This paper explores relationships and sexuality education (RSE) in New Zealand secondary schools. After conducting a nationwide survey of teachers and producing a report on the challenges reported by RSE teachers, we began to develop a paper exploring the perennial issues faced by RSE teachers as they enact curriculum policy. Given that these…

English-medium state schools in New Zealand have been directed to begin implementing the new Aotearoa New Zealand's histories curriculum content from 2023. In response to the draft version of the curriculum document, Bell & Russell (Bell and Russell, "New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies" 57:21-35, 2022) highlighted the…

This work explores the use of learning theories in curriculum development and gathers evidence for what good practice in this area looks like. By exploring the academic literature in this area, the authors hope to find information that curriculum documents do not provide. The following research questions were proposed: (1) Is there evidence of…

In this paper, we connect with Martin Thrupp's calls for class-based analysis in education policy by problematising the absence of social class in the refreshed New Zealand curriculum, "Te Mataiaho" (2023). To contextualise this absence, we locate this curriculum policy in a historical perspective and interpret its 'identity turn' as an…

This paper is the fourth in a series exploring the issue of curriculum coherence in the development and implementation of the three iterations of Maori-medium Technology curriculum from the 1990s to the present. For Indigenous schools, curriculum coherence is not just a structural design issue but also involves the place of their Indigenous…

Digital citizenship education (DCE) is a concept that looks to develop learners as competent, critical, and active participants in digitally connected societies. "The New Zealand Curriculum" ("NZC") conveys a vision of DCE across subject disciplines, yet digital citizenship is scarcely defined in teaching content or learning…

Designing an assessment that is fit for purpose in the initial teacher education (ITE) setting is complex. The assessment must meet the university and New Zealand Teaching Council regulations, mirror educational best practice, support ITE students to learn curricular and pedagogical content as well as be practicable to teach and assess. This…

In this paper, we provide a reflection upon the influence of the Swanwick-Tillman (ST) model (1986) from the perspectives of music research in Aotearoa New Zealand. In this paper we take stock of where music education in New Zealand currently sits in relation to the Swanwick Tillman theory of musical development. We examine the strengths and the…

In this article, a team of teacher educators collectively think through the many possibilities of how concepts such as decolonization, abolition, and fugitivity intersect with and are taken up by teacher education programs. To do so, we undertook a critical interpretive synthesis of scholarly literature spanning 2000 to 2020 to locate, examine,…

There is often a steady trajectory of curriculum change under the surface of developments that might seem arbitrary or inconsistent. This article traces the change from key competencies to science capabilities and, most recently, to enduring competencies. All these changes (and names) respond to increasing awareness of the challenges involved in…

In 2021 Professor Papaarangi Reidi, at The University of Melbourne, shared the ancient proverb "I nga ra o mua", translated to mean "before we know where we are going, we must know where we have come from". This proverb sets the tone for discussing the Arts in the New Zealand curriculum, as during radical upheaval and social…

This scoping review examines the literature on teaching Indigenous knowledge and perspectives in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programmes. The study explores how these programmes integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into their curriculum and pedagogy to prepare teachers to work with Indigenous students and communities. The review…

In response to their experiences of heteronormative and cisnormative cultures in school contexts, some young people undertake various forms of action within their schools with the intention of changing practices, school environments, or school policies. This student-led action can be understood as a form of activism but it may also be seen as the…

This article describes the development of an innovative Year 9 cross-curricula "Festival of Learning" known as Hui Taurima, which resulted in the awarding of a Teacher Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project grant. The focus is on the elements of a place-responsive approach and the teachers' perspectives of their journey to situate place and…

Healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand is changing with the aim of becoming truly universal. Development of a new curriculum model in the education of health professionals can aid this goal through increased focus on community needs and flexibility for multiple health professional registrations. Universal healthcare and disability support are promoted…