Childspace celebrates 21 years
In 1994, Childspace founders Toni and Robin Christie were working in early childhood education in Christchurch, but they weren’t as happy as they thought they should be. “We were young, […]
Education: Porirua’s high-tech schools
“We had this kid who was in Year 4 last year, and got really into Adobe Photoshop. He started to do some quite interesting stuff, and his auntie said, ‘I […]
Gifted
All children are naturally curious, with broad imaginations and an inherent ability to drive anyone within earshot slightly doolally through repetitive questioning. However, if you’ve ever been around a child […]
That time of year again
Just after the release of the 2014 National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results, I was contacted by a journalist writing an article on our national qualification and alternative credentials […]
“My own country”
It has been a rite of passage for young New Zealanders, living in a small island nation at the bottom of the world, to travel overseas. It is my experience […]
Early Starts
In 1950s New Zealand it was unusual for mothers with pre-school children to be in paid work. My mother was an exception, supplementing the family income by working night shifts […]
The importance of being a father
The past three years have flashed by and once again we have faced a national election during which, inevitably, education was under the spotlight, with a raft of ideas bandied […]
Lest we forget
In a discussion with a parent about the wide range of international trips and exchanges available to students these days, he regretfully commented, “In my day a tour of a […]
Young, gifted and here
Education discourse, like many professions, is littered with acronyms like NZQA, NCEA, RTLBs and ESOL. One acronym that I especially dislike is the abbreviation for gifted and talented education: GATE. […]
Learning from your city
The most effective way to learn is by ‘doing’. In the digital world in which we live, technology now enables students to reach beyond the classroom and their immediate environment […]
