This paper examines the literature in the area of praise. It considers definitions of praise, types of praise and the effects of praise on learning and behaviour, particularly as it relates to motivation. The evidence base for effective praise is discussed and recommendations for classroom practice are highlighted.

In an educational system based on equity, ensuring the achievement of Pasifika students in secondary education is seen as a key focus of the Government approach to education (Ministry of Education, 2013b) and a major step in addressing the social and economic inequities experienced by Pasifika peoples in New Zealand. While there has been a…

Pasifika learners, along with Maori, continue to experience high disparities in New Zealand's education system. Furthermore, it is predicted that over the next few decades, the majority of students in New Zealand primary schools will be Maori and Pasifika. The implications for classroom teachers are enormous. In reviewing a range of…

The purpose of this journal article is to investigate evidence-based practice (EBP) or He Ritenga Whaimohio, as one of the seven principles outlined in the "Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB) Toolkit" (2011) that guides RTLB practice; and to critique the principle of EBP through practical reflection. (Contains 2 tables and 2…

This paper reviews a range of evidence-based strategies for application by teachers to reduce disruptive and challenging behaviours in their classrooms. These include a number of antecedent strategies intended to help minimise the emergence of problematic behaviours and a range of those which provide positive consequences for appropriate student…

Tape Assisted Reading Programmes (TARPs), and more recently, other forms of audio recorded stories, have been used in New Zealand schools to help students with reading difficulties. Many claims are made about the positive effects of such programmes on general reading ability and progress. However, this paper, informed by research, states that such…

In this study, qualitative evidence is collected--through classroom observations and teacher and student interviews--to study the effect of metacognition and the interaction between students' observable cognitive behaviour and the instructional task. This qualitative data is analysed to identify what factors support and improve students'…

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;…

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.…

This article provides a light-hearted example of how a behavioural intervention, used in the animal world to reduce bullying, might be adapted and applied to reduce bullying among students. Based on observations of bullying among calves, effective strategies to reduce bullying are based on acknowledging that bullying is occurring, and recognising…

The work the author has done with children with special needs in the music field has been heavily influenced by a number of eminent music therapists. She says this work has also been the most enjoyable and often the most exciting of all her experiences as an educationist. She started off as a classroom teacher and at that stage had no aspirations…

"Talking Stones" is an interview technique that is designed to support self advocacy, particularly for groups of disaffected school students whose views may be difficult to elicit. It has been developed and refined to incorporate a view of learners as active agents in their own learning and is compatible with reflective practice and a social…

The Ministry of Education (2000) handbook, "Gifted and talented students: Meeting their needs in New Zealand Schools" requires each school to show they are identifying and catering for their gifted and talented students. The terms "gifted" and "talented" represent a range of diverse special abilities rather than describe a single homogenous group…

This article is based on a keynote address to the Learning for All Enhancing Effective Practice in Special Education School-led Symposia, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Napier and Auckland, New Zealand, June 2006. It considers "special education" teaching strategies, and the extent to which they overlap with "mainstream practice", in order to…

This article aims to present strategies and discussion about how teachers can adapt the curriculum in order to provide authentic needs-based programmes. Identifying students' strengths and needs gave us clear directions as to what we needed to teach. In this article, the research team discuss how they successfully raised the reading achievement of…