Rosemary Hipkins Libri

What do a short car trip, a pandemic, the wood-wide fungal web, a challenging learning experience, a storm, transport logistics, and the language(s) we speak have in common? All of them are systems, or multiple sets of systems within systems. What happens in any set of circumstances will depend on a mix of initial conditions, complexity dynamics, and the odd wild card (e.g., a chance event). While it is possible to model and predict what might or perhaps should happen, it is impossible to be certain. "It depends" thinking needs to be applied. Future-focused literature identifies complex systems thinking as an essential capability for citizenship, and this book sets out to show teachers how they might foster it-for themselves as well as for their students. There are implications for pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment. Multiple examples show what changes might look like, for students of different ages, and in different subject contexts. This is a book of several It is both practical and philosophical. There is explicit discussion of parallels between complexity science and indigenous knowledge systems (specifically mātauranga Māori in the New Zealand context). The many examples are designed to appeal to general readers with an interest in the complex challenges facing contemporary societies, as well as to teachers at all levels of the education system.

This book is an exhilarating journey into the set of ideas known as the key competencies. The authors employ creative zeal and the collective wisdom of more than a decade of research on the subject as they dig deep into what the key competencies mean and their purpose within the New Zealand Curriculum. They lay out rich new possibilities for educators to explore in their own work. The multifaceted nature of each key competency goes under the spotlight and the authors also use them as a stepping-off point for conversations about how students learn and the future of schooling. Throughout they draw on actual examples from inspiring teachers. This very readable book is for teachers and school leaders wanting to get to a deeper understanding of the complexities of the key competencies and their potential to bring about real change in teaching and learning. It's also for anyone interested in wrestling with why education needs transformative change. The authors are a small team of researchers at the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER), who used a creative inquiry process to bring together this ground-breaking work.