Curriculum and assessment

It has become increasingly common for students in New Zealand schools to sit tests using a computer. Sometimes a computer-administered test and a paper-and-pencil version of the same test are used interchangeably, depending on which administrative mode is most convenient. Does this matter? Can we just replace a paper-and-pencil test with a computerised equivalent and assume we can compare results?

This article draws on an empirical study that suggests useful practical strategies for representing progression in history, especially regarding historical empathy. It also demonstrates how teachers can both guide and involve students in working with these representations, thereby encouraging students to make sense of, and gauge, their own progress. In doing so it sets out the case for educators having better knowledge of progression in the learning of historical concepts and better ways of showing that progression.

Shared learning underpins learning communities and partnerships. This article draws on case study data generated from shared perceptions of the use of inquiry pedagogy, Mantle of the Expert, applied to a drama-devising process at NCEA Level 2. Students, teacher, and researcher were positioned together as members of THEATRON, a fictional professional theatre company commissioned to develop original, devised drama for festival audiences. Reflective discourse observed while the company was working in role is seen to have had a positive effect on the development of effective collaboration between teacher and learners.