title: Teachers' experiences in curriculum implementation: General curriculum, the arts, and health and physical education

authors: McGee, Clive

subjects: National School Sampling Study

abstract: This report is part of the National School Sampling Study, a Ministry of Education initiative to investigate how teachers work with the curriculum, 2002-2003. The first report in June 2001 outlined how teacher focus group discussions informed the development of national questionnaires. In April 2002 the research team reported on the first round of questionnaires: general curriculum; mathematics; technology; and Māori medium. A subsequent report in April 2003 outlined the results of questionnaires to investigate teachers' experiences in teaching from the New Zealand national curriculum documents in English, languages (Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Samoan), science and social studies.
The major content of this report is the results of another general questionnaire and questionnaires on the arts and health and physical education. The report presents statistical data based upon frequencies and ratios, often organised into school type. Where appropriate, additional comments from `other' categories are presented. Questionnaires included open-ended questions, and results from these are from a sub-sample drawn up for each set of questionnaire responses.
The questionnaires were designed to allow teachers to self-report their curriculum experiences, particularly in using the documents that form a central part of New Zealand's national curriculum: The New Zealand Curriculum Framework (Ministry of Education, 1993), and the statements for the seven curriculum areas which were all relevant to this survey round. Some teachers focused upon the arts or the health and physical education curriculum statements; others on the curriculum generally. Teachers were asked about the documents themselves, professional development, assessment, reporting achievement, school curriculum organisation, the impact of various national curriculum policies, support and resources, and curriculum manageability. They were also encouraged to describe effective aspects of their teaching from the documents, and to reflect upon the impact upon student achievement.
The results show that national curriculum implementation is a complex matter. In general, teachers were reasonably positive about various aspects of their own teaching. Many reported increased confidence in planning, assessment and reporting. The curriculum documents were fairly positively regarded. A number of other factors contributed to teacher confidence such as professional development, resources, review of schools and teachers, and the influence of other teachers. However, there were concerns that need to be taken into consideration in future policy; for example, the quality and type of professional development and resources, curriculum and teacher overload, and teachers' reservations about some aspects of the curriculum documents.

text: Teachers' experiences in curriculum implementation: General curriculum, the arts, and health and physical education This report is part of the National School Sampling Study, a Ministry of Education initiative to investigate how teachers work with the curriculum, 2002-2003. The first report in June 2001 outlined how teacher focus group discussions informed the development of national questionnaires. In April 2002 the research team reported on the first round of questionnaires: general curriculum; mathematics; technology; and Māori medium. A subsequent report in April 2003 outlined the results of questionnaires to investigate teachers' experiences in teaching from the New Zealand national curriculum documents in English, languages (Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Samoan), science and social studies.
The major content of this report is the results of another general questionnaire and questionnaires on the arts and health and physical education. The report presents statistical data based upon frequencies and ratios, often organised into school type. Where appropriate, additional comments from `other' categories are presented. Questionnaires included open-ended questions, and results from these are from a sub-sample drawn up for each set of questionnaire responses.
The questionnaires were designed to allow teachers to self-report their curriculum experiences, particularly in using the documents that form a central part of New Zealand's national curriculum: The New Zealand Curriculum Framework (Ministry of Education, 1993), and the statements for the seven curriculum areas which were all relevant to this survey round. Some teachers focused upon the arts or the health and physical education curriculum statements; others on the curriculum generally. Teachers were asked about the documents themselves, professional development, assessment, reporting achievement, school curriculum organisation, the impact of various national curriculum policies, support and resources, and curriculum manageability. They were also encouraged to describe effective aspects of their teaching from the documents, and to reflect upon the impact upon student achievement.
The results show that national curriculum implementation is a complex matter. In general, teachers were reasonably positive about various aspects of their own teaching. Many reported increased confidence in planning, assessment and reporting. The curriculum documents were fairly positively regarded. A number of other factors contributed to teacher confidence such as professional development, resources, review of schools and teachers, and the influence of other teachers. However, there were concerns that need to be taken into consideration in future policy; for example, the quality and type of professional development and resources, curriculum and teacher overload, and teachers' reservations about some aspects of the curriculum documents.

year: 2004

title: Practical feature subset selection for machine learning

authors: Hall, Mark A.

subjects: computer science

abstract: Machine learning algorithms automatically extract knowledge from machine readable information. Unfortunately, their success is usually dependant on the quality of the data  that they operate on. If the data is inadequate, or contains extraneous and irrelevant information, machine learning algorithms may produce less accurate and less understandable results, or may fail to discover anything of use at all. Feature subset selection can result in enhanced performance, a reduced hypothesis search space, and, in some cases, reduced storage requirement. This paper describes a new feature selection algorithm that uses a correlation based heuristic to determine the “goodness” of feature subsets, and evaluates its effectiveness with three common machine learning algorithms. Experiments using a number of standard machine learning data sets are presented. Feature subset selection gave significant improvement for all three algorithms

text: Practical feature subset selection for machine learning Machine learning algorithms automatically extract knowledge from machine readable information. Unfortunately, their success is usually dependant on the quality of the data  that they operate on. If the data is inadequate, or contains extraneous and irrelevant information, machine learning algorithms may produce less accurate and less understandable results, or may fail to discover anything of use at all. Feature subset selection can result in enhanced performance, a reduced hypothesis search space, and, in some cases, reduced storage requirement. This paper describes a new feature selection algorithm that uses a correlation based heuristic to determine the “goodness” of feature subsets, and evaluates its effectiveness with three common machine learning algorithms. Experiments using a number of standard machine learning data sets are presented. Feature subset selection gave significant improvement for all three algorithms

year: 1998

title: Te Toi Poto, Te Toi Roa A Critical Evaluation of Māori-State Inclusion in the Ohiwa Harbour Strategy, Aotearoa New Zealand.

authors: Lowry, Amanda

subjects: Māori

abstract: In New Zealand, the State Owned Enterprises Act 1988 [SOE], Local Government Act 2002 [LGA], the Resource Management Act 1991 [RMA] require that government include the voices of Māori, and ensure their contribution to the decision-making processes of local authorities. Accordingly, central and local government have embraced the idea of inclusive partnership as part of policymaking processes informed by shared values both of government and iwi.
Thus, it is not uncommon to see consultations, partnerships and engagement between Māori-state on a range of issues in line with Tikanga and protocols of Māori culture. These transitions reflect contemporary critical policy scholarship that underscores the need to include marginalised voices policymaking, specifically through processes that reflect diverse values. Termed here as ‘procedural inclusion’, these efforts are framed within the wider goal of participatory democracy as part of the efforts to realise an inclusive society. The present research is a critical evaluation of the inclusion of Māori in the processes of policymaking, especially when those processes have been especially designed to be culturally sensitive.
This core objective is developed through the analysis of the case study of iwi/hapū-local government engagement in creating and implementing the Ohiwa Harbour Strategy in New Zealand’s Eastern Bay of Plenty region between 2002- 2008. The strategy engagement, which culminated in a long-term plan to manage and conserve the Ohiwa harbour, is uniquely positioned for this investigation. It is often regarded by its iwi/hapū and local government stakeholders as a success story in iwi/hapū-government engagement. Using a critical qualitative research methodology informed by kaupapa Māori, the study sought to critically evaluate this exemplar of procedural inclusion at multiple levels. At an operational policy level, the research identified the factors that either facilitated or inhibited Māori inclusion in the strategy development process. At another, more substantive level, the study explored the politics of this engagement, and if the goals of procedural inclusion could accommodate the transformative claims of self-determination and kaitiakitanga made by iwi/hapū.
The analysis of interview data with key stakeholders and documents of the strategy process revealed that a range of factors enhance inclusive policymaking for Māori. At a practical level, legislative frameworks, commitment to Tikanga by all parties, and key strategic cultural brokers facilitated the inclusion of Māori, while limited capacity, fear of change and inter-tribal tensions hinder inclusion. The results also show, at another level, that the ability to productively participate in these engagement processes are framed by discursive politics – of the meanings and interpretations emanating from historical contexts, nature of power relationships, and of decisions regarding who represents whom and what is represented. In all, the study points to both advantages and limitations of procedural inclusion. Inclusive policymaking can open possibilities for better management of environmental resources, strengthening Māori political voice, and creating opportunities for livelihoods and with it greater economic and social inclusion. Equally, there are also limits of government-sponsored engagement.
Māori inclusion in policymaking, while positive, does not deliver opportunities for self determination or rangatiratanga in keeping with the Treaty principles of partnership.

text: Te Toi Poto, Te Toi Roa A Critical Evaluation of Māori-State Inclusion in the Ohiwa Harbour Strategy, Aotearoa New Zealand. In New Zealand, the State Owned Enterprises Act 1988 [SOE], Local Government Act 2002 [LGA], the Resource Management Act 1991 [RMA] require that government include the voices of Māori, and ensure their contribution to the decision-making processes of local authorities. Accordingly, central and local government have embraced the idea of inclusive partnership as part of policymaking processes informed by shared values both of government and iwi.
Thus, it is not uncommon to see consultations, partnerships and engagement between Māori-state on a range of issues in line with Tikanga and protocols of Māori culture. These transitions reflect contemporary critical policy scholarship that underscores the need to include marginalised voices policymaking, specifically through processes that reflect diverse values. Termed here as ‘procedural inclusion’, these efforts are framed within the wider goal of participatory democracy as part of the efforts to realise an inclusive society. The present research is a critical evaluation of the inclusion of Māori in the processes of policymaking, especially when those processes have been especially designed to be culturally sensitive.
This core objective is developed through the analysis of the case study of iwi/hapū-local government engagement in creating and implementing the Ohiwa Harbour Strategy in New Zealand’s Eastern Bay of Plenty region between 2002- 2008. The strategy engagement, which culminated in a long-term plan to manage and conserve the Ohiwa harbour, is uniquely positioned for this investigation. It is often regarded by its iwi/hapū and local government stakeholders as a success story in iwi/hapū-government engagement. Using a critical qualitative research methodology informed by kaupapa Māori, the study sought to critically evaluate this exemplar of procedural inclusion at multiple levels. At an operational policy level, the research identified the factors that either facilitated or inhibited Māori inclusion in the strategy development process. At another, more substantive level, the study explored the politics of this engagement, and if the goals of procedural inclusion could accommodate the transformative claims of self-determination and kaitiakitanga made by iwi/hapū.
The analysis of interview data with key stakeholders and documents of the strategy process revealed that a range of factors enhance inclusive policymaking for Māori. At a practical level, legislative frameworks, commitment to Tikanga by all parties, and key strategic cultural brokers facilitated the inclusion of Māori, while limited capacity, fear of change and inter-tribal tensions hinder inclusion. The results also show, at another level, that the ability to productively participate in these engagement processes are framed by discursive politics – of the meanings and interpretations emanating from historical contexts, nature of power relationships, and of decisions regarding who represents whom and what is represented. In all, the study points to both advantages and limitations of procedural inclusion. Inclusive policymaking can open possibilities for better management of environmental resources, strengthening Māori political voice, and creating opportunities for livelihoods and with it greater economic and social inclusion. Equally, there are also limits of government-sponsored engagement.
Māori inclusion in policymaking, while positive, does not deliver opportunities for self determination or rangatiratanga in keeping with the Treaty principles of partnership.

year: 2012