Set 2023: no. 3

In this article we share how developing and following tikanga was integral to our enactment of mana ōrite in the local curriculum as we (tangata whenua and tangata Tiriti) collaborated on a Year 7 science unit: Plants, Place, and People. Our initial thinking as we approached this unit had been to look for connections between mātauranga Māori, the New Zealand science curriculum, and a prior unit on plants that the lead teacher partner had developed. However, through ongoing conversations with… Read more

This article addresses the pressing issue of food waste by focusing on the development of young adolescents’ food waste literacy. The concept of food waste literacy (FWL), defined as the literacy for the judicious use of food, encompasses knowledge, attitudes, values, and behaviours related to food waste. The article presents a study that aimed to enhance FWL among young adolescents in a New Zealand school through a teacher-directed guided inquiry intervention. A mixed-methods approach,… Read more

Emotional literacy is at the heart of effective educational leadership. It supports organisational culture and change management, as well as teaching and learning outcomes. The research reported in this article was designed to help explain emotional literacy and its influence on school culture. Interviews with four primary school principals about their leadership practices demonstrate how they fostered emotional literacy and the flow-on impact on their school culture.

This article unpacks the computational thinking for digital technologies (CTDT) technological area of the New Zealand primary curriculum that became mandatory in 2020. It explores computational thinking (CT), its place in the New Zealand primary curriculum, and elements kaiako can utilise to help implement the teaching of CT. The article considers teaching CTDT through unplugged (without a device) activities, pedagogy, and contexts that reflect the worldviews of ākonga, with associated… Read more

This article describes the development of an innovative Year 9 cross-curricula “Festival of Learning” known as Hui Taurima, which resulted in the awarding of a Teacher Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project grant. The focus is on the elements of a place-responsive approach and the teachers’ perspectives of their journey to situate place and culture at the heart of their teaching and learning strategy. The article discusses the benefits and achievements to be gained by engaging with places of… Read more

This article outlines the development of a leadership programme for senior students involved in co-leading a Year 9 cross-curricula “Festival of Learning” known as Hui Taurima. The focus is on the Māori student leaders’ perspectives of a place-responsive approach to developing leadership that drew on the expertise of school staff, mana whenua, community members, and located that learning in places of significance. Students valued the centring of culture and place as integral to their… Read more

As part of their kaupapa of catering for the whole child, Pacific Advance Secondary School in Ōtāhuhu has implemented an innovative programme called Tū Tangata to get their talavou physically active. This has led to improvements in mental wellbeing and academic achievements. Tū Tangata is an expression well known to Māori and means “stand tall”. It is based on a philosophy that encourages young people to stand up and be counted and take responsibility for their futures.

In this edition of Assessment News, Charles Darr uses a case study from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) to highlight how students can benefit from activating deliberate thinking in assessments. The key message underscores the value of using assessment information to generate insights that inform better teaching and learning.