set 2010: no. 2

One of the features of set: Research Information for Teachers is the broad range of topics it covers. In the last issue we were able to highlight junior primary in a number of articles. This time we go to the other end of the spectrum and focus on senior secondary. In between is a rich smorgasbord of recent research on literacy teaching and learning, collaborative approaches to professional development in the visual arts, and assessment in social studies.

If literacy learning needs to change for the 21st century, when students need to deal with new formats, such as blogs, sound clips and YouTube, what does this mean in practice in the classroom? This article gives a possible framework for thinking about multimodal literacy skills and shows how it relates to real examples of student learning.

Some teachers lack confidence in teaching art. With teacher advisory service support for visual art teaching reduced this year, schools need to find new ways to help teachers gain confidence. This article explores the benefits of a collaborative inquiry approach within schools.

What could we be looking for in student work when it comes to summative assessment? This article explores some of the challenges related to assessment in social studies. It then traces some of the recent resource developments in the New Zealand social sciences learning area, with a view to working out “what counts” in assessment.

Pasifika students do not generally achieve as well as other students in school assessments of literacy and there are concerns about their comprehension of text. This article examines the out-of-school literacy experiences of 14 Pasifika students, with a view to enabling teachers to link to and build on them. Church and Sunday school are important sites for literacy in Samoan and English outside school.

As National Standards come into force around the country, schools are starting to deal with implementing them in practice. This article explores some ideas about the implementation of National Standards in general, using the teaching of technology as an example.

NCEA course choices matter, especially where students or their parents have aspirations to follow an educational pathway beyond school or even just to leave their academic options open. This study, conducted in four mid–low-decile schools in Auckland and Northland, found that reaching academic aspirations requires careful and planned navigation of NCEA courses. It suggests that informing and engaging parents in their children’s NCEA educational pathways may contribute to better educational… Read more

The aim of any subject-choice process should be to provide better educational outcomes for all students. This study, however, found that many students do not understand the full implications of their NCEA course choices or course allocations. Māori, Pacific and lower decile secondary school students are particularly at risk of ending up with inappropriate choices if their academic potential is not recognised early enough and they do not receive clear guidance about the best course choices.… Read more

Reprinted from Practical Research for Education, 41, 2009
The British Gaining Ground project aimed to develop a fresh approach to engaging young people excluded from mainstream education. Media practitioners introduced media skills to young people in Pupil Referral Units over two school years. Cathy Poole evaluates the project and reports on the results.

In a recent “Assessment News” we wrote about an impending new series of standardised science tests for Years 7–10. The tests, Science: Thinking with Evidence, have now been published and were launched earlier this year with a series of information afternoons around the country.