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The inclusion of games in mathematics programmes is widely believed to foster the enjoyment of mathematics. The focus of this paper is on fluctuations in emotional climate during the playing of whole-class mathematics games. A multimethod approach drawing on the sociology of emotions was employed to explore changes in the classroom emotional climate that were associated with game playing. The event-oriented inquiry was conducted with two teachers and a class of 10- to 13-year-olds in a New Zealand classroom during mathematics sessions. Over a series of eight mathematics lessons, there were three noticeable fluctuations in emotional climate, all of which occurred during whole-class games. Our analysis of these three events identified a successful interaction with dramatic emotional energy associated with a positive emotional climate, a successful interaction with undramatic emotional energy associated with positive emotional climate, and an unsuccessful interaction associated with negative emotional climate with interactional repair. The third event also illustrated how the incomplete nature of a game's rules can provide an opportunity for a negative emotional climate to be associated with game playing. The taken-for-granted wisdom that whole-class mathematics games can enhance emotional aspects of a classroom learning environment is supported by some of our evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teaching in ways responsive to the cultures of our students is vital towards enhancing equity of access to mathematics achievement and putting educational policy into practice. New Zealand has the largest group of Pāsifika people in the Western world, a multi-ethnic group of indigenous people from Pacific Island nations who have differing cultural values and experiences than the dominant Pākehā (Maori term commonly used to refer to European New Zealanders) population. This study aims to explore how patterning tasks based on indigenous patterns can support young diverse students to develop understanding of growing patterns. Two case studies are presented which show the results of an exploratory teaching experiment undertaken with one classroom of culturally diverse Year 2 students (6-year-olds) situated in an urban low socio-economic area. Data drawn for this paper includes video-recorded classroom observations, written responses from students, and reflective notes from the researcher and teacher from two lessons of a series of 10 lessons on growing patterns. Data analysis involved an iterative approach of repeated refinement cycles focusing on early algebraic thinking and the pedagogical actions of the teacher. Findings revealed that the use of indigenous patterns in conjunction with pedagogical actions drawing on cultural values was successful in engaging these students in early algebraic reasoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a New Zealand iteration of the Encouraging Persistence, Maintaining Challenge (EPMC) project, which proposes that students learn mathematics best when they build connections between mathematical ideas for themselves. This iteration explores the actions, perceptions and learning of 12 primary teachers and their 281 students during the implementation of a set of challenging tasks related to geometric reasoning. The teachers launched the suggested tasks, ensuring that the challenge was maintained. The students explored these tasks with minimal input from the teacher, and learning was summarised and extended. The teachers were positive about the intervention. The challenging task approach enabled students' thinking became visible and, at times, the teachers' prior perceptions of their students' ability were challenged. A highly significant difference between the students' pre- and post-assessment scores was found. The students were supported to have autonomy in their learning and make mathematical connections themselves. The students became less reliant on their teachers' help and were positive about their involvement in the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents data on the progress of Pakeha, Māori, and Pasifika students in English and mathematics in 82 New Zealand secondary schools (Years 9 to 11). To assess progress, a baseline assessment was administered to 13,000+ Year 9 students in 2002. These data were later compared to the students' 2004 National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) results. In English, Pakeha girls in the middle and upper achievement quartiles are making the greatest progress: Māori boys the least. In the lowest quartile, Pasifika girls are making the greatest progress. In mathematics, the picture is more complex, with Pakeha boys and girls slightly in front in the top three achievement quartiles. In the bottom quartile, all ethnic groups make similar degrees of progress. The research data suggests that Māori and Pasifika boys make slower progress in New Zealand secondary schools than their female counterparts (in all except the lowest ability category), however further research is needed to account for contextual factors not included in this research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In New Zealand the recipe for creating bilingual and biliterate Māori-medium graduates is not well understood because, for the most part, schools are left to their own devices to experiment with Māori and English language components. It is therefore not clear whether graduates reach high levels of bilingualism and biliteracy, and ultimately, whether or not they are prepared for the world outside school. This study followed five Māori-medium primary school graduates for 3 years after they decided to transition to English-medium secondary schools. Of particularly interest was their academic English language preparedness, the extent to which schools continued to nurture their Māori language growth, and how well the students coped in the school culture. After 3 years at secondary schools the outcomes were positive. The students settled in well, and academically, all five had passed the compulsory national examination programme for year 11 students. However, specific challenges to academic English were a continual issue for some, including the areas of spelling, essay structure, vocabulary use, and the language of mathematics and science. Also, their Māori language was suffering. This study concludes that while Māori-medium education has prepared these five students well to transition to English-medium schools, greater preparation is required to support them with academic English as well as particular attention to nurturing and maintaining Māori language learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, associations between mathematics achievement and various beliefs and attitudes related to learning are well established. In this article, the findings of five studies are examined to identify patterns in New Zealand students' mathematics-related beliefs and attitudes, and their relationships with achievement. Each study included an assessment of students' beliefs and attitudes as well as their mathematics achievement, involved students in the 5 to 13-year-old range, and was reported in the 2009-2015 period. Students' beliefs and attitudes were measured at various levels of specificity, ranging from beliefs about the malleability of intelligence, to confidence in their general mathematics ability, to task-specific mathematics self-efficacy judgments. It will be argued that using task-specific measures of students' mathematics self-efficacy is of particular value for revealing a relationship between achievement and self-belief, and that teacher-implemented micro-interventions can be effective in strengthening both achievement and self-belief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knee joint mechanics during sidestepping are associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury. Unplanned sidestepping more closely emulates game scenarios when compared with planned sidestepping by limiting decision time, increasing knee loading and challenging the integrity of soft-tissue structures in the knee. It is important to quantify the loads that may challenge the integrity of the knee during planned and unplanned sidestepping. Objective: Our objective was to review literature on knee mechanics during planned and unplanned phases of sidestepping. Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE (EBSCO), SPORTDiscus and Web of Science were searched using the terms knee mechanics OR knee kine*, AND plan*, unplan*, anticipat*, unanticipat*, side*, cut* or chang*. Study selection: A systematic approach was used to evaluate 4,629 records. Records were excluded when not available in English, only available in abstract of conference proceedings, not involving a change-of-direction sidestep, not comparing planned and unplanned or maintaining a running velocity greater than 2 m s. Data extraction: Included studies were evaluated independently by two authors using a custom-designed methodological quality assessment derived from the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale and then confirmed by a third author. Data synthesis: Only six studies met the inclusion criteria and were retained for meta-analysis. Magnitude-based inferences were used to assess the standardised effect of the differences between planned and unplanned sidestepping. Knee angles and knee moments were extracted and reported for flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and internal/external rotation for initial contact, weight acceptance, peak push-off and final push-off phases of sidestepping. Results: For kinematic variables, unplanned sidestepping produced a wide range of small to large increases in knee extension angles, small and moderate increases in knee abduction angles and a small increase in internal rotation angle relative to planned sidestepping during the sidestepping manoeuvre. For kinetic variables, unplanned sidestepping produced mostly small (small to large) increases in knee flexor moments, small to moderate increases in knee abductor moments and mostly moderate (small to large) increases in internal rotator moments relative to planned sidestepping. Limitations: Approach velocity constraints during the sidestepping manoeuvre were lifted due to the low number of eligible studies. The varying approach velocities included (ranging from 3.0 to 5.5 m s) may impact the kinematic and kinetic variables examined in this review. Conclusions: Differences in knee mechanics between planned and unplanned sidestepping exist. The most substantial effects occurred during the weight acceptance phase of sidestepping. It seems that biomechanical factors commonly associated with anterior cruciate ligament injury risk are affected the most during the loading phase compared with peak push-off; made evident in the coronal (abductor) and transverse (internal rotator) knee kinetic data presented in this review. The authors of this review propose a rationale for the incorporation of unplanned sport tasks in the development of anterior cruciate ligament injury screening and in prophylactic training programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intervention at scale with the aim of improving student participation, engagement and outcomes in mathematics education is a challenge for educational policy makers and reformers. This article argues that an iterative annual cycle of policy formulation, implementation and evaluation enabled ongoing adjustments to the strategic focus, the professional development model and the system infrastructure as the New Zealand Numeracy Development Project was taken to scale. The analysis draws on the project's evaluation data over a 6-year period to demonstrate how adjustments were made over time to the pedagogical tools and to the professional development processes. The ongoing development of knowledge supported the management of strategic risks in taking the project to scale: the ongoing appropriation of adequate levels of resourcing to support the school-based professional development model and the availability of system-wide expertise for effective implementation. The analysis suggests that conceptualising implementation as an interdependent and interrelated component of an iterative policy process and as an opportunity for knowledge building ensured a continuing focus on student outcomes. The dynamic approach to the policy process appeared central to building this intervention's effectiveness and feasibility at scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]