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News Round-Up
University of Canterbury researchers (from left to right) Tiana Ratana, Bridget Underhill, Jeanette King and Christopher Thomson have collaborated to create Kōmako, the world’s most comprehensive, online, annotated bibliography of writing by Māori in English.
Students and teachers of Māori culture are set to benefit from a comprehensive, online, annotated – and free – bibliography of writing by Māori in English.
The Kōmako website covers more than 180 years of writing and can be used both as a tool for those researching Māori writing and as a vehicle for the continued updating and inclusion of new works, said the project’s lead editor, Dr Bridget Underhill (Ngāti Raukawa) from the University of Canterbury.
The publicly accessible project, which covers more than 1450 authors, gathers together “the great treasury of writing by Māori,” Dr Underhill said.
“This bibliography is part of a movement to reclaim the Māori literary tradition, which has had a history of being marginalised,” she said. “[It] shows the wide range of Māori writing – fiction, non-fiction and traditional Māori genres – and makes many lesser known writers more visible.”
According to UC Digital Humanities lecturer Dr Christopher Thomson, the Kōmako database and website “has been designed for everyone to search and browse, and is a living document which we hope to update and expand”.
A child’s eye view of education matters
To improve education outcomes, input from the people it affects most directly is vital, a new education report argues, and this means listening to children and young people.
The report Education matters to me: Key insights, commissioned by the New Zealand School Trustees Association and the Children’s Commissioner, summarised responses from over 1600 children and young people to questions about what was important to them about their education, and what being at school was like for them.
The six key insights of children and young people were:
1. Understand me in my whole world
2. People at school are racist towards me
3. Relationships mean everything to me
4. Teach me the way I learn best
5. I need to be comfortable before I can learn
6. It’s my life - let me have a say
"Children and young people are experts on their own experiences in education", Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft said. "They have the right to have a say, and have their views heard in decisions that affect them. Children’s views always add value and improve services.”
According to the report, children and young people “have a great sense of hope for what education can offer them”.
“Children and young people across a diverse range of engagement groups spoke about three key factors, which they require to have a successful experience in education. These were: a great teacher, a supportive and involved family, and friends.”
Of these factors, “having a great teacher was the most important thing highlighted by children and young people”.
"Children and young people care deeply about their education and how it prepares them for their future lives,” Mr Becroft said. "It is time for everyone, especially in education, to be more deliberate and purposeful in how we incorporate children’s views and opinions when making decisions that affect them."
Recent NZ research proves building blocks anything but simple
You might think that nothing would be more straightforward than the simple building blocks
beloved of generations of younger school children. Yet the latest New Zealand research shows that LEGO, the most famous of the plastic brick toys on the market, has increased in complexity over the years.
Associate professors Christoph Bartneck and Elena Moltchanova, from the University of Canterbury, have proved that the seemingly simple toys are becoming larger and more complicated by datamining 10,953 sets ranging over 60 years.
“We have been able to mathematically prove how the LEGO sets have changed,” Prof Bartneck said.
“Starting with a simple set of basic bricks, their range of toys has increased in complexity over the years. We processed the inventories of most sets from 1955 to 2015 and our analysis showed that LEGO sets have become bigger, more colourful and more specialised,” he said. “The increased complexity of LEGO sets and bricks enables skilled builders to design ever more amazing models but it may also overwhelm less skilled or younger builders.”
According to Prof Bartneck, the study was “an interesting example for data mining and applied statistics”.
So next time you think young students are taking it easy by playing with plastic bricks, think again.
Associate Professor Christoph Bartneck (right).
Preparing for driving tests, virtually
The NZ Transport Agency and ACC have launched a virtual reality (VR) experience to prepare young drivers for practical tests.
Five hours of free professional driving lessons, a free defensive driving course, and free learner’s and restricted licence tests for all senior students was a preelection proposal by the Labour Government as part of a ‘School Leaver Toolkit’.
The new VR experience was an interactive drive through real New Zealand streets to help users spot hazards, check blind spots, and use mirrors — all from a virtual driver’s seat. The free app was available on iOS and Android.
“This is truly a world-first in driver education,” ACC Road Injury Prevention Manager Simon Gianotti said.
The most diff icult group of drivers to reach were males aged 18 and 19, and they’re also some of the most at risk of serious injury. “We spoke to hundreds of young Kiwis and we know that many of them feel daunted by practical driving tests. We also know drivers who are better at spotting hazards are safer drivers.”
While nothing replaced real life practice, the VR experience helped young people practice their observation skills from the comfort of their own home, giving them more confidence behind the wheel.
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New teachers disillusioned and overworked - survey
A survey of primary and ECE teachers in the first few years of their career has found that 17 percent expect to leave the profession within five years of graduating. The nationwide NZEI Te Riu Roa survey of 288 new educators found that many were disillusioned and exhausted by the high workload, low pay and substandard mentoring support.
NZEI President Lynda Stuart said teachers needed time to teach, and to be paid as the professionals they were.
“These new teachers should be full of hope and energy, but they’re already burning out, and seeing far less qualified friends leap ahead in their salaries,” Ms Stuart said. “It’s no wonder that it’s a struggle to get people into teaching and keep them there.”
Those looking to exit teaching said the thing most likely to keep them in the profession was less paperwork and administration, higher pay, smaller class sizes, more support for high-needs learners, and better mentoring and support.
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