Māori students – Teaching & Learning Research Initiative

Enhancing capacity to analyse students’ writing

1. Introduction 1.1 Aims The research, practice, and partnership goals of the Teaching & Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) provided the framework for this project. The aims were aligned to all the principles of TLRI[1] and in particular to Principle One: a strategic principle that aims to reduce inequalities and address diversity, understand the processes of teaching and learning, and, to some extent, explore future possibilities. It also has strong links with the practice goals of Principles Five and Six. These demand that projects should contribute to practice and lead to significant improvements and outcomes for learners. As stated below, this was the guiding principle for this project. Principle Six also states

Co-constructing a culturally and linguistically sustaining, Te Tiriti-based Ako framework for socio-emotional wellbeing in education: A collaborative project among teachers, whānau, hapū and iwi to enable a holistic approach to education

Introduction Schools have a role to play in improving youth social emotional wellbeing (SEW) by supporting their development of social-emotional knowledge, skills, and capacities through social emotional learning (SEL). However, schools in Aotearoa New Zealand vary widely when responding to and promoting tamariki wellbeing (Education Review Office, 2015a, 2015b). More successful schools show a comprehensive approach, including more explicit curriculum connections (Boyd et al., 2017). Enhancing SEW and SEL practices in schools can play a part in mitigating the adverse effects that low rates of wellbeing have for tamariki, particularly for Māori, Pacific, and other underserved youth (Bishop et al., 2009). SEL programmes are effective for fostering students’ wellbeing through social-emotional

Leading effective goal-setting to improve school outcomes

Introduction Our study highlights how principal leadership of goal-directed practices impacts outcomes. Over 2 years, three academics partnered with three principals and a small “project team” comprising one or more teachers, and one or more middle or senior leaders. All principals were relatively new to their schools; one had been there 2 years, and the other two had been there 12 months prior to the beginning of the project. Two schools were secondary schools (Schools A and C) serving low socioeconomic communities. The other school was a primary school (School B) serving a high socioeconomic community which was challenged by having large numbers of new immigrants—particularly from Asia—and with students with

Mana Ūkaipō: Enhancing Māori engagement through pedagogies of connection and belonging

Introduction The primary objective of this research project was to investigate the specific interventions that make the biggest difference to Māori students’ academic motivation and in school engagement within one Kāhui Ako in Aotearoa New Zealand. Student, whānau, school leader, and teacher perspectives were examined to understand which interventions were most successful and why. The project’s second objective was to develop a collaborative mātauranga Māori informed research partnership with Kāhui Ako leaders. This research partnership was designed to assist with developing collaborative expertise and identifying key information for guiding decision making about successful interventions. Using this information, school and Kāhui Ako leaders continue to develop and redefine their intervention programmes into

Generating positive outcomes by Year 5 to 8 priority learners in writing: An inquiry into effective teacher practice

1. Writing: The issue to be addressed Writing is a demanding, multidimensional process that is, cognitively and socially, highly complex. Success in writing is vital to success in education and in the workforce (Graham, Capizzi, Harris, Hebert, & Morphy, 2014). Writing is increasingly used to demonstrate learning through schooling and has the potential to contribute toward understanding and learning in the content areas (Bangert-Drowns, Hurley, & Wilkinson, 2004). Beyond school, it is an integral part of students’ everyday lives as they participate in the world of texting, blogging, and social networking. In the workplace, it is a threshold skill for hiring and promotion amongst many workers. New Zealand-based data on success

Marae-ā-kura: Teaching, learning and living as Māori

Introduction Marae-ā-kura (school-based marae) have been part of the secondary school landscape since 1978. Today there are approximately 99 marae in state secondary schools in New Zealand (Ministry of Education, 2008).[1] although marae-ā-kura are officially endorsed by the Ministry of Education (2000) to better engage with Māori parents, whānau and communities, there is little research on the way marae-ā-kura operate, their pedagogical practices and their effect on Māori student outcomes. This two-year research project investigated the role of marae-ā-kura as culturally determined spaces in mainstream secondary schools. It involved the participation of students, teachers, principals, whānau and community representatives of three urban marae-ā-kura within the Auckland region. The study examined the

Learning to “friendly argue” in a community of mathematical inquiry

Introduction This project explored the sorts of culturally responsive pedagogy teachers can engage in to optimise equitable access for students to proficient forms of mathematical talk and activity. The project sought to further our knowledge of the effects on student achievement and mathematical disposition when a specific focus is placed on building a classroom culture of mathematical inquiry and argumentation. Key findings The teachers were able to create more opportunities for collaborative group activities focused on mathematical inquiry. The students’ role in inquiry mathematics learning activities required a dramatic change from passive receiver to active learner. Students developed new ways of thinking about mathematics and their relationship with mathematics, and came

Teaching and learning in the supervision of Maori doctoral students

He Rautaki mo te Akoranga Kairangi is a series of resources for Māori doctoral students and their supervisors. These resources are derived from the Teaching and Learning in the Supervision of Māori Doctoral Students project, funded by the TLRI (No. 9250) in 2007-2008. The research team comprised Elizabeth McKinley and Barbara Grant (The University of Auckland), Sue Middleton (Waikato University), Kathie Irwin (Te Puni Kokiri) and Les Williams (Nga Pae o te Maramatanga). He Rautaki mo te Akoranga Kairangi 1. The nature of doctoral supervision One bit of advice an experienced colleague gave me which is very valuable: ‘Be friendly but not familiar.’ Even though the Māori version of friendly is

Teaching literature in the multicultural classroom

1. Introduction This Teaching and Learning Initiative (TLRI) research project explored ways of teaching literature effectively in multicultural and multilingual classrooms. It involved primary and secondary school teacher-researchers working in partnership with university-based researchers over two years on a series of case studies, within an action research framework. The case studies involved classroom-based interventions carried out by individual teachers and developed collaboratively with the larger project group. 1.1 The project context The project took as its starting point two contextual factors: The New Zealand classroom, at primary and secondary levels, is becoming more multicultural and multilingual. In a number of ways schools and teachers are under increased pressure to find constructive

Enhanced teaching and learning of comprehension in Years 5–8: Otara Schools

1. Introduction This study represents a systematic replication of a previous intervention which took place in schools in Mangere from 2003 to 2005. (McNaughton, MacDonald, Maituanai-Toloa, Lai, & Farry, 2006). The contexts and theoretical rationale are the same for the present study as those for the original Mangere study. We have repeated that historical and social context and theoretical framework here. In this first section, however, we briefly summarise the original study and also outline the form and the role of replication in the science represented here. Replication Our previous study In previous quasiexperimental research with a cluster of similar schools in Mangere in South Auckland we have shown that it

Improving tertiary student outcomes in the first year of study

1. Introduction Background Retention, persistence and completion in post-school education have been the focus of much attention in recent years – particularly in the USA, UK, Australia, and now in New Zealand. Governments throughout the Western world increasingly expect improved learner outcomes for money spent on post-school education. Data on early student departure highlight their concerns. For example, in the UK, Yorke (1999) estimated that such departure cost 100 million a year. In New Zealand, a Ministry of Education report (2005, cited in Gerritsen, 2005) showed that, from 1998 to 2003, 33 percent of the equivalent full-time student (EFTS) allocation was taken up by students who dropped out in their first