set 2003: no. 1

The first issue of set: Research Information for Teachers heralds another year of stimulating professional reading. In this issue we examine some of the emerging developments in New Zealand education and discuss some of the key issues – the “breaking news” of education.

A study of how Otago primary school teachers were implementing environmental education investigated the strategies teachers use and the factors that assist them, especially in terms of implementing education “for” the environment. The findings indicate misconceptions among primary teachers regarding environmental education, and point to the need for education in environmental education for all primary teachers.

Charles Darr reports on his experience in creating a mathematics test using asTTle, comments on his perceptions, and discusses some of the strengths and weaknesses of this new assessment package for teachers.

Starting school is a major life event for all involved: children, families, preschool educators, and school staff. All groups engage in a range of activities designed to make the time of transition to school positive. Yet each group has different perceptions of, expectations for, and experiences with this transition. The authors present some of the findings from the Starting School Research Project.

Six UK secondary schools investigated whole-class interactive teaching of mathematics, identified its key characteristics, and put it into effective use in their own classrooms.

The difficulties many students experience in learning to read frequently relate to a lack of strategies and confidence. Learning to read is readily accepted as one of the most complex behaviours we will ever strive to master. Reading underpins much of a student’s education, so experiencing difficulty in this area may lead to negative feelings about school, may reduce self-esteem and may even impact on social behaviour in some cases.

The overlaps between the requirements of good research and good practice provide both a foundation and a rationale for the development of teachers as researchers. Viviane Robinson examines some of the challenges of creating a teacher culture in which research-based discussion and debate becomes an integral part of teacher professionalism.
 

Teachers engaging in “learning talk” analyse, critique and challenge their current teaching practices to find and/or create more effective ways of teaching. Using three New Zealand studies, this article examines the effectiveness of “learning talk” in facilitating changes in teacher practices and beliefs, and in student achievement. It addresses the challenges to this kind of talk, and explains the role of expert support in facilitating it.

Recent research on school improvement indicates that schools can lift student achievement by using achievement information to work out how to modify their programmes. Robertson Rd School worked collaboratively with researchers from the University of Auckland to design a new approach enabling teachers to make formative use of achievement data on literacy in Years 1 and 2, in order to improve their teaching practices and raise student achievement. 

Otahuhu College wanted to know how its teachers were coping with the inclusion of students with disabilities in their classrooms, and more specifically, how teachers interacted with such students. Results revealed that the practical demands of the classroom made it difficult for teachers to spend time with the mainstreamed students. Most relied on and supported teacher’s aides to teach these students.