute (NZAI), and growing excitement about innovative assessment practice across the primary and secondary school sectors. What happened at this seminar series to generate enthusiasm, especially given schools’ uncertainty about assessment in ...

With the upcoming review of the National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) and the removal of National Standards, it is time to reconsider how we approach assessment. In this edition of Assessment News I argue that it is time to put assessment for learning (AfL) and the assessment-capable teacher and ...