Enhancing primary science teaching: Interconnections of content, policy and practice in a New Zealand professional learning and development programme

This paper reports on an ongoing professional learning and development (PLD) initiative in New Zealand. The Academy is designed to provide primary and intermediate classroom teachers with the knowledge, materials and support needed for effective delivery of The New Zealand Curriculum's science subject area. Specifically, this paper reports on the Academy's interconnections of government policy, professional learning and development, teachers' practice and students' learning. Results indicate how relevant, useful and meaningful education through science has influenced classroom teachers' practice. The implications support the critical importance of effective connections between content, policy and practice in the ongoing development of teaching practice.