Teachers' Desk

Teacher-led research set to improve learner outcomes with $1.7 million

NZCER announced funding as part of the Teaching and Learning Research Initiative

<h3>Eight exciting new projects are detailed in the announcement and they each pose significant curriculum impact&period; <&sol;h3>&NewLine;<p>Scroll down to read each project synopsis&period; Projects explore mana as a wellbeing contributor&comma; investigate the Digital Technologies curriculum&comma; enhance M&amacr;ori engagement through pedagogy&comma; explore the relationship between language and statistical learning&comma; record the mathematical learning experiences of P&amacr;sifika learners outside school&comma; and more&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Teaching and Learning Research Initiative &lpar;<a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;tlri&period;org&period;nz&sol;home" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener noreferrer">TLRI<&sol;a>&rpar; is funded by the New Zealand government and administered by the <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;nzcer&period;org&period;nz&sol;" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener noreferrer">New Zealand Council for Educational Research<&sol;a> &vert; Rangahau M&amacr;tauranga o Aotearoa&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>Te whakap&umacr;mautia te mana&colon; Enhancing mana through kaitiakitanga<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigator&colon; Dr Lesley Rameka<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; University of Waikato&semi; Te Rito Maioha ECNZ&semi; Taut&amacr;whi Ltd&semi; Te Puna Reo o Te K&omacr;hao&semi; Te Puna Reo o Pukehinahina&semi; Te Puna Reo o Raparapaririki&semi; Turangi Kindergarten&semi; Hazelmere Kindergarten&semi; West End Kindergarten&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The basis of this kaupapa M&amacr;ori project is that mana is a fundamental element of wellbeing&period; This project aims to explore ways that early childhood education gives mokopuna <a class&equals;"wpil&lowbar;keyword&lowbar;link" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;schoolnews&period;co&period;nz&sol;2015&sol;10&sol;developing-opportunities-at-school-with-a-view&sol;" title&equals;"opportunities" data-wpil-keyword-link&equals;"linked" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">opportunities<&sol;a> to recognise mana and understand ways to attain mana through being kaitiaki &lpar;guardians&rpar; of themselves&comma; others and their environment&comma; therefore contributing to a collective sense of wellbeing&period; The research will take place in M&amacr;ori medium and English medium early childhood education centres&period; Researchers will work with teachers to develop understandings and practices that reflect mana and kaitiakitanga&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;197&comma;662 over 2 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>Mana &Umacr;kaip&omacr;&colon; Enhancing M&amacr;ori engagement through pedagogies of connection and belonging<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigators&colon; Dr Camilla Highfield and Dr Melinda Webber<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; University of Auckland&semi; Te Maru o Ngongotaha K&amacr;hui Ako&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This project focuses on the extent to which interventions within a K&amacr;hui Ako can make a positive difference for M&amacr;ori students’ attitudes&comma; motivation&comma; and engagement in learning&period; The project will involve teachers as practitioner researchers&comma; working alongside academic researchers&comma; to identify the specific interventions and teacher and leadership practices that M&amacr;ori students and their wh&amacr;nau identify will support them to be successful on their own terms&period; Particular attention will be paid to iwi-initiated projects and localised curriculum&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;135&comma;440 over 1 year<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>Using home languages as a resource to enhance statistical thinking in a multicultural classroom<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigator&colon; Dr Sashi Sharma<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; University of Waikato&semi; De La Salle College&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The language of statistics can be challenging&period; All the more so in English medium classrooms for English Second Language learners&comma; who must simultaneously learn English and statistical English&comma; and be able to negotiate between the two&period; This collaborative project will research the use of home languages as a resource for multilingual students in learning statistical probability in two multicultural Year-9 classes&period; A teaching sequence for probability thinking that incorporates culturally responsive resources will be developed and refined over the two cycles&period; Findings will illustrate the potential of translanguaging to support diverse learners of statistics&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;178&comma;431 over 2 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>Weaving our knowledge together&colon; Uncovering P&amacr;sifika learners’ mathematical funds of knowledge<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigator&colon; Dr Jodie Hunter<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; Massey University&semi; Mangere Bridge School&semi; Ferguson Intermediate School&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This project will highlight the ways in which teachers can work with their students and parents&sol;wh&amacr;nau to recognise and record the mathematical learning experiences of P&amacr;sifika learners outside of school in home and community settings&period; The project will then explore how educators can develop mathematically challenging group-worthy tasks which draw on P&amacr;sifika mathematical funds of knowledge&comma; and the impact of these tasks on P&amacr;sifika learners’ mathematical learning&comma; engagement&comma; and disposition&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;200&comma;000 over 2 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>Experiences and reflections of teachers on the use of mixed reality technologies to foster cross-curricular learning opportunities<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigator&colon; Dr Kathryn MacCallum<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; Eastern Institute of Technology &lpar;EIT&rpar;&semi; Napier Girls’ High School&semi; Tamatea High School&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This pilot action research project will explore teachers’ experiences of how mixed reality can be incorporated across STEAM domains to drive diverse learning outcomes&period; The project is a teacher-driven investigation into how innovative technologies can be incorporated into the curriculum to support cross-curriculum teaching&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;111&comma;900 over 1 year<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>On2Science&colon; Multiple affordances for learning through participation in online citizen science<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigators&colon; Dr Cathal Doyle and Dr Cathy Buntting<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; Victoria University of Wellington&semi; University of Waikato&semi; Thorndon School&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>This 3-year study builds on a 2018 pilot project that demonstrated the benefits of embedding Online Citizen Science &lpar;OCS&rpar; projects in primary school science&period; It will map progressions in students’ science capabilities&comma; explore how engaging in OCS develops students’ learning in digital technologies&comma; and investigate the impacts of teacher practices&period; The project outcomes have potential to contribute significantly to both the science and technology education research landscape&comma; and to primary and junior secondary teacher practice&comma; both in science and in digital technologies&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;446&comma;848 over 3 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>Refugee-background students in Aotearoa&colon; Supporting successful secondary to tertiary education transitions<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigator&colon; Vivienne Anderson<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; University of Otago&semi; Otago Polytechnic&semi; New Zealand Red Cross&semi; Carisbrook School&semi; Ministry of Education&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In this project researchers will work in partnership with refugee-background students in Otago&sol;Southland to examine how refugee-background students imagine&comma; experience&comma; navigate and negotiate the border between secondary and tertiary education&period; The project will examine strategies students use to successfully navigate that change&comma; and will lead to the development of student-centred transition resources for refugee-background students and educational institutions&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;338&comma;747 over 3 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;<h2><strong>ACT&colon; Advanced Computational Thinking in the New Zealand Digital Curriculum<&sol;strong><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Investigators&colon; Andrew Gibbons and Ricardo Sosa<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Partnership&colon; Auckland University of Technology &lpar;AUT&rpar;&semi; Te Kura Tuarua o Manurewa&semi; The Southern Initiative &lpar;Te Haa o Manukau&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Students and teachers who demonstrate advanced reasoning with digital technologies are able to ethically use&comma; creatively apply&comma; and critically question the values and impacts of technology in society&period; This understanding of the digital curriculum requires more of teachers and learners than the New Zealand Curriculum currently recognises within its conceptualisation of computational thinking&period; This research project will systematically&comma; collaboratively&comma; and creatively explore a curriculum of Advanced Computational Thinking &lpar;ACT&rpar; within secondary school learning environments in order to recognise and develop the potential contribution of ACT and the digital curriculum to the broader educational aims of Aotearoa New Zealand&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Funding&colon; &dollar;144&comma;937 over 2 years<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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