A new book edited by leading academics at The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education examines global theories of sociology, philosophy, history and politics that inform the New Zealand education sector.
Ngā Kaupapa Here: Connections and Contradictions in Education (Cengage, Melbourne, Australia) also features a chapter written in te reo—believed to be a first for a New Zealand education text book. Twenty-two leading academics from New Zealand and around the world have contributed to the book, which will be launched in mid-February.
Lead editor Dr Vicki Carpenter, Principal Lecturer in the Faculty’s School of Social Policy and Pasifika Studies, says it is not always easy for students to consider changes and debates in education within their broader contexts. Dr Carpenter, along with co-editors Dr Joce Jesson, Associate Professor Peter Roberts and Dr Maxine Stephenson, says an understanding of such contexts is crucial-- particularly for those most directly affected by policy reforms.
"Teachers and students, whether at the early childhood, schooling or tertiary level, are not always encouraged to see education in the light of wider social, political and cultural changes. Time pressures mean that the focus is often on the immediate ‘how to’ questions, including how to teach, how to learn, how to assess, and how to administer and manage. While these are very important, such areas as the history of education can be easily forgotten - we can miss opportunities to learn from the past, and from great philosophical thinkers," says Dr Carpenter.
The editors posit that New Zealand education occurs in a global context, and national and international economic and social trends greatly influence the education sector. Dr Carpenter says while teachers-in-training are given the tools to help them be effective in the classroom, this book offers deep theoretical models that encourage them to also be intellectual teachers with critical minds.
Written in te reo, chapter 12 is entitled, "He huarahi whakamua: potential; and possibilities". Huarahi Māori (Maori medium) students undertake their degree in te reo and the editors believe this chapter will strongly support their journey. The inclusion of the te reo chapter is also a political statement by the editors regarding the value and importance they place on New Zealand’s indigenous language. The te reo chapter is translated into English in the following chapter.
The chapters in the book run sequentially, from "big picture" issues through to the classroom and centre, and in a general sense from matters of structure through to issues about agency.
