The Ministry of Education has set the target of 100% of New Zealand schools to be "mostly" inclusive by 2014. But what are the essential elements of inclusion? This paper explores essential core elements that allow inclusion to flourish. Based on an extensive time in the field as part of a year-long doctoral research project, these…

This paper examines why Maori language needs to be taught accurately at the early stages of initial teacher education programmes and continue for the duration of a teacher education student's degree. If teacher education faculties are permitting their students to mispronounce Maori names or words, they are in fact doing a disservice, not only…

Literature on Maori pedagogy up until now has been disparate, some dealing with methodological issues, some with learning theory, some with environment and so forth. This article seeks to build one comprehensive picture of Maori pedagogy by weaving the myriad disparate themes in the literature into one unifying model. It is based on an EdD study…

This article is a position paper, based on, and supported by, the extensive literature on the topic of Maori underachievement in education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. It places emphasis on what underachieving Maori students need to reach their full potential and ways in which educationalists can assist. I am of mixed heritage raised amongst three…

This article presents the results of an on-line questionnaire answered by 137 parents of children with ASD. The questionnaire sought parental opinion about what content and messages should be included in a DVD about ASD. Parents' predominant messages were that: ASD is not an illness that can be cured; children with ASD think and act differently;…

In this article I outline different elements of action research in an attempt to describe and define participatory action research (PAR). There is a lot more material available to readers these days, some of which I will refer you to in this article. I see my role here is to summarise enough of this material to help support your reading of the…

This paper discusses the complexities of engaging with Pasifika communities in Aotearoa New Zealand and examines the assumption that the best people to provide services to Pasifika children "have to be Pasifika". The paper offers strategies on building the capability of non-Pasifika staff to work with Pasifika children and their families.…

In schools today inclusion involves a challenge to attitudes and expectations within educational communities. "The New Zealand Disability Strategy" (Minister for Disability Issues, 2001), is a guide for government action to promote a more inclusive society. Out of its 15 Objectives, Objective 1 encourages and educates the community and society to…