Teachers as readers in New Zealand primary and intermediate schools

Abstract

This report presents the findings of a small exploratory study carried out in 2021 by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) for the National Library of New Zealand | Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa. The project is part of a wider suite of six studies commissioned by the National Library as part of their Communities of Readers initiative. This initiative foregrounds the benefits of reading for pleasure and the equitable distribution of these benefits across all communities in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Framing, classification, and conceptual linkages: What can interdisciplinary practice in small secondary schools contribute to the curriculum conversation?

“…Integrated approaches to teaching and learning have long been advocated in experiential education (Beane, 1991; Beane, 1995; Jacobs, 1989; Miller, 2006) and continue to be a recommended strategy in discussions for educational reform, to engage students with curriculums that are locally relevant and authentic (Kaufman et al, 2008; McDowall & Hipkins, 2019; OECD, 2019; Pluim et al, 2020; UNESCO, 2021). In primary education, integration is well‐established, including as a means for introducing innovation (Eteokleous‐Grigoriou & Psomas, 2013; IBO, 2014a; Lenoir et al, 2000; Minić Vesna & Jovanović Marija, 2020).…”

“…Modern curriculums are countering this by stipulating integration. Examples include listing disciplinary ‘connections’ within each Learning Area of the Australian Curriculum (ACARA, 2022), providing strategic advice for implementing interdisciplinary learning in the New Zealand Curriculum (McDowall & Hipkins, 2019, pp. 23–26), and South Africa's National Curriculum Statement's pedagogical principle to deliver a ‘progression and integration of knowledge’ to a high standard (Naidoo, 2009, abstract).…”