set 2017: no. 2

New Zealand has faced an unprecedented series of disaster events in recent years. The Canterbury earthquakes provided an opportunity to document the role that schools played in supporting their communities to respond to and recover from such events. It is important that we capture what we have learnt from these experiences to help other schools in the future. This article discusses the researcher’s experience of working with three school communities following the Canterbury earthquakes. This… Read more

This article stems from a 2016 research project that examined the leadership experiences of 20 primary principals in greater Christchurch. The study was based on the belief that the nature of successful leadership needs to change in a post-disaster setting. The article focuses on what principals learned about leadership from these experiences, highlighting the stories of four participants. The findings indicate that successful school leadership in a crisis context relies on making good use… Read more

Parent-led boards of trustees have been a feature of the New Zealand education system for almost 30 years. Over that time there have been consistent reports of difficulties in getting parents to participate on the boards of low-decile schools. However, there appears to be little research on what influences parent participation on boards of trustees. This gap provided the impetus for this qualitative study, which investigated the perceptions of five board chairpersons from South Auckland low-… Read more

All teachers require professional learning throughout their careers to ensure they are effective practitioners. This article reports on outcomes from a doctoral study that explored the impact of teachers transitioning between primary school year levels. The findings suggest that transition can have a significant impact on teachers’ professional learning and growth. Transition provided an opportunity for teachers to strengthen their practice and pedagogy. However, while it is common for… Read more

The term constructivism is used very widely and somewhat loosely in education. In this article I aim to clarify the term, which can be used in relation to two quite different theories: one related to how we learn and the other related to what we learn. Being clear about the origins of the two uses can help teachers clarify the important distinction between the curriculum (what we teach) and pedagogy (how we teach it).

Intercultural education is often a contested area. This is true of Pasifika education, the education in Aotearoa New Zealand of students with links to Pacific Island nations. Despite shifts of framing, one area identified as significant in Pasifika education is student–teacher relationships. This article describes two phases of research which pay attention to these relationships. One mines teacher responses to student-made video. The second draws data from teacher-made videos following… Read more

There is a strong case for building inclusive relationships with families in order to support academic success for Pacific secondary students. In this article, I review literature which considers the perspectives of Pacific students, their families, and teachers. An important conclusion is that listening is a key ingredient for teachers when involved in learning conversations with Pacific families. When reflecting on my current doctoral study, I acknowledge the issue of thinking from a… Read more

Pasifika students’ cultural knowledge and practices have long had low value in New Zealand schools. It has been argued that culturally responsive teaching practice is a priority for improving the achievement of Pasifika students. Teachers who are culturally responsive in their practice know how to capitalise on the key learnings of Pasifika students that are linked to their cultural values and beliefs. This article seeks to share some cultural knowledge and practices valued by Tongan … Read more