Thanks for your being part of our community as you read the Ipu Kererū blog posts of 2022.
Our Top 10 blog posts of 2022 were written by teachers, post-graduate students of education, academics in education, and educational researchers, reflecting NZARE’s diverse membership. If you would like to know more about our NZARE, our educational research blog, or our name, Ipu Kererū, keep reading to the bottom. These 10 blog posts focus on the compulsory education sector, from early childhood to secondary. Contemporary educational changes are discussed, as is uncertainty, touching on issues at the front of teachers’ minds and educational research.
1. Mana ōrite: Supporting equal status for mātauranga Māori as a Pākehā teacher
Our most read blog post of 2022 was by Karen Finn (University of Auckland Waipapa Taumata Rau). In this blog post, Karen reflected on the challenges in supporting equal status for mātauranga Māori – mana ōrite o mātauranga Māori – that she faces as a Pākehā geography teacher. Karen shared six of the ways she has begun learning about mātauranga Māori.
Read Karen’s blog post here.
2. “Literacy is not a Māori thing”: Debunking the deficit discourse
The second most read blog post of 2022 was by Dr Melissa Derby (Ngāti Ranginui; University of Waikato). Melissa gave an account of how literacy has been entrenched in Māori society for more than 200 years, meeting needs that range from serving a political purpose to reading purely for pleasure. By doing so she rebuked the deficit discourse around ākonga Māori and literacy.
Read Melissa’s blog post here.
3. The importance of engaging difficult knowledge in schools
In this third most read blog post, Liana MacDonald (Ngāti Kuia, Rangitāne o Wairau, Ngāti Koata; Victoria University of Wellington) discussed Aotearoa New Zealand histories. Liana highlighted how difficult histories are silenced, and offered ways to challenge the silencing and work through discomfort.
Read Liana’s blog post here.
4. The refreshed curriculum for English: What’s changed?
Our fourth most read blog post of 2022 was by Associate Professor Alison Arrow (University of Canterbury) and Dr. Amanda Denston (Massey University). Alison and Amanda critiqued how the refreshed curriculum addresses development of literacy skills, content, and communication.
Read Alison and Amanda’s blog post here.
5. The environment as third teacher: Features of a high-quality early childhood learning environment
The fifth most read post in 2022 was by Dr Katrina McChesney (University of Waikato). Katrina offered a portrait of Greerton Early Learning Centre, showed how the centre’s practices fit with the Reggio Emilia principles focusing on environment as ‘third teacher’, and suggested questions kaiako can use when reflecting on their own learning environments.
Read Katrina’s blog post here.
6. Mathematics education in New Zealand secondary schools: Are students studying less algebra?
Number 6 in the 2022 most-read blog posts was by Sarah Howell and Dr. Bronwyn Wood (Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka). Sarah and Bronwyn discussed reasons behind the decrease in algebra being taught in secondary schools and offered policy implications.
Read Sarah and Bronwyn’s blog post here.
7. Applying research to practice – A secondary school’s journey with research informed teaching and learning
The seventh most popular blog post was by James Heneghan (Long Bay College). This blog post described Long Bay College’s research-led approach to school improvement. James shared valuable ideas and resources for other schools wanting to use research to improve their practice.
Read James’ blog post here.
8. The state of secondary teaching in 2021
The eighth most read blog post was by Dr Mohamed Alansari (New Zealand Council for Educational Research). Mohamed discussed the key findings of the 2021 NZCER national secondary schools survey. This blog post offered insight into the contemporary issues concerning secondary teachers.
Read Mohamed’s blog post here.
9. Questioning the Gender Bender Agenda
The ninth most read blog post of 2022 concerned the Ministry of Education’s Relationships and Sexuality Education: A Guide for Teachers, Leaders and Boards of Trustees. In this blog post, Emeritus Professor Sue Middleton (University of Waikato) discussed the terms defined within the guidelines.
Read Sue’s blog post here.
10. Navigating uncertainty in education
Finally, the 10th most read blog post was a series by Dr Rose Hipkins (New Zealand Council for Educational Research) about uncertainty in education. This discussion is particularly relevant again at the start of the school year in 2023, which was disrupted by extreme weather events.
Part 1: Learning productive ways to ‘be’ in uncertain times looked at supporting students to be more comfortable with uncertainty.
Part 2: Teaching is both complex and complicated: Why uncertainty is unavoidable was around the uncertainty teachers face.
Part 3: Supporting teachers to navigate uncertainties in rapidly changing times rounded up the series by looking at ways to manage complexity.
Thanks again for being part of our community during 2022 as readers and contributors. And a special thank you to all of our contributors and the editing team (Dr Katrina McChesney, Dr Melissa Derby, and Dr Diana Amundsen – University of Waikato, and Karen Finn – University of Auckland).
To learn more about contributing to Ipu Kererū, click here or contact blog@nzare.org.nz. To learn more about becoming a member of NZARE, click here.
Ipu Kererū – blog of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education
The members of the New Zealand Association for Research in Education conduct research into a range of educational topics and contribute to a range of educational projects. This blog is a forum for our members (at all career stages, including postgraduate students and practicing educators as well as academic staff) to disseminate our work and share our views about educational topics in Aotearoa New Zealand.
We have chosen the name Ipu Kererū for our blog. Directly translated as ‘pigeon carrier’, the term Ipu Kererū can mean both a carrier of news and a repository of treasured and preserved knowledge. Our blog is intended both to convey news and to hold knowledge for the education and educational research communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.
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