title: Making the Shift:  Perceptions and Challenges of Modern Learning Practice

authors: Murphy, Christine

subjects: innovative learning environments

abstract: As we move into the third millennium, Modern Learning Environments (MLE) - also referred to as Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) – have been strongly backed by educators, both internationally and within New Zealand.  These open and flexible spaces are claimed to effectively support a range of student-centred, strengths-based pedagogies - dubbed Modern Learning Practice (MLP)  - where teachers and students can engage in more personalised, ubiquitous and collaborative teaching and learning.  Set within an educational context of a holistic national curriculum, a new way of thinking about schooling in New Zealand is emerging, with a strong focus on life-long learning skills and competencies.  Endorsed financially by policy-makers and philosophically by educational thought leaders, the physical landscape of education in New Zealand is rapidly shifting.  However, for a change of such magnitude to take place in public education, there must be clarity of message when establishing links between the physical environment, corresponding practice and their collective impact on student learning. It is a potential disparity in definition and purpose around what, exactly, constitutes MLE and MLP that this study explores.  Specifically, in a school making the shift, what are the stakeholders’ perceptions of MLE and MLP?  And what - if any - challenges are faced by a school’s learning community in implementing MLE and MLP?

This mixed-method case study has created a snapshot of community perceptions at a recently renovated intermediate school undergoing a shift to MLP at a specific space and time.  Through the use of surveys, interviews and focus groups, the perspectives of both the school and wider community have been gathered and thematically analysed.  The findings suggest that, although perceptions of the purpose of MLE and MLP were largely synergistic across all participants, challenges in implementation were highlighted, which create on-going questions that could affect the success of the shift at this school and others.  Implications for further research into the impact of MLE and MLP on student learning outcomes are identified and recommendations are made at the practitioner, school and policy level – from the imperative for a vision that better aligns with student-centred pedagogies, to the need for more robust conversation about the competencies that are promoted in these contexts, and how to address the subsequent dichotomy with regards to current assessment standards.

This study will be of use to any school that is planning to utilise MLE and their associated practices in the future, as it discusses potential challenges as well as possible solutions surrounding implementation.

text: Making the Shift:  Perceptions and Challenges of Modern Learning Practice As we move into the third millennium, Modern Learning Environments (MLE) - also referred to as Innovative Learning Environments (ILE) – have been strongly backed by educators, both internationally and within New Zealand.  These open and flexible spaces are claimed to effectively support a range of student-centred, strengths-based pedagogies - dubbed Modern Learning Practice (MLP)  - where teachers and students can engage in more personalised, ubiquitous and collaborative teaching and learning.  Set within an educational context of a holistic national curriculum, a new way of thinking about schooling in New Zealand is emerging, with a strong focus on life-long learning skills and competencies.  Endorsed financially by policy-makers and philosophically by educational thought leaders, the physical landscape of education in New Zealand is rapidly shifting.  However, for a change of such magnitude to take place in public education, there must be clarity of message when establishing links between the physical environment, corresponding practice and their collective impact on student learning. It is a potential disparity in definition and purpose around what, exactly, constitutes MLE and MLP that this study explores.  Specifically, in a school making the shift, what are the stakeholders’ perceptions of MLE and MLP?  And what - if any - challenges are faced by a school’s learning community in implementing MLE and MLP?

This mixed-method case study has created a snapshot of community perceptions at a recently renovated intermediate school undergoing a shift to MLP at a specific space and time.  Through the use of surveys, interviews and focus groups, the perspectives of both the school and wider community have been gathered and thematically analysed.  The findings suggest that, although perceptions of the purpose of MLE and MLP were largely synergistic across all participants, challenges in implementation were highlighted, which create on-going questions that could affect the success of the shift at this school and others.  Implications for further research into the impact of MLE and MLP on student learning outcomes are identified and recommendations are made at the practitioner, school and policy level – from the imperative for a vision that better aligns with student-centred pedagogies, to the need for more robust conversation about the competencies that are promoted in these contexts, and how to address the subsequent dichotomy with regards to current assessment standards.

This study will be of use to any school that is planning to utilise MLE and their associated practices in the future, as it discusses potential challenges as well as possible solutions surrounding implementation.

year: 2016

title: Income Inequality, Voter Turnout and Employment in 2005 – 2014 Elections in New Zealand

authors: Muggeridge, Charlotte

subjects: Political science

abstract: As Robert Dahl put it in 1971, ―a key characteristic of a democracy is the continued responsiveness of the government to the preferences of its citizens, considered as political equals‖. Democracy is thought to break down when equality diminishes. This paper explores the causal relation between an independent variable, income inequality, and a potential dependent variable, voter turnout (as a measure of democratic participation), at the local level in 13 electoral districts in New Zealand over 4 national elections.
For Bühlmann, the three fundamental principles of democracy are equality, freedom and control. Equality usually ranks at the top of most democratic criteria. New Zealand, once regarded as one of the most egalitarian societies in the world, was ranked 23rd out of 34 countries on the OECD measure of income inequality in 2012, and has continued to drop since then, with ―New Zealand [having] the largest increase in income inequality of all the OECD countries since the mid 1980‘s…‖. Of the top 20% of income earners, 86% voted in the New Zealand national elections, compared to the bottom 20% of income earners, where only 75% voted. Goodin and Dryzek argue that the more that economic power is concentrated within the elite, the more the bottom income earners will withdraw from electoral voting.
Participation in politics, in this interpretation, tends to be driven by relative income. Income inequality, in this view, hinders democracy by blocking full participation in society and limiting a sense of belonging. This study has tested these presumptions with a cursory longitudinal analysis of 13 comparative and contrasting local electoral districts in New Zealand, once the most egalitarian and, arguably, most democratic country in the world.
The research shows that household income inequality has an inverse effect on voter turnout, taken as a whole. With the voting that has occurred, there is a clear preference for right-of-centre parties. Regardless of economic standing, citizens are apparently continuing to vote against their immediate interests. The results also suggest that while employment rates are currently high in New Zealand, voter turnout is decreasing and voters perhaps have previously blamed the government for their lack of employment even when they have seemingly lost the bases of their grievances.

text: Income Inequality, Voter Turnout and Employment in 2005 – 2014 Elections in New Zealand As Robert Dahl put it in 1971, ―a key characteristic of a democracy is the continued responsiveness of the government to the preferences of its citizens, considered as political equals‖. Democracy is thought to break down when equality diminishes. This paper explores the causal relation between an independent variable, income inequality, and a potential dependent variable, voter turnout (as a measure of democratic participation), at the local level in 13 electoral districts in New Zealand over 4 national elections.
For Bühlmann, the three fundamental principles of democracy are equality, freedom and control. Equality usually ranks at the top of most democratic criteria. New Zealand, once regarded as one of the most egalitarian societies in the world, was ranked 23rd out of 34 countries on the OECD measure of income inequality in 2012, and has continued to drop since then, with ―New Zealand [having] the largest increase in income inequality of all the OECD countries since the mid 1980‘s…‖. Of the top 20% of income earners, 86% voted in the New Zealand national elections, compared to the bottom 20% of income earners, where only 75% voted. Goodin and Dryzek argue that the more that economic power is concentrated within the elite, the more the bottom income earners will withdraw from electoral voting.
Participation in politics, in this interpretation, tends to be driven by relative income. Income inequality, in this view, hinders democracy by blocking full participation in society and limiting a sense of belonging. This study has tested these presumptions with a cursory longitudinal analysis of 13 comparative and contrasting local electoral districts in New Zealand, once the most egalitarian and, arguably, most democratic country in the world.
The research shows that household income inequality has an inverse effect on voter turnout, taken as a whole. With the voting that has occurred, there is a clear preference for right-of-centre parties. Regardless of economic standing, citizens are apparently continuing to vote against their immediate interests. The results also suggest that while employment rates are currently high in New Zealand, voter turnout is decreasing and voters perhaps have previously blamed the government for their lack of employment even when they have seemingly lost the bases of their grievances.

year: 2017

title: Anō, ko te Riu ō Tāne Mahuta Possibilities and Challenges in a Ngāti Rangiwewehi Curriculum

authors: Mahuika, Rangimarie

subjects: Curriculum

abstract: This thesis considers how a curriculum might form a useful tool in meeting the needs and aspirations of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, a small, but dynamic tribe, who occupy specific territory from the north western shores of Lake Rotorua into the eastern Bay of Plenty of the North Island of New Zealand. In contemplating the potential benefits of a curriculum, this study begins by examining the epistemological frames of reference crucial to understanding how the tribe views the world around them, and their positioning within it. The thesis goes on to explore the pedagogical approaches specific to the iwi, and concludes by assessing the extent to which a curriculum is a viable means of maintaining and empowering Rangiwewehi mātauranga, and their underlying ambitions, and goals. Whether ‘curriculum’ is an appropriate framework to describe the way Ngāti Rangiwewehi view our educational processes, is an issue addressed in this study. To this extent, Rangiwewehi perspectives are intentionally privileged allowing appropriate representation of our understandings and aspirations. Eighteen people were interviewed as part of this study, yet many other voices included here were recorded during a tribal wānanga held in late 2010. Their accounts provide the core ideas and positions at work in this thesis, and are invaluable for the depth and texture they offer. An emphasis on the qualitative data collected here is important in allowing their words to take centre stage. In conveying their views and stories, three major themes emerged: these were people, place, and survival. Woven through the body of the thesis, these themes work to illustrate the key designs and patterns that were seen as fundamental to a Rangiwewehi way of viewing the world. Place and people, for instance, were affirmed as crucial to both the pedagogical and epistemological beliefs and practices maintained across generations. Similarly, the theme of survival was deemed a significant thread in comprehending the struggle and self-determination inherent in the tribe’s sense of identity and knowing. These themes reflect convictions shared across the iwi, highlighting the importance of understanding Ngāti Rangiwewehi by first listening to what they have to say about themselves and their curriculum.

text: Anō, ko te Riu ō Tāne Mahuta Possibilities and Challenges in a Ngāti Rangiwewehi Curriculum This thesis considers how a curriculum might form a useful tool in meeting the needs and aspirations of Ngāti Rangiwewehi, a small, but dynamic tribe, who occupy specific territory from the north western shores of Lake Rotorua into the eastern Bay of Plenty of the North Island of New Zealand. In contemplating the potential benefits of a curriculum, this study begins by examining the epistemological frames of reference crucial to understanding how the tribe views the world around them, and their positioning within it. The thesis goes on to explore the pedagogical approaches specific to the iwi, and concludes by assessing the extent to which a curriculum is a viable means of maintaining and empowering Rangiwewehi mātauranga, and their underlying ambitions, and goals. Whether ‘curriculum’ is an appropriate framework to describe the way Ngāti Rangiwewehi view our educational processes, is an issue addressed in this study. To this extent, Rangiwewehi perspectives are intentionally privileged allowing appropriate representation of our understandings and aspirations. Eighteen people were interviewed as part of this study, yet many other voices included here were recorded during a tribal wānanga held in late 2010. Their accounts provide the core ideas and positions at work in this thesis, and are invaluable for the depth and texture they offer. An emphasis on the qualitative data collected here is important in allowing their words to take centre stage. In conveying their views and stories, three major themes emerged: these were people, place, and survival. Woven through the body of the thesis, these themes work to illustrate the key designs and patterns that were seen as fundamental to a Rangiwewehi way of viewing the world. Place and people, for instance, were affirmed as crucial to both the pedagogical and epistemological beliefs and practices maintained across generations. Similarly, the theme of survival was deemed a significant thread in comprehending the struggle and self-determination inherent in the tribe’s sense of identity and knowing. These themes reflect convictions shared across the iwi, highlighting the importance of understanding Ngāti Rangiwewehi by first listening to what they have to say about themselves and their curriculum.

year: 2011