title: Timor leste collaborative project: a short report

authors: Amaral, Marcos Antonio

subjects: Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e

abstract: This report discusses findings from a small-scale scoping study, which is part of a larger curriculum project—a collaborative venture between staff from the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL) and a New Zealand university.
The aim of the wider project is to develop a context-sensitive English language curriculum for students at UNTL who are undergoing pre-service training to be teachers of English as a foreign language in local secondary schools. (Details of the institutional and linguistic context are provided in the appendix.) According to Norton (2000), investment by learners is a key factor in the successful implementation of a new curriculum: "if learners invest in a second language, they do so with the understanding that they will acquire a wider range of symbolic and material resources, which will increase their value in the social world" (Norton, 2000, pp. 165-166). Thus, when designing the curriculum, it is important to ensure that the students will not only understand how to use the specific learning tasks but that it also expands their repertoire of skills and knowledge for application in their subsequent professional and social lives.
The report begins by outlining the history and objectives of the project before explaining the specific research questions posed for the scoping study. The means of collecting data will be outlined and examples of the participants' attitudes will be presented based on open-ended questionnaire responses. These findings will be discussed in terms of how they might lead to the design of a curriculum which is internationally-framed and context-sensitive in terms both of its content and implementation. The report will conclude with the further steps that are being taken to move the project to its next phase.

text: Timor leste collaborative project: a short report This report discusses findings from a small-scale scoping study, which is part of a larger curriculum project—a collaborative venture between staff from the Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosa'e (UNTL) and a New Zealand university.
The aim of the wider project is to develop a context-sensitive English language curriculum for students at UNTL who are undergoing pre-service training to be teachers of English as a foreign language in local secondary schools. (Details of the institutional and linguistic context are provided in the appendix.) According to Norton (2000), investment by learners is a key factor in the successful implementation of a new curriculum: "if learners invest in a second language, they do so with the understanding that they will acquire a wider range of symbolic and material resources, which will increase their value in the social world" (Norton, 2000, pp. 165-166). Thus, when designing the curriculum, it is important to ensure that the students will not only understand how to use the specific learning tasks but that it also expands their repertoire of skills and knowledge for application in their subsequent professional and social lives.
The report begins by outlining the history and objectives of the project before explaining the specific research questions posed for the scoping study. The means of collecting data will be outlined and examples of the participants' attitudes will be presented based on open-ended questionnaire responses. These findings will be discussed in terms of how they might lead to the design of a curriculum which is internationally-framed and context-sensitive in terms both of its content and implementation. The report will conclude with the further steps that are being taken to move the project to its next phase.

year: 2009

title: Scaling the mountain to principalship Barriers and enablers in a female first time principal’s journey to leadership

authors: Mortimer, Samantha

abstract: The purpose of this presentation is to describe the journey of Janet who was appointed as a first time principal in her 50s. The study is relevant to the field of educational leadership as although girls outpace boys at schools and universities and are currently entering the work force at higher salaries than ever before, there have been minimal changes in the proportion of females in top executive positions in the last decade. For example, in 2012, around 60% of the total number of high school teachers in New Zealand were women but they held less than 33% of all principal positions. This being the case it is useful to reflect on the stories of women who have achieved school principal positions, in order to discover what helped and hindered them on their journey.
In 2015, Janet shared her story about her journey to principalship using a guided interview framework characterised by the creation of themes with open ended questions. Her unique lived experience and the significance of her everyday life to becoming a first time principal was documented and explored by drawing out patterns through coding the transcript and identifying themes through a process of careful reading and reviewing. Janet described her journey, identifying the enablers and barriers along the way and the identity work that enabled her to gain her first position as a school principal. Janet acknowledged the impact of gender, being a wife, and being a mother to a school aged child, and the gender-specific expectations others have of principals, as barriers. She also identified enablers, the people and the processes that helped her to succeed in her career including, her strong belief in social justice which arose from her parents, her support systems including the mentors who guided her throughout her career path to the present day, and the professional development opportunities she was able to enjoy. She talked about a gestalt shift her identity and its collision with circumstances which gave her the confidence to apply for her current job as a school principal. Janet showed she was capable of making workable, manageable and balanced judgments in relation to her work and life including finding people and activities that could support her. Building on the work of Mamood (2015) a visual metaphor that encapsulates Janet’s journey is proposed. This provides a rich view of a woman’s road to principalship and demonstrates the complexity of Janet’s educational leadership journey.

text: Scaling the mountain to principalship Barriers and enablers in a female first time principal’s journey to leadership The purpose of this presentation is to describe the journey of Janet who was appointed as a first time principal in her 50s. The study is relevant to the field of educational leadership as although girls outpace boys at schools and universities and are currently entering the work force at higher salaries than ever before, there have been minimal changes in the proportion of females in top executive positions in the last decade. For example, in 2012, around 60% of the total number of high school teachers in New Zealand were women but they held less than 33% of all principal positions. This being the case it is useful to reflect on the stories of women who have achieved school principal positions, in order to discover what helped and hindered them on their journey.
In 2015, Janet shared her story about her journey to principalship using a guided interview framework characterised by the creation of themes with open ended questions. Her unique lived experience and the significance of her everyday life to becoming a first time principal was documented and explored by drawing out patterns through coding the transcript and identifying themes through a process of careful reading and reviewing. Janet described her journey, identifying the enablers and barriers along the way and the identity work that enabled her to gain her first position as a school principal. Janet acknowledged the impact of gender, being a wife, and being a mother to a school aged child, and the gender-specific expectations others have of principals, as barriers. She also identified enablers, the people and the processes that helped her to succeed in her career including, her strong belief in social justice which arose from her parents, her support systems including the mentors who guided her throughout her career path to the present day, and the professional development opportunities she was able to enjoy. She talked about a gestalt shift her identity and its collision with circumstances which gave her the confidence to apply for her current job as a school principal. Janet showed she was capable of making workable, manageable and balanced judgments in relation to her work and life including finding people and activities that could support her. Building on the work of Mamood (2015) a visual metaphor that encapsulates Janet’s journey is proposed. This provides a rich view of a woman’s road to principalship and demonstrates the complexity of Janet’s educational leadership journey.

year: 2017

title: Waikato shallow lakes modelling

authors: Lehmann, Moritz K.

subjects: Lakes

abstract: The principal aim of this study is to apply a modelling approach to identify, evaluate and prioritise specific in-lake and catchment restoration options which could be applied to improve the water quality and ecological health of peat and riverine lake types across the Waikato Region. Four representative lakes have been selected as case studies for this work based on their social, cultural and ecological significance, as well as the availability of historical monitoring data and the potential transferability of the study findings to similar lake systems. The lakes include Rotomānuka, Ngāroto, Waahi and Waikare.

text: Waikato shallow lakes modelling The principal aim of this study is to apply a modelling approach to identify, evaluate and prioritise specific in-lake and catchment restoration options which could be applied to improve the water quality and ecological health of peat and riverine lake types across the Waikato Region. Four representative lakes have been selected as case studies for this work based on their social, cultural and ecological significance, as well as the availability of historical monitoring data and the potential transferability of the study findings to similar lake systems. The lakes include Rotomānuka, Ngāroto, Waahi and Waikare.

year: 2017