Teachers – Teaching & Learning Research Initiative

Developing teacher–researcher partnerships to investigate best practices: Literacy learning and teaching in content areas of the secondary school

1. Literature review This literature review is intended to provide a background to the project undertaken and described in this report. In essence the project seeks to apply a research-based model of literacy instruction developed in New Zealand to investigate the efficacy of the model in raising student achievement. It is our intention to do so using collaborative teacher and researcher partnerships in order to investigate and interrogate the ways in which the model can respond to the needs of specific students, teachers, and schools. This being the case, the literature on adolescent literacy is reviewed, effective instructional approaches are evaluated, and the outcomes of “successful” interventions are described. Secondly, we

Conceptions of assessment and feedback in secondary school

1. Aims, objectives, and research questions Assessment and feedback are an integral part of the teaching and learning process. They affect not only what is learnt, but how students learn, their motivation, goals, and sense of self (Cowie, 2003). If students have a negative conception of the role of assessment and they misinterpret the meaning of feedback, this can lead to reduced motivation and low self-esteem. While a learning environment or task may be designed to facilitate student change on a given variable (e.g., feedback to enhance literacy skills), students’ and teachers’ conceptions will influence the way the task or environment are experienced (Trigwell & Prosser, 1991; Fransson, 1977; Kōnings, Brand-Gruwel,

Effective teacher-education practice: The impact of written assessment “feedback” for distance learners

Ko te pae tawhiti whäia kia tata: Ko te pae tata whakamaua kia tina Continue seeking to bring distant horizons closer: Consolidate what you have achieved 1. Introduction This study focuses on the “assessing” aspect of tertiary teaching in a distance teacher education programme. It explores the perceptions of the role of written assessment feedback held by a cohort of students enrolled in The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education (a Level 7, distance teacher education programme using mixed delivery methods).[1] Effective teacher education improves educational outcomes for learners in tertiary institutions (student teachers) and for end-user learners (children) in schools and early childhood services. This

Zeroing in on quality teaching: Reducing disparities by building teachers’ capacities and capabilities with respect to integrative approaches to curriculum delivery, using appropriate pedagogies

He aha te mea nui? He tangata, he tangata What is the most important thing? It is people, it is people Introduction This research project—a collaborative venture between two primary schools and Massey University—had its origins in the experience of the principal of one school She had developed and used integrated forms of curriculum delivery and associated pedagogies in other schools she had led. She believed that integrative curriculum designs positively influenced a number of key learning and teaching conditions, especially those connected with student engagement and community involvement, and that the use of integrative designs impacted positively on the achievement of students. James Beane (1997) describes the theory and practice