Describes the implementation of Te Whaariki, the New Zealand National Early Childhood Curriculum. Found that general support for the curriculum is high but that current regulations and funding make it difficult for centers to meet the quality expectations. Several training institutions have begun using Te Whaariki as a framework, and evaluation…

Outlines the first phase of a teacher inservice program that focused on familiarizing teachers with the New Zealand science curriculum document, Science in the New Zealand Curriculum. Reports that the teachers needed much personal support to interpret the document and to plan units using the document. Discusses key issues that emerged during the…

Describes the history of the development of environmental education curricula in New Zealand's school system and the position that environmental education takes in the new National Curriculum of New Zealand. (Contains 26 references.) (MDH)

Attempts to make sense of "English in the New Zealand Curriculum" and, in addition, to reflect on ways in which the document has forced teachers to make sense of or construct English. Describes flaws in the national English curriculum as represented in the document, and notes some positives. (SC)

This paper explores the notion of educational partnerships and reports on research on client-provider partnerships between full primary schools and external technology education providers for Year 7 and 8 New Zealand students (age range approx. 12 to 13 years). Educational reforms in New Zealand and the introduction of a more holistic technology…

Outlines the background of the curriculum development work in Aotearoa, New Zealand, with respect to the indigenous Maori people and science education. Expresses concern about the fitting of one cultural framework into another and raises questions about the approach used in the development of the science curriculum. Discusses implications for…

Presents an overview of the New Zealand national education system founded on the premise that the individual student is the center of all learning and teaching. Includes a brief discussion of educators' beliefs about children's learning, examines principles that guide assessment and how they translate into practice, and discusses issues of…

Describes development of New Zealand's national early childhood curriculum guidelines, called by the Maori phrase for "woven mat." Examines the government's changing role in early childhood education, the curriculum development process, and sources and principles of the curriculum. Details the curriculum's specific aims for children.…

The New Zealand Curriculum Stocktake, undertaken between 2000 and 2003, signalled a more coherent and fluid approach to curriculum processes, and support for school-based decision-making around curriculum design and implementation. The subsequent "Curriculum Marautanga Project" (Ministry of Education, 2004) promised a "reframing,…

Focuses upon the way visions for early childhood are expressed through curricula in England, New Zealand, and Reggio Emilia in Italy. Includes curricular examples illustrating how growing pressure from vocational and instrumental influences affect progressive and socioculturally inspired early childhood curricula. Reveals how curricula and…

Includes "Introduction" (Chitty); "Political Parties, Ideology, and National Curriculum" (Lawton); "First Three National Curricula and Millenium" (Graham); "Politics of Curriculum in European Perspective" (McLean); "Curriculum Scene in the United States" (Holt); "Similar but Different"…

"The New Zealand Curriculum: Draft for Consultation" (Ministry of Education, 2006) aims to first "set the direction for learning for all students while at school and will ensure that when they leave, they are equipped for lifelong learning and for living in a world where continual change is the norm" (p. 7), and second, to…

Recognizing the contributions of quality early childhood education in providing a foundation for children's later learning and in supporting families, the New Zealand government developed Desirable Objectives and Practices (DOP), requirements to enhance quality in chartered early childhood programs. This publication was developed to assist…

A former board member of a New Zealand primary school describes the country's political climate as radical economic libertarian; contract bidding among schools will soon be required. Elementary schools are child-centered and multicultural, operate year-round, involve the board and community, follow a national curriculum, and have overworked,…

Research into effective pedagogy was a major strand of the science education research programme at the University of Waikato for the 20 years of the 1980s and 1990s, being done in all five Learning in Science Projects and related theses. The research was closely connected to constructivist and sociocultural views of learning, current national…