Protecting New Zealand's agricultural legacy through education

Renowned globally as a country that produces high quality goods, New Zealand has a reputation second to none when it comes to science and research related to increasing primary produce. Hence, New Zealand’s reliance on export of primary produce to drive the economy is no secret. However, education related to protecting this industry appears to be scant, including in schools. New Zealand’s primary produce driven economy is protected through maintaining biosecurity. Biosecurity plays an expansive role, from protecting the economy through stopping pests and diseases of economic significance from arriving and establishing to protecting human health and sociocultural values. Given the emphasis on education to help manage the biosecurity pandemic caused by the outbreak of Covid-19, as a society we need to look beyond legislation, including the Biosecurity Act 1993, to manage biosecurity. The long-term prospect for biosecurity in New Zealand might be said to be relatively secure, considering that New Zealand is an island nation with biosecurity regulations that have been in place for decades. However, the critical importance of maintaining biosecurity requires a strategic long-term approach. This conceptual article advocates for biosecurity education in New Zealand schools. Maintaining biosecurity not only prevents pests and diseases from arriving, but eradicating pests and diseases already present contributes to the conservation of endemic flora and fauna. Further, New Zealand has a reputation for providing businesses with a highly transparent and democratic environment to operate. This foundation is built upon a strong economy that, nonetheless, is susceptible because, unlike other countries, New Zealand relies on the export of primary produce to drive its economy (International Trade Administration, 2023). Primary produce industries, such as dairy farming, that heavily rely on monoculture are prone to risks posed by diseases, such as foot and mouth. Subsequently, educating future generations on biosecurity can help maintain a stable agricultural sector, critical for a robust democracy and economy

Intermediate Phase mathematics teachers’ conceptions of learner-centred teaching

The 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of UNESCO places a focus on quality education for all learners. However, meeting the requirements for quality education seems far-fetched for some developing countries, such as South Africa. The reason being that mathematics performance in South Africa is still an area of concern. The assumption is that this is because mathematics teachers still rely on outdated, teacher-centred strategies to teach mathematics. To address this problem of poor performance, South African curriculum policies advocate learner-centred strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom. However, curriculum transformation has not had the desired effect. The purpose of this article therefore is to explore how mathematics teachers in the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–6) interpret learner-centred teaching. Ernest’s analytical model of beliefs provide the frame for the article. A qualitative multiple case study methodology was used with the participation of 10 mathematics teachers who teach Intermediate Phase learners in KwaZulu-Natal. The data collection method used was semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed that the mathematics teacher participants had limited understanding of learner-centred strategies; they misinterpreted how to implement learner-centred strategies; they manipulated learner-centred strategies prescribed by the policy to suit how they taught; and the many contextual factors they experienced influenced the way they taught. Recommendations are that teachers are provided with professional development in using learner-centred strategies and that they form networks with other mathematics teachers to collaborate on culturally responsive methods of teaching as a way to address the needs of the multilingual and multicultural learners that they teach. Further research should be conducted into alternative approaches that includes learner-centred strategies

Book review: Wooldridge, A. (2023). The aristocracy of talent: How meritocracy made the modern world

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Development of a questionnaire for understanding mathematics teachers' situated learning practices in the Philippines

This study sought to understand Philippine mathematics teachers’ practices in relation to situated learning theory (SLT) by developing and administering a questionnaire. Following a five-step process for developing a questionnaire by Harlacher (2016), the final items reflected the teachers’ performance indicators identified in the Framework for Philippine mathematics teacher education by the Science Education Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (SEI-DOST) and Philippine Council of Mathematics Teacher Educators Incorporated (MATHTED Inc.), and three of Herrington and Oliver’s (1995) features of SLT: authentic context (AC), authentic activities (AAc), and authentic assessment (AAs). The final questionnaire, comprised of 22 items, was disseminated to 68 mathematics teachers at both elementary and secondary levels. Findings revealed that despite the low familiarity of teachers with SLT and the Framework for Philippine mathematics teacher education, questionnaire responses showed that the majority of teachers implement aspects associated with SLT “two to four times a week”. Moreover, teachers' SLT knowledge was determined to correlate with the implementation of the three characteristics of SLT inside their classrooms, whereas other factors, such as primary or secondary teaching level, years of teaching experience, and teachers' knowledge about the Framework, had no significant correlation with SLT implementation. The study suggests that Philippine teachers should be given adequate training and teaching resources to ensure the practice of SLT inside their mathematics classrooms.

Your words matter: The language of fractions

This article is based on the main finding of an action research study that investigated how primary school teachers could improve the teaching of fractions. The study primarily focused on what pedagogical strategies might be employed when shifting teaching and learning from procedural application to conceptual understanding. The research aimed to unpack what key elements of lesson design could be utilised to raise student achievement and understanding of fractional concepts. Language development was deemed to be one of the most beneficial to the teachers’ practice and the research team explored the significance of developing shared mathematical language and the important role vocabulary plays in conveying meaning and internalising understanding. The journey of two teachers is described here in this article

The impact of digital technologies on children and adolescents in Aotearoa New Zealand: A case for the development of best-practice recommendations for schools

The use of digital technologies is increasing in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) schools to support future-focused learning and allow students to gain 21st century skills that can enable them to participate and thrive in a digital future. NZ students have among the highest use of digital technologies in the world, and digital devices present both opportunities and risks to educational outcomes and health/well-being. Pragmatic guidelines have been developed internationally to support the safer use of digital technologies in education settings, and a review was carried out to examine the need for such guidance in a NZ context. While studies present mixed results, emerging evidence from analysis of international and national standardised assessments indicates that the impact of digital technologies on learning outcomes is not neutral, and while some use can benefit learning, frequent use has been associated with reduced learning outcomes. Conditions and context of use seem important, including factors such as task selection, length of use, and whether device use is teacher-led or independent. Further research is needed to better understand the most effective ways to use digital technologies for learning. Additionally, emerging evidence highlights numerous negative health impacts that are associated with frequent and extended use of digital devices. Informed recommendations for the use of digital technologies in NZ schools may allow students to get the best that digital technologies can offer to learning, with lower risk

Governing in crises: Rural school board experiences of urbanisation during Covid-19

Encroaching urbanisation into small and rural communities across Aotearoa New Zealand is becoming increasingly common. This phenomenon is the result of multiple crises: strong and continued population growth, a housing shortage, rising housing unaffordability, and Covid-19. This paper offers a critical analysis of how these intersecting crises have intensified existing inequities during the Covid-19 pandemic. Focus group data of 18 boards of trustees illustrates how school board trustees navigated a range of social, educational, and economic challenges. Several key aspects of school governance during times of crises emerge from the study findings, including an increasing need for student pastoral care due to widening rural educational disparities such as the digital divide and the ongoing challenge of maintaining a rural identity for students and the local school communities they serve. As part of the second phase of a larger study about the impact of urbanisation on rural schools in Aotearoa New Zealand, study findings build upon existing knowledge and capacity to adapt to educational crises in a new post-pandemic landscape from a rural perspective and will also be of interest to both rural and urban schools experiencing the effects of changing demographics due to urbanisation in their local communities.

Integration of Ifugao Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices (IKSPs) in teaching Philippine studies in multicultural classrooms

Elements of culture and indigenous knowledge are integral to instruction and foundational to meaningful learning experiences. Using an embedded mixed-method design, this study examined instructional strategies and their extent of usage in integrating Ifugao indigenous knowledge systems and practice (IKSPs) in the teaching of Philippine Studies at the Ifugao State University-Potia Campus. Equally, the difficulties of the 24 Philippine Studies teachers experienced in integrating Ifugao culture and IKSPs were investigated via interviews. Results showed that behavioural and attitudinal teaching strategies were employed primarily in integrating Ifugao IKSPs while output-driven and project-based teaching strategies were used to a lesser extent. Qualitative data analysis revealed that felt problems and predicaments encountered primarily encompassed pedagogical and instructional skills, classroom management, and teachers' attitudes towards cultural differences. Implications of this study include the need for collaboration between and among teachers, educational managers, and community stakeholders to craft responsive interventions to capacitate teachers about the principles of culturally responsive instruction in the University.

A socio-technological assemblage when teaching with apps

In this paper we consider how the integration of mobile technology apps into classroom practice can form an alternative pedagogical medium that influences the learning process in mathematics. We give an account of one aspect of a research project that examined the use of tablets and apps in primary-school mathematics programmes and report teacher and student perceptions on how they used the apps, in combination with other manipulatives, to solve problems. Through teacher and researcher co-inquiry, three themes emerged: multi-modal affordances, collaboration, and assemblages. We examined how the interplay between these themes evoked ranges of social, tangible, and digital entities resulting in different learning experiences. We draw on notions of collectives to articulate a socio-technological assemblage and suggest that the notion of an assemblage helps to understand how teachers can use educational technologies to support new learning experiences in their mathematics classrooms

(Student) teacher views: Impact of technology on teaching and learning during Covid-19 in Samoa

O le tali atu a Samoa i le Koviti-19 sa faigata ona o tagata ma meafaaletino e pei o tekonolosi ma auala sa faaaogaina mo le a’oa’o atu ma le a’oa’oina aua e le’i fa’ataitaia, pe na mautu se fa’ aaogaina muamua e o’o mai i le taimi nei.  O le Koviti-19, sa fa’amalosia e le malo o Samoa le puipuiga o tagata i feoaiga vava mamao faapea ma le tapunia o nofoaga mo le saogalemu o tagata uma. Sa faapea fo’i ona suia le a’oa’o atu ma le a’oa’oina o tama ma teine aoga faapea ma faiaoga. Ua avea ma faalavelave le tapunia o aoga, galuega ma nofoaga i le fa’agaoioiga o galuega, ma fa’alapotopotoga. O le utiuti o alagaoa e pei o mea faitino na a’afia tele ai le a’oa’o atu ma le a’oa’oina i le tapunia o aoga. O le tali atu i le Koviti-19 sa unaia ai faiaoga ia fa’aleleia le malamalama i le fa’aaogaina o tekonolosi mo aoaoga. O le Matagaluega o Aoga, Ta’aloga ma Aganu’u (MATA) sa galulue fa’avavevave e faatino a’oa’oga e fa’aaoga ai upega tafa’ilagi e tali ai i le Koviti-19 ma aiaiga fa’ale tulafono a le malo o Samoa i le tapunia o le atunu’u. O le fa’amasaniga o faiaoga, tama ma teine aoga i a’oa’oga e lagolago ai le fa’aaogaina o upega tafa’ilagi, ma tomai fa’apitoa mo komipiuta sa avea ma fa’amuamua i tapenaga aua le fa’aleleia o aoaoga i totonu o Samoa. O fanau mai aiga e leai ni alagaoa e pei o komipiuta ma upega tafailagi o i latou nei sa tuga lo latou afaina. Sa fa’ailoa i tagata uma ia fa’atauaina le fa’atinoga o vaega tau le soifua maloloina ia malu puipuia mai le faamai o le Koviti-19, ae maise aua ne’i iai ni afaina tuga o a’oao’ga mo le fanau. O faiaoga o lo’o i totonu o aoga ua toe foi mai e a’ooga i le faailoga maualuga o le tusi pasi tau a’oa’oga mo le tulaga lua, ma o loo a’oa’oina i totonu o le Saofaiga o A’oa’oga i le Iunivesite Aoao o Samoa, ma o i latou ia sa auai i lenei suesuega.   Samoa’s educational response to Covid-19 was impeded by human and physical obstacles largely because the new educational technologies and strategies that came into effect to support teaching and learning had not been trialled nor implemented well to date. During Covid-19, the Samoan government emphasised the importance of social distancing and lockdown as health safety measures necessary for the welfare of all, but these changed learning and teaching for students and teachers and impacted daily organisation and operations for these people, and schools. Samoa’s limited physical and human resources affected schools’ lockdown and teaching and learning. Responses to Covid-19 called for teachers’ improved understanding of educational technology and its utilisation. The Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture (MESC) acted immediately to activate online learning in response to Covid-19 and the government’s lock-down policy. Familiarising teachers and students with online support and acquiring appropriate computer skills were Samoa’s immediate educational goals. Nevertheless, the children of families without access to resources like computers and the Internet were the most affected. It is acknowledged that for citizens to survive Covid-19 it was vital to adopt appropriate health safety measures, although it is also important to ensure that no student’s educational progress is negatively impacted. Teacher upgraders studying for the Bachelor of Education primary teaching in the Faculty of Education at the National University of Samoa (NUS) were the participants