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Photo caption:��Two UC research projects that aim to transform early childhood and science education in New ���سԹ�have been awarded almost $600,000 in funding.

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | ���سԹ� (UC) has achieved a major milestone in educational research, securing more than $577,000 in funding for two innovative projects that aim to reshape how teaching and learning are approached in Aotearoa New Zealand. The success highlights the University’s growing leadership in addressing critical challenges in education.

The first project, led by UC Teacher Education academics Professor Jayne White and Dr Tracy Dayman, has been awarded $299,701 to explore how young learners in early childhood education (ECE) could be best represented in visual assessments that reflect their, and their whānau, priorities for learning .

Their research, titled Re-framing Inclusive Representations of Valued Learning: ‘Seeing’ Young Learners Through Critical and Creative Co-designed Visual Assessment, examines the processes and choices behind the visual representations used in existing ECE assessments. These depictions, such as photographs and videos, play a central role in shaping how mokopuna (young learners) are perceived and understood by their teachers, families, and communities.

According to the researchers, there is little guidance for ECE teachers concerning their critical engagement with how and why certain images are chosen to represent learning whose knowledge is prioritised. This project aims to address that gap by collaborating with kaiako (teachers) to co-design and then evaluate visual approaches assessment that will utilise a series of creative modalities and technologies to represent the kinds of valued learning that may otherwise get overlooked in conventional assessments.

Their curations will ensure that young learners - irrespective of age, culture or 'ability' - are represented as competent on their own terms, and in consideration of whānau aspirations for success. Through a series of “re-framing lenses” the research sets out to celebrate and advance diverse ways of learning beyond text alone thus creating more equitable and meaningful representations of learning for all.

The second project, led by UC Education Lecturer Kari Moana Te Rongopatahi and Professor Sara Tolbert, has secured $278,093 to address a critical priority in New ���سԹ�education: positioning mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) alongside in science education. Their project, Mātauranga Māori, Science, and Te Ao Tūroa: Fostering Leadership and Collaboration for a Multiple Knowledge Systems Approach to Science Education, is designed to enhance collaborations among high school kaiako who are leading educational initiatives that honour and incorporate Māori perspectives alongside traditional scientific knowledge in science classrooms.

The research will also explore authentic assessment methods that capture a broad spectrum of student learning, ensuring that both knowledge systems are valued equally. By addressing the educational priority of He mana ōrite mō te mātauranga Māori – equity for Māori knowledge – the project seeks to contribute to a more robust curriculum for secondary school students.

The research teams are preparing to commence work, with outcomes expected to provide valuable insights into effective, inclusive teaching and assessment practices. These insights will not only contribute to academic literature but also offer practical guidance to create more equitable and culturally attuned learning environments.