This paper is the fourth in a series exploring the issue of curriculum coherence in the development and implementation of the three iterations of Maori-medium Technology curriculum from the 1990s to the present. For Indigenous schools, curriculum coherence is not just a structural design issue but also involves the place of their Indigenous…

Inquiry-based project learning is an internationally recognised pedagogical approach where children work collaboratively to research and discover the answers to their questions through discussion, representation, and evaluation. This paper explores the findings from Phase One of a qualitative study examining how this approach has been interpreted…

Achieving greater alignment with national curriculum and local school and teacher objectives alongside a deeper understanding of student needs can enhance the impact and reach of health promotion interventions. This study reports on teacher perspectives of a multi-pathway curriculum outline supporting learning (Grades 7-9) about sugary drinks. The…

This article reports on a line of findings that explores how New Zealand secondary teachers teach about inequality as part of the official New Zealand curriculum ("NZC") in their respective teaching subjects. This second phase of the study is part of a wider project about how inequality is positioned within "NZC." In-service…

The 2017 refresh of Aotearoa New Zealand's early childhood education (ECE) curriculum "Te Whariki" was undertaken to better guide teachers in understanding their role in supporting children's learning and to foster alignment of teaching practices, including intentional teaching, across the ECE sector. This article draws on a small-scale…

In this paper, we report an exploratory investigation of the types of assessment in a variety of high school subjects that best predicted subsequent success at university in those subjects. In social sciences and the humanities, internal (school-based) assessment was a better predictor of university success than external, examination-based…

This New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) research project explores the ways five diverse secondary schools shaped their timetables to support innovation in teaching and learning. The timetable is often a taken-for-granted presence in schools even though it plays an important role in how teaching and learning are experienced. This…

From 2020, the New Zealand technology curriculum includes computational thinking. The new curriculum content is being introduced to students from 5 years' old. In preparation for its introduction, online resources have been developed for teachers (including junior teachers who teach new entrants, up to Year 3), that contain progress outcomes,…

Initial teacher education programme and paper assessments need to encompass university degree requirements and attest to student mastery of teacher professional competencies. This article reports one aspect of an investigation of the nature and principles employed in the design of assessments for a three-year Bachelor of Teaching (Primary)…

This article reviews Education for Sustainability (EfS) in the secondary sector across a range of countries. Drawing on journal articles, book chapters and official reports, it identifies some of the more successful approaches to implementing EfS within the secondary sector. The authors first discuss the importance of educating for sustainability…

Scholars, practitioners and educators propose video games as innovative teaching methods to engage geography students. A methodological framework, informed by constructivist learning theory, explored the ability of 'serious' disaster video games to foster student participation in learning within four New Zealand schools. The findings indicate the…

The organisational culture at New Zealand's Otago Polytechnic has been shifting as a result of the "Designing for Learner Success" initiative, which focuses on the redesign and redevelopment of all vocational and degree programmes to improve learner success. The four-phase process (Preparation--Design--Development--Delivery) follows…

Sustainable development requires the valuing of Indigenous knowledges. The complex and intertwined processes of coloniality and globalisation have contributed to spreading a dominant set of Western knowledge, values, and practices discrediting local Indigenous knowledges and wisdom (Thaman, 2003). Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4),…

Computer Science (CS) education is being increasingly included in primary school curricula across New Zealand. As a group, Pasifika students are less likely to engage with CS at tertiary level and in the workforce, so understanding more about their engagement with school level CS seems important. A multiple case-study design was used to explore…

In Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, the impetus to create open learning spaces that afford spatial and pedagogical flexibility have disrupted the nature of teachers' work. In redesigned education facilities, teachers engage in sophisticated processes of collaboration and ongoing teacher professional learning. Moving from traditional classroom…