title: Personal experiences and beliefs in probabilistic reasoning: Implications for research

authors: Sharma, Sashi

subjects: probabilistic reasoning

abstract: Concerns about students' difficulties in statistical thinking led to a study which explored form five (14 to 16 year olds) students’ ideas in this area. The study focussed on probability, descriptive statistics and graphical representations. This paper presents and discusses the ways in which students made sense of probability concepts used in individual interviews. The findings revealed that many of the students used strategies based on beliefs, prior experiences (everyday and school) and intuitive strategies. From the analysis, I identified a four category rubric that could be considered for describing how students construct meanings for probability questions. While students showed competence with theoretical interpretation, they were less competent on tasks involving frequentist definition of probability. This could be due to instructional neglect of this viewpoint or linguistic problems. The paper concludes by suggesting some implications for further research.

text: Personal experiences and beliefs in probabilistic reasoning: Implications for research Concerns about students' difficulties in statistical thinking led to a study which explored form five (14 to 16 year olds) students’ ideas in this area. The study focussed on probability, descriptive statistics and graphical representations. This paper presents and discusses the ways in which students made sense of probability concepts used in individual interviews. The findings revealed that many of the students used strategies based on beliefs, prior experiences (everyday and school) and intuitive strategies. From the analysis, I identified a four category rubric that could be considered for describing how students construct meanings for probability questions. While students showed competence with theoretical interpretation, they were less competent on tasks involving frequentist definition of probability. This could be due to instructional neglect of this viewpoint or linguistic problems. The paper concludes by suggesting some implications for further research.

year: 2006

title: Yes, spelling should be taught

authors: Dymock, Susan

abstract: There is little doubt that some students are very good spellers. I recall, in my first year of teaching, teaching a 9-year-old student whose spelling was nearly perfect. In a recent study of 7-year-old spellers we encountered a speller who was able to spell equally well. She could correctly spell Latin based words such as ‘extraordinary’ and ‘imagination’ (Nicholson & Dymock, 2018). We also know that many children struggle with spelling. In the same class of 7 year olds there were students who were experiencing difficulty spelling common everyday words such as school [scool], what [wat], have [hav] and said [sed]. Why some children in the same class are good spellers and others are not, despite being exposed to the same learning experiences, is not easy to answer. What we do know is that teaching spelling helps students to write. Rightly or wrongly spelling makes a first impression - either good or not-so-good.In addition, it is not only important for the writer to know what they have written – the reader must also be able to read the text. Would the envelope below make a positive first impression or a less-than-positive one (see Figure 1)?

text: Yes, spelling should be taught There is little doubt that some students are very good spellers. I recall, in my first year of teaching, teaching a 9-year-old student whose spelling was nearly perfect. In a recent study of 7-year-old spellers we encountered a speller who was able to spell equally well. She could correctly spell Latin based words such as ‘extraordinary’ and ‘imagination’ (Nicholson & Dymock, 2018). We also know that many children struggle with spelling. In the same class of 7 year olds there were students who were experiencing difficulty spelling common everyday words such as school [scool], what [wat], have [hav] and said [sed]. Why some children in the same class are good spellers and others are not, despite being exposed to the same learning experiences, is not easy to answer. What we do know is that teaching spelling helps students to write. Rightly or wrongly spelling makes a first impression - either good or not-so-good.In addition, it is not only important for the writer to know what they have written – the reader must also be able to read the text. Would the envelope below make a positive first impression or a less-than-positive one (see Figure 1)?

year: 2019

title: School leadership for Māori succeeding as Māori: A Mataatua perspective

authors: Barrett, Te Arani

subjects: tribal leadership

abstract: This thesis recounts how Ngāti Awa leadership principles from the past became evident in Te Kotahitanga schools. The thesis discusses Principals’ actions and reflections of fostering Māori students’ success as Māori in secondary schooling. Through case studies, it identifies the strategies engaged by these effective leaders and explores their undertakings in achieving successful outcomes for Māori with whom they have worked.
This study is an imperative to addressing the long-term levels of education under-achievement for Māori as indigenous people of New Zealand. The nexus for the study comes from Robinson (2007) who identified that ‘in many ways the question of how much impact [school] leaders have on student outcomes is a flawed one, because the answer surely depends on what it is that leaders do’. Marzano et al  (2005) also identifies ‘the relative paucity of empirical studies’ and ‘little specific guidance as to effective practices in school leadership’.
The purpose of this study is to identify the contribution effective leaders have made towards realising Durie’s (2001) landmark goals for Māori advancement, that is, for self-determining prosperity, good health and global participation. Identifying exceptional outcomes for Māori in a range of contexts establishes the criteria for selecting the case studies and therefore the foundation for the study. Successful outcomes include increased participation, better retention, improved academic achievement results and lesser disparities within the selected education sites.

text: School leadership for Māori succeeding as Māori: A Mataatua perspective This thesis recounts how Ngāti Awa leadership principles from the past became evident in Te Kotahitanga schools. The thesis discusses Principals’ actions and reflections of fostering Māori students’ success as Māori in secondary schooling. Through case studies, it identifies the strategies engaged by these effective leaders and explores their undertakings in achieving successful outcomes for Māori with whom they have worked.
This study is an imperative to addressing the long-term levels of education under-achievement for Māori as indigenous people of New Zealand. The nexus for the study comes from Robinson (2007) who identified that ‘in many ways the question of how much impact [school] leaders have on student outcomes is a flawed one, because the answer surely depends on what it is that leaders do’. Marzano et al  (2005) also identifies ‘the relative paucity of empirical studies’ and ‘little specific guidance as to effective practices in school leadership’.
The purpose of this study is to identify the contribution effective leaders have made towards realising Durie’s (2001) landmark goals for Māori advancement, that is, for self-determining prosperity, good health and global participation. Identifying exceptional outcomes for Māori in a range of contexts establishes the criteria for selecting the case studies and therefore the foundation for the study. Successful outcomes include increased participation, better retention, improved academic achievement results and lesser disparities within the selected education sites.

year: 2018