Information and communications technology – Teaching & Learning Research Initiative

Extending innovative e-learning leadership

Introduction / research aims / rationale This project grew out of the desire to understand and share the strategies that successful school leaders use to identify, implement and integrate digital technologies in school settings. What may come naturally to some leaders presents significant challenges for others; the catalyst for this project was the opportunity to systematically investigate the leadership of one experienced principal who was highly competent digitally and who recognised the opportunity to support colleagues nationwide. While digital technologies are a key element of future focused education and can be deployed to support pedagogical innovation, they frequently present complex problems for school leaders (Fullan 2011; Fullan & Langworthy, 2014). The

Literacy and e-learning: Mining the action research data

Introduction In this project, researchers and teachers (ECE, primary, and secondary) worked together to analyse unpublished data from a range of action research inquiries on e-learning to articulate, investigate, and build theory about the literacy learning that takes place in e-learning contexts. This summary report provides an overview of our cross-project analysis. The teachers’ case studies can be found at: http://elearning.tki.org.nz/teaching/Literacyin-e-learning Key findings There was evidence of students in all sectors (ECE, primary, and secondary) encoding and decoding, making meaning with, using, and thinking critically about texts in visual, audio, gestural, spatial, print, and multimodal modes. There was less evidence of students developing critical literacy, and this was so across all

Arts e-learning and the online specialist teacher: Increasing opportunities for quality student outcomes

Please view the poster for this project. The poster layout is integral to the presentation of the research Project description The project researched the potential of an arts (dance and drama) e-learning environment to provide quality arts teaching and produce successful learning outcomes for students. It involved the implementation of an innovative, web-based programme that makes possible the expertise of dance and drama specialists online in years 6, 7, and 8 classrooms where such expertise would not normally otherwise be available. A project team comprised researcher/specialist practitioners and classroom teachers in documenting the changing process of multiple implementations of the programme and producing insights into the potential ongoing viability of such

Augmenting primary teaching and learning science through ICT

Introduction This study explored how information communication technologies (ICTs) in primary classrooms can enhance the teaching and learning of science. By building on teachers’ and students’ prior knowledge and experience with ICTs, we investigated how ICT use can structure activities to offer enhanced opportunities for active participation in science. The project generated examples of how ICTs can support subject-relevant ways of exploring and communicating science, and evaluating what has been learnt. Key findings ICTs augment teaching and learning in science when their use intersects with and supports specific scientific ideas and skills. Visual recording technologies promote independent learning by allowing students to collect, review and revise data. Science investigations that include

Exploring eLearning practices across the disciplines in a university environment

This two-year project used case studies to explore information and Communications technology (ICT) and eLearning practices across different tertiary disciplines and with students from diverse backgrounds, instructional levels, and learning experiences. ongoing, team-based critical discussion and sharing of ideas about the role that ICT and eLearning plays within tertiary teaching enhanced professional knowledge building for lecturers. Creative use of ICT also led to increased opportunities for students to bridge from the conceptual world of the tertiary classroom to real-life experiences in their particular subject areas. Key findings ICT and eLearning provide effective means for supporting diverse and changing tertiary cohorts, but these practices need careful curriculum design and monitoring. The use

Unlocking student learning: the impact of Teaching and Learning Enhancement Initiatives on first-year university students

Introduction This is the summary report of a project funded by the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) between 2006 and 2008. The project researched evidential links between academic development and student outcomes. It focused on the support provided by academic developers in seven New Zealand universities for teachers of first-year papers and the impact this support had on student learning. Academic developers worked collaboratively with teachers to develop Teaching and Learning Enhancement Initiatives (TLEIs) intended to improve student pass rates. The report uses an orthodox format. It begins by summarising the literature that establishes the research problem and its importance, then summarises the conceptual underpinnings of the project and provides

Together is better? Primary students’ and teachers’ experiences of collaborative learning online

This project undertook to research the use of the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) online learning environment to teach a collaborative unit involving three classes in two primary schools. There has been much research on collaborative learning at various levels of the school sector (e.g., Brown & Thomson, 2000; Holloway, 2003; Holmes, 2003; Holzer, 2004; Lourdusamy, Myint, & Sipusic, 2003; Peel & Shortland, 2004; Whatley & Bell, 2003). However, the use of online environments for collaborative work is a new and largely under-researched area for primary school teachers, as most studies in this area have involved the secondary or tertiary sector (Chih-Hsiung & Correy, 2003; Hakkinen, 2003; Hron & Friedrich, 2003;

Technology use and the teaching of mathematics in the secondary classroom

Mathematics teaching and learning is crucial to the future of New Zealand’s knowledge economy and deserves a special focus in education. One of the key synergisms of mathematics is with technology, and as technology advances it inevitably influences what happens in the mathematics classroom. However, with rapid advancements, teachers may be unprepared to take full advantage of new technology, with the types of technology use falling behind the learning possibilities demonstrated by international research studies (Thomas, Monaghan, & Pierce, 2004). In this study, we considered whether the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) Levels 2 and 3 assessment standards had presented any challenges for teachers in terms of their use of