title: Fictions and the scope of the artist in the novels of Janet Frame

authors: MacLennan, Carol H. G.

abstract: Art and the initiation of the artist into the skills of her craft, along with the fiction making habits of all human beings, are identified in this study as major concerns in Janet Frame’s novels. Time and change, rituals, regulations, popular music, war and love all have in common the fact that they are fictions created by human beings to order and control their lives. 

People construct fictions intentionally and otherwise to give substance to their short, fragmented existence and to try to explain their place in the universe. Janet Frame’s novels address themselves to the transience and uncertainty of human life confined as it is by the rigid boundaries of birth and death. 

This thesis indicates how the myth-making habits of ancient peoples have been adapted to help modern mankind cope with its precarious situation balanced between the inner abstract world of the mind and the outer physical universe. Added to this uneasy existence, composed of fleeting thoughts and acts which vanish as they are performed, is awareness of life’s impermanence, painfully emphasised by our inevitable mortality. Frame’s work acknowledges and attempts to moderate these facts.

text: Fictions and the scope of the artist in the novels of Janet Frame Art and the initiation of the artist into the skills of her craft, along with the fiction making habits of all human beings, are identified in this study as major concerns in Janet Frame’s novels. Time and change, rituals, regulations, popular music, war and love all have in common the fact that they are fictions created by human beings to order and control their lives. 

People construct fictions intentionally and otherwise to give substance to their short, fragmented existence and to try to explain their place in the universe. Janet Frame’s novels address themselves to the transience and uncertainty of human life confined as it is by the rigid boundaries of birth and death. 

This thesis indicates how the myth-making habits of ancient peoples have been adapted to help modern mankind cope with its precarious situation balanced between the inner abstract world of the mind and the outer physical universe. Added to this uneasy existence, composed of fleeting thoughts and acts which vanish as they are performed, is awareness of life’s impermanence, painfully emphasised by our inevitable mortality. Frame’s work acknowledges and attempts to moderate these facts.

year: 1986

title: Review: Encyclopedia of linguistics

authors: Barnard, Roger

subjects: linguistics

abstract: The two volumes of this new encyclopedia contain over five hundred self-contained essays, each between 1000 and 3000 words, covering a very wide range of topics. They have been written by some three hundred specialists from 34 countries (including several from New Zealand) who were invited to write for readers with no specialist knowledge of the subject by the reader, and without going into considerable theoretical detail. The essays are all very clearly written, and each provides a succinct introduction to the subject. In all cases, suggestions for further reading are provided, as are cross-references to related topics elsewhere in the encyclopedia.

text: Review: Encyclopedia of linguistics The two volumes of this new encyclopedia contain over five hundred self-contained essays, each between 1000 and 3000 words, covering a very wide range of topics. They have been written by some three hundred specialists from 34 countries (including several from New Zealand) who were invited to write for readers with no specialist knowledge of the subject by the reader, and without going into considerable theoretical detail. The essays are all very clearly written, and each provides a succinct introduction to the subject. In all cases, suggestions for further reading are provided, as are cross-references to related topics elsewhere in the encyclopedia.

year: 2005

title: Place responsive and culturally responsive outdoor education in secondary schools: Examining teachers' perspectives and experiences

authors: Skipworth, Andrew James

subjects: place responsive

abstract: Sustainability, place and human connectedness have increasingly become the focus of research and professional dialogue in school-based outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand. These developments challenge traditional practices that privilege adventure and individualistic outcomes in outdoor education. At the same time, the implementation of culturally responsive practices within many secondary schools has further challenged teachers of outdoor education to ensure that pedagogical approaches and outcomes meet the needs of their diverse student population. An increasing number of educators appear to have adopted place responsive and culturally responsive pedagogies within their outdoor education programmes or units of work at the senior school level, yet there is limited research examining teachers’ perceptions and experiences in doing so.
Adopting an interpretive framework, and using qualitative research methods, this research focuses on the challenges faced and opportunities presented when secondary school teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand adopt place and culturally responsive pedagogies in outdoor education. Six teachers of senior level outdoor education from schools spread throughout Aotearoa New Zealand shared their stories. An inductive analysis of the interviews identified these teachers faced ongoing challenges with adopting new pedagogies in outdoor education, which was in part because many colleagues held perceptions that outdoor education was less important than other subjects and was primarily about having fun. In addition, the complexities of assessment at the senior level meant that teachers often faced challenges in formally assessing student learning. Teachers also found that undertaking change required shifts in mind-set which were further supported by targeted professional development, engagement in post-graduate study and talking with like-minded teachers. However, teachers’ adoption of place and culturally responsive approaches generated notable opportunities to align to the front end of the New Zealand curriculum, promote the holistic development of students and nurture cultural diversity.
This study highlights that undertaking curriculum and pedagogical change in outdoor education in secondary schools is a complex process, which is greatly influenced by the attitudes and perceptions of others. The potential alignment of place responsive and culturally responsive pedagogies became apparent, as did the need for more targeted professional development for teachers of outdoor education. Teachers’ adoption of these pedagogies also highlighted a greater capacity for authentic outdoor education experiences for students that also strengthened a commitment to their bicultural partnerships in schools. As the nature of education changes in schools, contemporary pedagogies in outdoor education have the potential to enhance the capacity of schools to facilitate learning that will meet the diverse needs of learners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

text: Place responsive and culturally responsive outdoor education in secondary schools: Examining teachers' perspectives and experiences Sustainability, place and human connectedness have increasingly become the focus of research and professional dialogue in school-based outdoor education in Aotearoa New Zealand. These developments challenge traditional practices that privilege adventure and individualistic outcomes in outdoor education. At the same time, the implementation of culturally responsive practices within many secondary schools has further challenged teachers of outdoor education to ensure that pedagogical approaches and outcomes meet the needs of their diverse student population. An increasing number of educators appear to have adopted place responsive and culturally responsive pedagogies within their outdoor education programmes or units of work at the senior school level, yet there is limited research examining teachers’ perceptions and experiences in doing so.
Adopting an interpretive framework, and using qualitative research methods, this research focuses on the challenges faced and opportunities presented when secondary school teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand adopt place and culturally responsive pedagogies in outdoor education. Six teachers of senior level outdoor education from schools spread throughout Aotearoa New Zealand shared their stories. An inductive analysis of the interviews identified these teachers faced ongoing challenges with adopting new pedagogies in outdoor education, which was in part because many colleagues held perceptions that outdoor education was less important than other subjects and was primarily about having fun. In addition, the complexities of assessment at the senior level meant that teachers often faced challenges in formally assessing student learning. Teachers also found that undertaking change required shifts in mind-set which were further supported by targeted professional development, engagement in post-graduate study and talking with like-minded teachers. However, teachers’ adoption of place and culturally responsive approaches generated notable opportunities to align to the front end of the New Zealand curriculum, promote the holistic development of students and nurture cultural diversity.
This study highlights that undertaking curriculum and pedagogical change in outdoor education in secondary schools is a complex process, which is greatly influenced by the attitudes and perceptions of others. The potential alignment of place responsive and culturally responsive pedagogies became apparent, as did the need for more targeted professional development for teachers of outdoor education. Teachers’ adoption of these pedagogies also highlighted a greater capacity for authentic outdoor education experiences for students that also strengthened a commitment to their bicultural partnerships in schools. As the nature of education changes in schools, contemporary pedagogies in outdoor education have the potential to enhance the capacity of schools to facilitate learning that will meet the diverse needs of learners in Aotearoa New Zealand.

year: 2017