(2018). Working on the "Frontline" of Education: Full Day Kindergarten Working and Learning Conditions Survey. BCTF Research. British Columbia Teachers' Federation In Spring 2018–almost a decade into province-wide implementation of Full-day Kindergarten–the British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) Research Department and British Columbia Primary Teachers' Association (BCPTA) investigated who the K/K-1 teachers are, how they teach and learn, and whether they have the resources and supports needed to effectively carry out their professional work. This report presents highlights from the BCTF/BCPTA 2018 Full day Kindergarten Working and Learning Conditions Survey. With a response rate of almost 50% of current K/K-1 teachers in the province, the survey provides a reliable snapshot of K/K-1 teachers' classroom spaces and teaching approaches, professional learning experiences, and advice for creating better learning and working conditions for themselves and their students…. [PDF]

(2018). Aboriginal Learners in British Columbia's Public Post-Secondary System. Ministry of Advanced Education, Skills & Training The report provides an overview of Aboriginal learners (First Nations, Inuit, and M√©tis peoples) in British Columbia, Canada. Section 1 examines the data on transitions from K-12 to the post-secondary system. Section 2 discusses recent trends in the B.C. public post-secondary system including headcount, full-time equivalents and credentials. Section 3 analyzes the Aboriginal learner data by institution, program area and credential type. Section 4 highlights demographic characteristics of the Aboriginal learner population including differences by gender and age group. Section 5 focuses on the results of the student outcomes surveys of recent graduates from baccalaureate, certificate, diploma, associate degree, and apprenticeship programs. It also compares the experiences and outcomes of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadian learners attending public schools and public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia…. [PDF]

Odora Hoppers, Catherine A. (2013). Community Engagement, Globalisation, and Restorative Action: Approaching Systems and Research in the Universities. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, v19 n2 p94-102 Aut. It is clear that there is a wide range of arguments that reflect varying degrees of disaffection with the university worldwide. A great deal of understandable effort is directed at the impact of globalisation, especially the way it is making universities engage in academic capitalism (Slaughter and Leslie, 1997). The alternative arguments emphasise democratic internal governance and external community service driven by the goals of social equity, democratic values, and concern for the public good. Currie and Subotsky (2000) referring to the South African situation, caution that without exploring the basis upon which reconstructive community development can be institutionally operationalised, the twin goals of global and redistributive development will remain unsolved. They point out the overinvestment in accounting for the new organisational and epistemological features of the "market" university, policy and academic debates that are silent on the corresponding features of… [Direct]

Fasoli, Lyn; Frawley, Jack (2012). Working Together: Intercultural Leadership Capabilities for Both-Ways Education. School Leadership & Management, v32 n4 p309-320. This article explores the concept of interculturalism and its complementary relationship with the Aboriginal Australian idea of "both ways". The need for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal staff to learn to be intercultural teachers and leaders, as well as the needs of the system to work interculturally to achieve educational outcomes, is emphasised. This article suggests that in order for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal educational leaders to work within an intercultural world, new leadership capabilities must be learned and acquired. (Contains 4 notes.)… [Direct]

Piper, Benjamin (2016). International Education Is a Broken Field: Can "Ubuntu" Education Bring Solutions?. International Review of Education, v62 n1 p101-111 Feb. "Ubuntu" is an African philosophy of human kindness; applying it in the Global South would fundamentally alter the design of the education sector. This essay argues, however, that the field of international educational development is not, in fact, structured to support an education influenced by "ubuntu" ideals. Specifically, the educational development milieu includes donors, implementers and academicians who do not sufficiently question the power dynamics which underpin education development. This creates a field where the power imbalances between donors and host governments are not interrogated, where development workers place too much faith in their own knowledge rather than that of local education experts, and where development practitioners rarely appreciate the privilege of working in countries which are not their own. An "ubuntu" education would alter the educational development field in myriad critical ways, a few of which are suggested in this… [Direct]

Karpinsky, Val (2016). Admissions Indicators and Practices Leading to the Success of Mature Students. British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer A 2013 British Columbia Council of Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) research report suggested the need to continue research on mature students for the sake of ensuring access to postsecondary education (PSE) for adults and other categories of non-traditional students. The 2013 report laid a basis for this study which investigates key elements of undergraduate mature student admissions in BC. The study objectives included the following: (1) To review existing practices in assessing mature applicants for admission; (2) To identify indicators of mature (non-traditional) student preparedness that are not related to high school grades; (3) To identify subcategories of mature students that may require different means of assessment; (4) To identify successful practices in creating opportunities for access; and (5) To identify areas for future research and, if appropriate, the development of suggested practices. Research literature recognizes that mature student admission characteristics… [PDF]

Gozali-Lee, Edith (2019). Enriching Children through a Culturally Specific Summer Learning Program: 2019 Evaluation of Hmong Karen Youth Pride. Wilder Research Minnesota has a persistent and substantial student achievement gap based on race and family income. There are also substantial achievement gaps between native English speakers and English learners (Minnesota Compass, n.d.). In 2019, Saint Paul Promise Neighborhood (SPPN) worked with Hmong American Partnership (HAP) and Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) to offer a summer learning program called Hmong Karen Youth Pride (HKYP). The six-week program included a literacy curriculum and cultural enrichment activities. The literacy curriculum was taught by SPPS teachers using the district's Hmong dual language program curriculum. The enrichment activities were taught by HAP's academic support workers and were designed to educate and inspire cultural pride in Hmong and Karen students. Wilder Research conducted an outcome evaluation of HKYP. The evaluators examined student reading assessments and conducted a student survey and parent focus groups. This report describes HKYP and highlights the… [PDF]

Dionne, Liliane; Kim, Eun-Ji Amy (2014). Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Science Education and Its Integration in Grades 7 and 8 Canadian Science Curriculum Documents. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, v14 n4 p311-329. Though science education has been prominent in the Canadian educational system, researchers increasingly recognize the scientific and educational value of integrating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) into their curriculum. Despite national strategies to integrate TEK, Canada has yet to initiate a comprehensive study of its prevalence and representation within the curriculum. This study is the first to explore the current status of TEK in provincial Grade 7 and 8 science curricula and to make recommendations for further research. The results from a mixed methods content analysis of the official curricula reveal a high variation in the prevalence and representations of TEK…. [Direct]

Leung, Felix; McVicar, Duncan; Polidano, Cain; Zhang, Rong (2014). Early Impacts of the Victorian Training Guarantee on VET Enrolments and Graduate Outcomes. Research Report. National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) The impact of the first round of Victorian demand-driven reforms, referred to as the Victorian Training Guarantee (VTG), on enrolments and training outcomes is the focus of this report. The VTG reforms were introduced to create a more responsive training market and were implemented between July 2009 and January 2011. Subsequent reforms introduced in Victoria in 2012 are not part of this analysis. A particular focus of this report is on impacts for Indigenous students, those from a non-English speaking background and students with a disability. The impact of the VTG on enrolments and training outcomes for students from different age groups is also considered. Key messages in this report include: (1) For 15 to 19-year-olds, the Victorian Training Guarantee is estimated to improve the likelihood of being in full-time employment six months after training; this group was also satisfied with their course. The outcomes were not as positive for those aged 20 to 24 years, however, possibly… [PDF]

John, Vaughn M. (2016). Up Close and Personal: Theorising Care Work in Adult Education. Research Papers in Education, v31 n3 p337-351. How do we account for the close personal bonds and deeply caring relationships forged by educators with learners in many adult educational encounters? The literature is relatively silent on the emotional and relational basis to adult educator work. This is a serious silence, given the stressful nature of adult education in developing contexts such as South Africa and the relative vulnerability of such educators. This article addresses this gap by exploring a range of theoretical and conceptual frameworks which may help navigate the relational and affective landscape of adult educator work as care work. Here the frameworks of African perspectives on learning, feminist perspectives on learning, expanded conceptions of transformative learning and Freire's pedagogy of love are considered. The second part of the article shares some findings on adult educators' emotional and relational bonds with learners from a study of the Human Rights Democracy and Development project and discusses… [Direct]

Taylor, Lisa (2014). Inheritance as Intimate, Implicated Publics: Building Practices of Remembrance with Future Teachers in Response to Residential School Survivor Testimonial Media and Literature. Canadian Social Studies, v47 n2 p110-126. In this article, I contextualize and outline my use of testimonial literature, including orature, by residential school survivors in a preservice course focused on building practices of witness- ≠as-study (Simon & Eppert, 2005). My theorization of the course curriculum and pedagogy draws on key texts by Roger Simon as a means of proposing pedagogical strategies that teacher educators and teachers in Canada might bring to their classrooms as we take up the invitation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to engage the broader Canadian society in the task of publicly witnessing and commemorating the testimonies of First Nations, Inuit and M√©tis (FNIM) residential school survivors…. [PDF]

Hall, Lisa (2014). "With" Not "About"–Emerging Paradigms for Research in a Cross-Cultural Space. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, v37 n4 p376-389. This paper will examine questions and considerations regarding research design and methodology. For researchers working within an Indigenous domain, it is important to recognize the historical legacy left by researchers of the past as well as the impact of a new generation of Indigenous researchers who are speaking back to the Academy about emerging Indigenous research paradigms. This paper will seek to locate an appropriate methodological approach for a Doctoral study within this discourse. It will explore ideas such as the post-colonial legacies of research for Indigenous people and the emergence of a generation of Indigenous researchers and how this has impacted on the choices being made around research and in particular research methodologies. It will examine what other methodologies and research processes are being proposed and used in these emerging paradigms and then attempt a careful examination of what the most appropriate type of methodology might be for research focused on… [Direct]

Hodgkins, Andrew (2016). Challenging Transitions: Trades and Trade-Offs for Racialised Youth in Canada's Mining Industry. International Studies in Sociology of Education, v26 n2 p121-137. This article examines the precarious learning-to-work transitions experienced by aboriginal youth in the Canadian oil sands mining industry. Drawing from an empirical case study of a mine-sponsored, pre-apprenticeship training programme, challenges experienced by programme participants, as well as their socialisation into the world of work are examined. As a group that is considered "at-risk," aboriginal youth in resource rich regions are also vulnerable to being targeted as a source of racialised labour by companies who want to appease local resentment over land dispossession and environmental pollution occurring on traditional lands. Informed by the sociology of Pierre Bourdieu and the concept of "vocational habitus," the inquiry critically examines the sets of dispositions that become embodied in training participants, which I argue align with the reputational risk management objectives of the sponsoring company…. [Direct]

Mojab, Shahrzad; Taber, Nancy (2015). Memoir Pedagogy: Gender Narratives of Violence and Survival. Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education, v27 n2 p31-45 Mar. Through our reading of the memoirs of women political prisoners in Morocco, Iraq, and Iran, this article explores the transnational feminist praxis of building solidarity. We cross-read these memoirs in the context of Aboriginal women's encounter with state violence in Canada. This cross-reading and contemplation are intended to trouble the liberal notions of multiculturalism, settlement, and integration and to connect transitions in the lives of women who deal with war, militarism, racism, violence, and poverty. Therefore, the question we address is how to read the memoirs in the context of history and find the missing links between, for instance, colonization and migration, militarization and liberal democracy, racism and multiculturalism? How can we read them in the context of Canadian history and contemporary geopolitical positioning? In this article, we discuss the memoir genre in relation to public pedagogies, describe the memoirs on which we focus, discuss their main themes… [Direct]

Ebbeck, Marjory; Waniganayake, Manjula (2017). Play in Early Childhood Education: Learning in Diverse Contexts. Second Edition. Oxford University Press This book demonstrates clear links between play and Australian education policy and framework documents, including the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards. It provides clear and in-depth coverage of essential theories, including good coverage of the Reggio Emilia approach and provides real life examples of professional practice provided throughout the text. Case studies and questions in each chapter encourage critical reflection on both the theory and practice of children's play. The text includes cross-cultural perspectives, including examinations of curriculum issues and children's play in Finland, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Tanzania. Each chapter is accompanied by unique photographs providing authentic documentation of children's learning through play in a variety of social and cultural contexts. This book covers a range of topics highly relevant and of interest to today's educators, including: developing early childhood curriculum; assessing… [Direct]

(2017). Education Indicators in Canada: An International Perspective, 2017. Statistics Canada This publication is the ninth in a series of reports designed to complement the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) annual report on education indicators, "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators." The 12 indicators presented in this 2017 Canadian compendium represent a selection of indicators that were developed to align with the definitions and methodologies used by the OECD in its most recent report, "Education at a Glance 2017: OECD Indicators." Data for Canada, the provinces and territories were drawn from several sources and various reference years, as required to provide comparisons with OECD figures. The 2017 indicators for Canada, the provinces and territories capture information on educational attainment, graduation and completion rates at the secondary level, labour market outcomes, expenditures per student, expenditures on education, international students, transitions to the labour market, and the learning environment and… [PDF]

Holm, Jennifer, Ed.; Mathieu-Soucy, Sarah, Ed. (2020). Proceedings of the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group = Actes de la Rencontre Annuelle 2019 du Groupe Canadien d'√âtude en Didactique des Math√©matiques (43rd, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, May 31-June 4, 2019). Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group The 43rd meeting of Canadian Mathematics Education Study Group (CMESG) was held at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (May 31-June 4, 2019). This meeting marked only the third time CMESG/GCEDM (Groupe Canadien d'√âtude en Didactique des Math√©matiques) had been held in Nova Scotia (1996, 2003), and the first time it had been held at St. Francis Xavier University. The meeting was attended by 116 participants, 25 of which were first timers. The meeting featured a scientific program organized into six working groups, four topic sessions, five new PhD presentations, 18 gallery walk presentations, and 12 AdHoc sessions. Twenty-six papers are included in these proceedings–two are written in French, eight are provided in both French and English, and the remainder are written in English. [For the 2018 proceedings, see ED595075.]… [PDF]

(2020). Tribal Education Status Report Guidebook 2019-2020. New Mexico Public Education Department The purpose of this guidebook is to provide guidance to school districts in completing their local Tribal Education Status Report (TESR). Any data that is reported in the local TESRs has to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. ß 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) which is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. For this purpose, the Public Education Department requires any data about students has to follow masking rules. Any data that reports less than ten students has to mask that data by indicating <10 or an asterisk * and explanation that results were less than ten students. Additionally, this manual will provide templates to support school districts in the development of their local plans. The Indian Education Division (IED) will use the district reports to inform the development of an annual statewide… [PDF]

ho'omanawanui, ku'ualoha (2013). Ke Ha'a La Puna i Ka Makani: Pele and Hi'iaka Mo'olelo and the Possibilities for Hawaiian Literary Analysis. Educational Perspectives, v45 n1-2 p41-52. In 2003, the University of Hawai'i sponsored a symposium titled "Indigenizing the University." This symposium featured indigenous scholars such as Linda Tuhiwai Smith, Graham Smith, and Taiaiake Alfred, who addressed how indigenous political theory and methods of research were necessary to support indigenous research and how changes to the university personnel structure were needed to include indigenous people at every level of the university. One central question emerged from that symposium for the author of this article: "It it possible to indigenize research theories methods, and practices within the discipline?" This essay explores selected examples of the author's ongoing development of culturally informed theories that guide the interpretation of Hawaiian orature and literature in nineteenth century Hawai'i and beyond…. [PDF]

Prochner, Larry; Woitte, Sherry (2013). Still Missing? History Chapters in Introductory Early Childhood Education Textbooks From the 1990s to the 2010s. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, v34 n4 p374-389. This article compares history chapters in recent introductory early childhood education textbooks with those from an earlier study, reviewing history chapters on four dimensions: the rationale for the study of history, the dominant story of the history, the facts of the history, and the image of the history. Ten textbooks are reviewed, including six from the original study that are still in publication. Foundation textbooks are described as important sources of knowledge for beginning students. In the earlier study, the dominant story was derived mainly from the contributions of "giant thinkers" in psychology, education, and philosophy. A notable current trend is identified, that textbooks have improved their attention to international and non-Western developments. Nevertheless, while there is some evidence of a change in the presentation of history in the textbooks in the current survey, the article concludes by identifying some missing pieces, as in the original survey…. [Direct]

Frank, Kristyn; Jovic, Emily (2017). National Apprenticeship Survey: Canada Overview Report, 2015. Statistics Canada Strong economic growth through much of the period since 2000 and demographic pressures such as workforce aging, have contributed to a robust demand for skilled tradespeople. Despite a decline following the economic recession in 2008 and 2009, new registrations in apprenticeship programs have increased nearly 200% since the 1990s. Apprenticeship training is one of the key methods by which people acquire the skills and knowledge needed to become skilled tradespeople. The 2015 National Apprenticeship Survey (NAS) explored the experience of apprenticeship training in Canada, including pathways to apprenticeship and skilled trades, as well as factors influencing completion. The NAS national overview report offers a first look at the data generated by this new survey. Each chapter of the report focuses on one of many key themes including apprentices' socio-demographic profile, financial supports and labour market outcomes…. [PDF]

Montefrio, Marvin Joseph F. (2012). Privileged Biofuels, Marginalized Indigenous Peoples: The Coevolution of Biofuels Development in the Tropics. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, v32 n1 p41-55 Feb. Biofuels development has assumed an important role in integrating Indigenous peoples and other marginalized populations in the production of biofuels for global consumption. By combining the theories of commoditization and the environmental sociology of networks and flows, the author analyzed emerging trends and possible changes in institutions and behaviors brought about by the introduction of biofuels as a development option on ancestral lands. Using the Indonesian oil palm and the Philippine "Jatropha" experiences, the author argues that although there are efforts to integrate smallholder systems to the global integrated biofuels network, the effects of commoditization continue to undermine the more sustainable, less commoditized agricultural practices of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples and their traditional agricultural practices are at risk of being either phased out from or eventually transformed by the global integrated biofuels network to accommodate… [Direct]

Bang, Megan; Bell, Philip; LaBonte, Don; Meixi; Starks, Elizabeth; Su√°rez, Enrique; Tzou, Carrie (2016). Storywork in STEM-Art: Making, Materiality and Robotics within Everyday Acts of Indigenous Presence and Resurgence. Cognition and Instruction, v37 n3 p306-326 2019. This article presents findings from TechTales, a participatory design research (PDR) project where learning scientists, public library staff members, informal science educators, and staff members from Native-American-serving organizations collaborated to design a family-based robotics workshop that was grounded in storytelling. We approach this by engaging Indigenous ways of knowing and being from a sociocultural learning theory perspective. Through analyzing families-in-interaction as they constructed dioramas with robotics that told their family stories, we explore how cultivating consequential learning environments in STEM is intimately intertwined with historicity, knowledge systems, and the agentic positioning of learners to design new technologies. We find that using storywork as the design focus of building dioramas created learning environments where computer programing and robotics became dynamic tools toward family-making, collaboration, and the active presencing of… [Direct]

Jackson, Dia; McCray, Erica D. (2016). Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Students: What Educator Preparation Programs Need to Do to Support Teacher Learning. State Policy and Practice Portrait. Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform Center Current educational data indicate that culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students–students in the ethnic or language minority–have some of the lowest academic outcomes and graduation rates among student subgroups. Supported by more than a decade of literature, culturally relevant pedagogy provides a set of practices that teachers and schools can integrate into their daily instructional programs to improve outcomes for CLD students. Through technical assistance to states, the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability and Reform Center (CEEDAR) is supporting educator preparation programs across the country to integrate culturally responsive teaching (CRT) into their teacher education course content and field experiences. CEEDAR technical assistance providers provide research and tools to assist teacher education faculty. This report highlights two of the states that have initiated work to strengthen education preparation in CRT–South Dakota and… [PDF]

(2021). COVID-19 Student Impacts: February 2021. British Columbia Ministry of Education The COVID-19 pandemic may be one of the greatest challenges our provincial education system has ever addressed. In the spring of 2020, many governments around the world ordered schools to suspend in-person instruction for most of their students, requiring education systems to pivot almost overnight to online or remote teaching and virtual education. Classrooms moved into living rooms, bedrooms, hallways and kitchens and most teacher-student interactions were tied to the availability or strength of an internet connection. According to an Angus Reid Institute poll (May 2020), more than 80% of Canadian students surveyed said they were attending school online. On March 17, 2020, British Columbia declared a provincial state of emergency due to the increasing number of cases of COVID-19. Public and independent schools in the province suspended in-classroom teaching in accordance with guidance from the Provincial Health Officer. BC was one of two K-12 educational systems in Canada to… [PDF]

Clary, Deidre; Feez, Susan; Garvey, Amanda; Partridge, Rebecca (2015). From Little Things Big Things Grow: Enhancing Literacy Learning for Secondary Students in Rural and Regional Australia. Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, v25 n1 p25-37. Overall, the educational achievement of rural and regional students is lower than that of students elsewhere. To address uneven student achievement, a regional NSW high school, in collaboration with the local university, adopted a whole school approach to literacy teaching and learning. The literacy pedagogy adopted by the school has been applied to meet the specific literacy demands of each learning area. How teachers implementing the pedagogy have been supported by a school-university partnership is documented in this paper. A key outcome of the professional learning is that teachers in years 7 and 8 are expected to develop a language shared with colleagues and students for talking about the literacy demands of the learning areas so literacy knowledge and skills gained in one learning area can be applied in other learning areas…. [Direct]

Mabingo, Alfdaniels (2015). Integrating Emerging Technologies in Teaching Ugandan Traditional Dances in K-12 Schools in New York City. Curriculum Journal, v26 n2 p313-334. Schools in New York City have made attempts to embrace and support the strand of "making connections", which is laid out in the New York City Department of Dance blueprint for teaching and learning in dance for grades PreK-12. Accordingly, some schools have integrated Ugandan traditional dances into the dance curriculum, and dance teachers have employed emerging technologies as part of instructional methodologies in teaching these dances. Anchored in the theoretical framework of constructivism and the idea of concept and realisation in constructing dance knowledge, this article reveals how the author employed emerging technologies and online platforms such as ipads, smartboards, ipods, iphones, audio recorders, YouTube and wikispace in teaching Ugandan traditional dances to: reconcile contextual and content knowledge in the classroom; engage students in reflective and interpretive analyses and deconstruction of dance songs and movements; give feedback to and receive… [Direct]

Chen, Glenn; Matsumoto, George I.; Needham, Cathy; Opheim, Michael (2014). A Collaborative and Mutually Beneficial Tribal Marine Science Workshop Format for Tribal Natural Resource Professionals, Marine Educators, and Researchers. Journal of Geoscience Education, v62 n1 p74-85 Feb. The Tribal Marine Science Workshop has run annually since 2010. The workshop takes place at the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by NOAA and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, near Seldovia, Alaska. It is hosted by the Seldovia Village Tribe, sponsored by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and coordinated by Kai Environmental Consulting Services. The idea for the workshop started with two of the authors. Based on discussions with and requests from local tribal communities, they realized that many tribal natural resource managers have a range of responsibilities and extensive job experience but may not have relevant formal education and training. Lacking these, the managers believed their insight and opinions were undervalued by scientists, policy makers, and government officials. This workshop focuses on Alaska Natives in tribal environmental offices working in the coastal marine environment. It brings together… [PDF]

Christie, Robin; Christie, Toni (2011). Designing an Early Childhood Environment: A Community-Built Playscape on Matakana Island, New Zealand. Exchange: The Early Childhood Leaders' Magazine Since 1978, n197 p92-95 Jan-Feb. Across the mouth of the Tauranga Harbour lies a piece of paradise, Te Moutere o Matakana–Matakana Island. It is blessed with an ocean beach with white sand and a mean surf break, tidal flats, wetlands, fertile pasture, and a native and exotic forest. It is home to a maori language nest for the local children–Te Kohanga Reo o te Moutere o Matakana. During the authors' initial visits to the early childhood environment we were struck by the passion of the community for a playspace that would provide the children with a real sense of place, a relationship with the island as a whole, and a connection with the work being done by the community to restore the native ecosystems. This article discusses how to design an early childhood environment and features the community-built playscape on Matakana Island, New Zealand…. [Direct]

Hurst, Chris; Sparrow, Len (2012). Culturally Responsive Mathematics Pedagogy: A Bridge Too Far?. Australian Association for Research in Education (NJ1), Paper presented at the Joint Australian Association for Research in Education and Asia-Pacific Educational Research Association Conference (AARE-APERA 2012) World Education Research Association (WERA) Focal Meeting (Sydney, New South Wales, Dec 2-6, 2012). The Swan Valley Cluster of Schools for the Make it Count project identified the professional learning of teachers as a key factor in improving the numeracy outcomes of urban Indigenous children. Two mentor teachers were assigned to support cluster teachers in planning and teaching mathematics during 2011. This paper reports on the initiative and it focuses on the teachers' knowledge, development, and use of Culturally Responsive Mathematics Pedagogy as part of the development of a general awareness of mathematics, pedagogy, and children. For most teachers identifying the mathematics content to be taught and aspects of new pedagogies dominated their thinking. This in turn left no room at this time for many of them to consider implementing pedagogical principles relating to their learners' socio-cultural background. In order to implement culturally responsive mathematics pedagogies teachers need to be aware of and sensitive to the mathematical needs as well as the socio-cultural… [PDF]