Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF): summaries of completed projects Publications
Publication Details
These reports bring together the summaries of the Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF) projects which have already been successfully completed. They demonstrate teaching practices in innovative and exciting ways or explore new practices to improve learning outcomes.
Author(s): Various
Date Published: Various
Introduction
The project summaries are intended to help groups of teachers to think creatively about their proposals and how they can further develop innovative practices.
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Otaika Valley School (TLIF 2-050) - Enhancing writing outcomes for Māori students through the application of dramatic inquiry approaches within culturally responsive practice
Project Reference: Otaika Valley School (TLIF 2-050): This project was sparked during an ERO review when the reviewers expressed interest in the informal inquiry teacher Renee Downey was running into the impact of using dramatic inquiry to teach across the…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Renee Downey, Heidi Grove, Hayley Alchin and Courtney DeBoer
Date Published: March 2019
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Waikowhai Intermediate School, Marshall Laing Primary School, Lynfield College, and Chaucer Primary School (TLIF 2-043) - Accelerating writing progress through learner maps
Project Reference: Waikowhai Intermediate School, Marshall Laing Primary School, Lynfield College, and Chaucer Primary School (TLIF2-043): The four schools in this project had groups of priority learners from year 1 to year 10 who were achieving below the National Standard…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Leanne Smith, Katherine Bhimy, Claire Hart, Sharyn Hunt and Sharon Haywood
Date Published: March 2019
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Hagley Community College (TLIF2-001) - Advancing academic literacy to improve outcomes for students entering university
Teachers from four Christchurch secondary schools and the University of Canterbury’s transition programme worked together to see how they could better support students, particularly Māori and Pacific students, to transition to tertiary study by focusing on the literacies and ways…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Marie Stribling and Hagley College as lead school with lead teacher, Catholic Cathedral College, Avonside Girls' High School and Ao Tawhiti Unlimited
Date Published: March 2019
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Amesbury School (TLIF 2-036) - Middle leaders: working in transformative ways
Project Reference: Amesbury School (TLIF 2-036): Amesbury School is a new school — it opened in 2012 — with a vision of ‘ensuring that every student experiences what it means to be fully human and continually fulfil his or her…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Lesley Murrihy, Urs Cunningham, Angela Johnston, Michael Young, Demelza Topp, Gemma Williamson, Derek Champion, Lisa Bengtsson, Anna Seward and Andrea Smith
Date Published: March 2019
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Wellington East Girls’ College (TLIF 1-095) - Learning hubs: Developing teachers’ dispositions for future-focused education
Wellington East Girls’ College had identified two issues they wanted to find different ways of addressing. The first was that the achievement of their students had plateaued after rising for the previous six years. The second was that there was…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Professor Jane Gilbert and Ally Bull from AUT
Date Published: March 2019
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Porirua College (TLIF1-071) - Making connections: teacher inquiry into targeted learning strategies in science
This project arose from the recognition that students found it difficult to express scientific ideas using appropriate scientific language. Student achievement was impacted by generally low rates of literacy, and students struggled to learn and understand the science vocabulary they…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Brendan Cooney
Date Published: March 2019
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Glenbrook School (5-034) - Learning as an action: How to develop reciprocal ako agency with learners
Project Reference: Glenbrook School (5-034) - This TLIF project inquired into how teacher practice can be strengthened through ako agency with all learners, including teachers, students, and whānau. Teachers used metacognitive questioning and feedback and feedforward stems as instructional levers…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Lysandra Stuart (Project Lead), Jessica Simons, Mrs Heather Simnor, Suit-Keen Kovati-Waru, Emma Sixsmith and Alana Cantley
Date Published: February 2019
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Glendowie School (TLIF 5-014) - Creativity: the catalyst for boys’ writing
Project Reference: Glendowie School (5-014) - Teachers at Glendowie School were concerned at the significant gap in writing achievement between boys and girls, with a considerable percentage of boys at or below expectation. The Continuum of Choice, developed by Barbara…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Kylie Dawson and Lesley Mitchell (Project Leads), Amber Peters, Emma Taylor, Tania Allan, Kim Andrews,Tom Pavletich, Shona Smith, Nadine Sorensen, and Ann Hatherley
Date Published: February 2019
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Te Miro School (5-057) - The curious classroom
Project Reference: Te Miro School (TLIF 5-057) - Teachers at Te Miro School were concerned that student achievement and wellbeing was being negatively impacted by a lack of curiosity. Research indicates that curiosity and hard work are closely tied to…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Fiona Ruthven (Project Lead), Annie Gould, Michaela Phillips, and Laura Edwards
Date Published: February 2019
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Manurewa Intermediate School (TLIF2-008) - Innovative teacher practice using materials in mathematics to support learning new concepts
Teachers at Manurewa Intermediate School believed in the importance of having a culture of high expectations for their students but were disappointed that this was not translating into academic success.…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Richard George, Ben Hutchings and Suman Shara
Date Published: February 2019
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Sunnybrae Normal School (TLIF2-026) - Supporting success on school entry and the first year of instruction
The teachers at Sunnybrae Normal School wanted to accelerate the literacy development of their underperforming year one students, particularly that of their priority Māori and Pacific students. They made a start in 2015 when the school principal took a sabbatical…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Helen Rennie-Younger, Wendy Frazer, Catherine Sands, Glenda Pretorius, Carolyn Hutton, Anna Blair, Jocelyn Ley, Winnie Ngata and Dr Alison Davis
Date Published: February 2019
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Epsom Normal Primary School (TLIF 5-023) - Kaitiaki of the future: reframing science through a local curriculum design approach
Project Reference: Epsom Normal Primary School (TLIF 5-023) - This inquiry unfolded in four phases, as teachers explored the impact of taking a small group of students into the outdoors to explore their local environment.…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Gina Potter and Fiona Lovatt
Date Published: February 2019
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Pokuru School (TLIF 5-082) - Learning through play: Making thinking visible
Project Reference: Pokuru School (TLIF 5-082) - Teachers of Pokuru School’s years 1 to 2 students had found that play-based learning (PBL), conducted as a regular part of the learning programme, was working well for most learners. However, others did…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) led by Dianne Shariff and Natasha Dunne
Date Published: February 2019
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Pahoia School, Te Puna School, and Whakamarama School (TLIF 5-012) - Readiness for learning curriculum
Project Reference: Pahoia School, Te Puna School, and Whakamarama School (TLIF 5-012) - The development of student self-efficacy and an increase in confidence, risk taking, and perseverance have been a key factor in student progress. It is great to see…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) led by Louise Phipps (Te Puna School), along with Peggy Bradley (Pahoia School), and Brenda Williams (Whakamārama School).
Date Published: February 2019
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Whangarei Girls’ High School (TLIF 5-065) - Connecting the Dots Beyond
Project Reference: Whangarei Girls’ High School (TLIF 5-065) - Whangarei Girls’ High School and Sistema Whangarei had already partnered in a previous TLIF inquiry where they explored blending the principles of the El Sistema approach to music education with approaches…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Nicholas Grew (Head of Music, Whangarei Girls’ High School) and Sam Winterton (Sistema Whangārei programme director)
Date Published: February 2019
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Papatoetoe High School (TLIF 2-045) - Enhancing literacy and numeracy skills: Year 10 Māori and Pasifika boys
Project Reference: Papatoetoe High School (TLIF 2-045): At Papatoetoe High School, as in many schools throughout Aotearoa, the achievement of Māori and Pacific boys was a great concern, particularly in the areas of literacy and numeracy. Teachers knew they needed…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) Russ Maged and Eleanor Griffiths
Date Published: February 2019
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Taita College (TLIF 5-037) - Sustainability-adversity project-based learning
Project Reference: Taita College (TLIF 5-037) - Overall, the project encouraged students to have a go at project-based learning. It helped them to understand the swamp as a living and inter-related system which had been badly impacted due to neglect…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) led by Sujata Rajagopal
Date Published: February 2019
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Ross Intermediate School, with College Street Normal School, Island Bay School, and Russell Street School (TLIF 5-033) - Powerful partnerships: Co-designing learning with ākonga and whānau
Project Reference: Ross Intermediate School, with College Street Normal School, Island Bay School, and Russell Street School (TLIF 5-033) - Teams of teachers at four different schools were interested to know how they could discover and harness the strengths, passions,…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) co-led by Liam Rutherford (Ross Intermediate School), Amanda Dennison (College Street Normal School), Nic Mason (Island Bay School), and Jacqui Innes (Russell Street School). Later, TeeJay Campbell took Liam’s place.
Date Published: February 2019
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Paraparaumu College, with Kenakena School and Paraparaumu Beach School (TLIF 5-045) - The development of a Learning Framework that provides a coherent pathway between primary and secondary schools
Project Reference: Paraparaumu College, with Kenakena School and Paraparaumu Beach School (TLIF 5-045) - Underpinning our collective approach was a specific focus on not only the ‘what’ of our curriculum but also … the ‘how’. In essence, we wanted to…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) led by Aaron Mead (Deputy Principal, Paraparaumu College) and co-led by Marie Mead (Kenakena School), Cathy Franks (Paraparaumu Beach School) and Sara Speight (Paraparaumu College)
Date Published: February 2019
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View Road School, Sandspit Road School, and Waiuku Kindergarten (TLIF 5-032) - Will a continuity of curriculum across sectors enhance the social and emotional development of our 4–6-year-olds?
Project Reference: View Road School, Sandspit Road School, and Waiuku Kindergarten (TLIF 5-032) - Waiuku Kindergarten, View Road School, and Sandspit Road School are part of the same Kāhui Ako, and some of the children who attend the kindergarten transition…
Author(s): (Inquiry Team) led by Amy Charles (View Road School)
Date Published: February 2019
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