Ministry of Education

About: Ministry of Education is a government organization based out in Wellington, New Zealand. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Chemistry & Biology. The organization has 35 authors who have published 34 publications receiving 886 citations.

Reframing Teacher Professional Learning: An Alternative Policy Approach to Strengthening Valued Outcomes for Diverse Learners

Abstract: This chapter engages in the debate about what counts as professional knowledge from the perspective of improving outcomes for diverse learners. We begin by highlighting the importance of assumptions about appropriate roles for teachers and how those assumptions have shaped the debate about what teachers need to know. Then we consider some myths and evidence about teacher agency that have contributed to a recent international shift in policy attention to the importance of teacher knowledge and, more particularly, how to develop teacher agency and capability. The main focus of the chapter is on a policy approach to building a multidisciplinary evidence base in education that both identifies the kinds of teacher knowledge that has a positive impact on a range of student outcomes and, at the same time, develops that knowledge through a national collaborative knowledge-building and knowledge-use strategy. The approach described is the New Zealand Iterative Best Evidence Synthesis (BES) Programme, which deliberately and systematically draws on and develops a rich multidisciplinary knowledge base in education. We situate our account of this program within (a) a comparison of a range of international policy approaches to strengthening the evidence base informing what teachers need to know, (b) a vision of the role of teaching as responsive to diverse learners and the evolving challenges of the 21st century, and (c) a touchstone of effectiveness as defined by impacts on a range of valued learner outcomes. We present the findings of a new synthesis of the evidence from 97 empirical studies that identify the development of the kinds of teacher knowledge that have a demonstrated positive impact on outcomes for diverse learners. The

Identity Issues for Hard-of-Hearing Adolescents Aged 11, 13, and 15 in Mainstream Setting.

Abstract: This study examined identity issues and aspects of the health behaviors of mainstreamed hard-of-hearing (HOH) students aged 11, 13, and 15 compared with their peers. A sample of 52 HOH students was matched with 470 peers of the same age, gender, and ethnicity. A survey based on the World Health Organization Health Behaviours of School Aged Children was administered and the results of the hearing and the HOH groups compared. Although there were few statistically significant differences, there were indications that the HOH students more often experienced a sense of loneliness than their hearing peers did. The majority of HOH students (55.8%) did not self-identify as having a hearing disability. When examined by the willingness to self-identify, the reported frequencies of loneliness and bullying were statistically significant. These findings support the view that the school experience of a significant number of mainstreamed HOH students is not supportive. Those students who do self-identify are physically and psychologically more at risk. The reluctance to self-identify may reflect the prevalence of negative stigma.

Indigenous epistemology in a national curriculum framework

Abstract: In this article, a group of four indigenous Māori educators and one non-Māori educator comment on a proposed amendment to the New Zealand National Curriculum Framework to replace the current separa...

They only see it when the sun shines in my ears: exploring perceptions of adolescent hearing aid users.

Abstract: Hard-of-hearing (HOH) young people may encounter multiple challenges to their educational, social, and emotional development. The benefits of wearing hearing aids to enhance communication may be countered by negative stigma associated with hearing aids. This study explored the experience of 16 bilaterally, moderately to severely HOH adolescents in mainstream education to understand their perceptions of using hearing aids. A core category of "normality" emerged from the data, which captures the predominant issue for these young people. The sense of being normal may be situationally determined, but those who are able to perceive their use of hearing aids in a given context as normal most frequently use them. Regardless of the age of diagnosis or length of time since fitting, if use of hearing aids is perceived as not normal then their use is disguised or negated. The perceptions of the young people indicate that psychosocial supports focused on promoting their identity as HOH young people and normalizing the use of hearing aids should be a key feature of interventions.

A Successful Professional Development Model in Mathematics: A System-Wide New Zealand Case

Abstract: The design and implementation of the professional development model of the New Zealand Numeracy Development Project has been successful in improving teacher knowledge and practice as well as raising student outcomes. Since 2000, more than 25,000 teachers in English-medium settings have participated in the project. In New Zealand the terms English-medium and Māori-medium are used to distinguish the language of instruction. settings have participated in the project. A content analysis across a large data set from evaluations conducted during the first four years of the project, identified three pedagogical tools that participants describe as improving their mathematics knowledge and practice: the number framework; the diagnostic interview; and the strategy teaching model. The article argues that the power of the professional development model lies in the integration of the three pedagogical tools ensuring that professional learning focuses on the core ideas of the project within the context of the teacher's...