Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) work with teachers to identify learning and behaviour needs of students who experience barriers to educational success. The language RTLB use can have a significant impact on teachers' response to the inclusion of students with special learning needs and is key to improving educational outcomes for…

The main goal of both special education and inclusive education for young people with learning or behavioral difficulties is their maximum inclusion in the community as adults. The question of which of these two approaches is more likely to achieve this goal is addressed by considering the findings of three outcome studies of young people with…

The views of recent graduates of a blended learning programme for specialist teachers of children with learning and behaviour difficulties in New Zealand were investigated. Six focus group interviews examined factors that participants considered enabled them to develop programme competencies as well as those that acted as barriers to competency…

This research paper focuses on the successful implementation of play-based learning (PBL) environments within the New Zealand mainstream primary school sector. In particular, the focus is on the role of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) in supporting the implementation of PBL within the junior classes of Year 0 to Year 2. A review…

This article reports the views of recent graduates of a competency based, blended learning teacher education programme for specialist resource teachers of children with learning and behaviour difficulties in New Zealand. Identifying and developing the competencies needed by teachers in the field of special needs education is important in ensuring…

This study considered the previous educational experiences, decision-making, and first-year experiences of four students who self-identified as learning with dyslexia within one university in New Zealand. The study showed that despite achieving the required standards for entrance to study at university, some students lacked the knowledge and…

Twice-exceptional (gifted with associated learning difficulties) students face complex learning challenges because of their varying combinations of high ability alongside domains of learning difficulty. There is currently little original empirical research in the New Zealand education setting specifically concerning twice-exceptional students. The…

Teachers' perceptions of students' capabilities are particularly important in efforts to support ambitious instructional reforms. In this paper, we explore one teacher's efforts to resolve conflicts and tensions as she engages with new practices associated with ambitious mathematics teaching. While many conflicts arose in the first year of the…

A crunch point in the maths development of some children is Year 4. At this point it becomes obvious they are not only well-below national standards, but they are experiencing such a degree of difficulty in learning maths that they are still working at a Year 1 level or below. This is exemplified by a case study of a student referred to the…

This paper discusses the preferred study methods of Chinese students based on the research findings involving Chinese students studying in the School of Business, Wintec. In order to provide relevant academic delivery, quality education and to maintain sustainability in the international market, New Zealand education institutes have to understand…

The "Special Education 2000" initiative (Ministry of Education, 1998) led to the creation of the role of Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB). The role was designed to support inclusion, provide consistent service, and bring about improved outcomes for students with learning and behaviour difficulties and their teachers in…

Resource Teachers: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) are specialised teachers who work in regular schools to help facilitate the presence, participation and learning of students who experience difficulties with learning and behaviour. In focusing upon the RTLB principle of a "collaborative and seamless model of service" (Ministry of…

This paper presents a comparative discourse analysis of the learning support policy in New South Wales, Australia and New Zealand. The dominant discourses in both policies are identified and analysed in terms of how they determine the manner in which students experiencing difficulties with learning are included in schools. It is argued that the…

Behavioural and learning difficulties experienced by students from minoritised cultural groups often arise because their cultural beliefs, values and preferred practices differ markedly from those of their teachers and their school. Research in New Zealand has shown that if inclusive education is to have real meaning for these students and their…

This literature review interrogates current international writing about inclusive education (IE) in regional and remote settings, with explicit reference to Australian considerations, including the emergent National Curriculum. The task of this review has been to establish the types of knowledge reported about IE in minority, marginalized and…