Set 2023: no. 1

This article is written in response to listening to teachers query the place of fun in learning. Students often express that learning should be fun but teachers are often unsure what they mean by this and whether fun is actually important to learning. We have drawn some relevant understandings and views together to promote further conversation and learning around these questions in support of our professional development work alongside teachers, leaders, students, and whānau to… Read more

Different terms are used to describe pedagogy that moves away from the transmission of content and moves towards teaching and learning that builds from the learner’s own experiences in a more responsive and interactive manner. We understand this as developing “cultural relationships for responsive pedagogy”. Rongohia te Hau processes were developed to understand how effectively culturally responsive pedagogy was being introduced or maintained in early childhood settings or schools.… Read more

The connection between the environment and our individual wellbeing can be seen through our indigenous histories, traditional ways of living, and understanding of health benefits of living in balance with our land, water, and sky. Educational settings can be reimagined and transformed to better use outdoor spaces and build the wellbeing of our tamariki and their whānau. This article shares learnings from five communities that have been on a journey to understand how to redesign and use their… Read more

Parents of Pacific learners are clear about what they want their childrens’ teachers to know. Teachers can make good sense of such knowledge when it is gifted to them if they are well-supported. This article is a preliminary account of a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative project, Learning From Each Other. The article describes an appropriate learning framework to support teachers of Pacific learners which leverages the potential of parent–teacher relationships to be the beating heart… Read more

Late in 2022 Julie Roberts and Jonathan Fisher caught up with Rob Proffitt-White to find out about the recent professional learning workshops he ran with teachers and school leaders around New Zealand. They asked Rob about the underlying approach to the short-term Just-in-Time Maths initiative and his thoughts about future professional learning in mathematics.

Rangahau Mātauranga o Aotearoa / New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) is refreshing the PAT mathematics assessments. As the owners and administrators of PATs and strong proponents of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, NZCER has a responsibility to ensure our assessments evolve and reflect the unique context of Aotearoa New Zealand. The following article outlines the PAT mathematics voyage as we refresh our assessments to be more equitable, culturally relevant, authentic, and accessible… Read more