set 2013: no. 1

This article explores what approaches to inquiry and integrated inquiry might look like if given a 21st-century learning frame. It is the second of two articles about student inquiry and curriculum integration. (Part A appeared in set no. 3, 2012.)

There is growing interest in the development of education for sustainability (EfS) in New Zealand schools. Over a third of all schools are now part of the Enviroschools Programme, and the term “sustainability” appears prominently in The New Zealand Curriculum. Yet there is much still to be understood about how to develop effective EfS. One aspect that has been suggested for enhancing EfS is a whole-school approach, but there is little research evidence to guide… Read more

Investigating children’s ideas about and experiences of health and physical activity, and Health and Physical Education (HPE), is a valuable step for teachers to take when designing programmes that are responsive to the needs of diverse learners. This article reports on a 2-year research project in HPE that took this step. Understanding their own students’ perspectives was a watershed moment for the four teachers in the study, propelling them to… Read more

We are, it seems, constantly being told that the main goal of education should be enabling students to build, rather than to “reproduce”, knowledge; and that knowledge building is a collaborative endeavour. Learners must now be able to connect and collaborate with other individuals and other sets of knowledge. Information and communication technology (ICT) is touted as one way of achieving this kind of connection. But exactly how might we go… Read more

It is estimated that the World Wide Web contains more than 7.8 billion pages. As a consequence, how children understand how to find and use information on the Web is becoming increasingly important. This article details a study that investigated the strategies that a small group of Year 6 children used in accessing information from the Web. The authors consider the implications of these findings for the ways in which teachers approach information literacy and the changing role of the… Read more

In this article Cathy Wylie, a chief researcher at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, provides an account of New Zealand’s education system from the introduction of self-managing schools under Tomorrow’s Schools through to the present day. Dr Wylie draws on her recent book Vital Connections to critically examine the assumptions and structures that have underpinned self-managing schools. Her book describes the many ways in which schools are… Read more

Gifted students benefit from time spent with like-minded peers. This article outlines the value of grouping gifted students together and looks at different ways this can be done. It also describes a research study conducted by Clark, one of the authors of this article. The research explores the academic, social and emotional benefits for students who attend Gifted Kids, a New Zealand withdrawal programme which caters for academically and creatively gifted students. Clark’s… Read more

Successful early or dual-enrolled students demonstrating competence in their university studies have not necessarily demonstrated strong performance in their high school studies. Some students report feeling bored in high school, identifying the importance of curricula meeting perceived academic needs. Following an exploratory study (n=90) which investigated perceptions of New Zealand students with experience in either dual enrolment at school and university, or early… Read more

Printouts of students’ ethnicities can help remind teachers that they are responsible for educating, and responding to the needs of, students with a range of ethnicities. However, such bare-bones information is very unlikely to fully represent students’ identities. This is especially so for students with multiple ethnicities. A simple list cannot begin to convey the complex and ever-changing nature of students’ ethnic identities. Culturally responsive pedagogy is dependent, in part, on… Read more