The views of recent graduates of a blended learning programme for specialist teachers of children with learning and behaviour difficulties in New Zealand were investigated. Six focus group interviews examined factors that participants considered enabled them to develop programme competencies as well as those that acted as barriers to competency…

The study investigated New Zealand primary school teachers' understandings and experiences of talented young writers. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews in Auckland schools. The interview data were thematically analysed using an interpretivist framework. The focus of this report is on the teachers' selection and interpretation of…

This study describes the outcomes of an intervention focused on the strategies and practices of high-expectation teachers. Specifically, the intervention involved 84 teachers who were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups. The research methodology was primarily qualitative, grounded in the interpretive tradition. Data collected from…

Teachers are often faced with the challenge of teaching students with high functioning autism without any formal professional development in autism. Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) are a service which is able to provide short-term support for teachers. One of the roles of RTLB is to provide teachers with the required support to…

This report comes from an exploratory project looking at professional learning and development for primary science teachers. In recent years there has been increased interest in science in New Zealand for social and economic reasons. However, there has been concern that the primary school system is not preparing students as well as it could in…

The purpose of this study was to use the Joint Action Studies in Didactics (JASD) to understand how teachers' and students' interactions co-construct knowledge during Cooperative Learning (CL). The basis of CL is that students learn with and from each other through a structured interdependent relationship. A case study approach was used to examine…

Attitudes and values (A + V) are an important component of the New Zealand physical education (PE) curriculum. These A + V have a strong synergy with the philosophy of Olympism and New Zealand is recognised as one of the few countries to link these constructs in a national curriculum statement. While these two constructs are linked, little is…

The practice of students bringing their own mobile devices (BYOD) to school is increasingly being used to leverage digital learning opportunities in New Zealand schools. This paper presents a summary of the findings from a case study that explored the experiences of three primary school teachers as they introduced BYOD into their classrooms for…

This is the post-earthquake story of how we as the staff and community of Opawa Primary School have lived with the tremors (literally and metaphorically) and trauma of this national tragedy, whilst endeavouring to maximise student learning and enhance the wellbeing of all the members of our school community. This is not founded on research but is…

This article is the reflection of an emerging researcher who has experienced different nudges from the beginning of accessing the research field to the final stage of collating data in rural Nepal. My experiences and reflections may provide provocations to researchers to consider before they undertake field research. Areas that researchers should…

This article, through interrogating, exploring, and probing my pedagogical practice, aims to probe the issues and complexities involved in teaching dance education with university students studying to be primary classroom teachers in New Zealand. Drawing on two decades of experience, working with students in initial teacher education programs,…

Traditional conceptions of teaching are being challenged as many schools, especially in New Zealand and Australia, are designing and implementing multi-class flexible learning environments. These de-privatised, innovative learning spaces provide opportunities for teachers to work differently in collaborative co-teaching teams to collectively…

While studies have shown that mentoring is central to new teacher development, few investigations have examined what mentors learn about themselves as mentors. The purpose of the study was to illuminate mentor learning. The article reports on two case studies that investigated the development of mentoring expertise over a two-year period. During…

Children who engage in perceived sexual actions face possible marginalization, isolation and exclusion in schools. The author's counselling practice included numerous examples where effects of adults' understanding have led to over reactive and punitive responses on children. This article complements a political ethic of social justice and…

The powerful learning that occurs outdoors has been well documented in this journal, as has an array of barriers teachers typically face in providing outdoor learning experiences. This paper draws on findings from a collaborative, practice-based research project examining the reconceptualisation of outdoor education in two Year 4 classes in a…