Education and Social Work

This course explains key psychological theories and systems of child development relating to languages, literacies and learning. This builds a basis for in-depth learning about frameworks for literacy teaching in childhood, the impact of multiculturalism on classrooms and the future of education in schools. 

We introduce students to the education system of New Zealand. We illustrate the historical development of the New Zealand education system, and address issues such as changes to governance and curriculum and ethnic diversity in New Zealand schools.

We develop students’ grasp of fundamental mathematical concepts, including arithmetic ideas as expressed in fractions, decimals and percentages, ratio and proportion, and algebraic thinking. The course is built around the application of these concepts in contexts such as financial literacy, problem solving, and real-life mathematics.

This course introduces functional and instructional Māori language, including everyday vocabulary, basic sentence structures, pronouns, possessives and positional language. Aspects of tikanga will include meeting and greeting people with waiata, karakia and hīmene, and values such as whānau, whakawhanaungatanga and aroha. Referring to their own hapū/iwi, students will introduce and locate themselves in relation to their whakapapa and carry out a short mihi.

The semester will commence with study skills, including an introduction to tutorials, how to use a scientific calculator, an introduction to collaborative learning, problem solving techniques and investigation. Skills will be applied and reinforced first in the context of arithmetic, including a study of number sets, large and small numbers, percentages and the metric system. The investigation of patterns lays a foundation for the algebra that follows. Algebra covers manipulation of expressions and formulae, solving equations and inequalities, and the application of these skills to problem solving.

The objective of this course is to introduce essential knowledge of the Pacific, its cultures and peoples. The course also explores the core practices and concepts of interdisciplinary Pacific Studies. We will provide a foundation of knowledge of Pacific cultures, languages, history, geography and politics, and introduce students to some core Pacific Studies concepts such as fa’aalo’alo/faka’apa’apa, diaspora, Oceania, identity, and culture. Students will gain familiarity with the history and purposes of Pacific Studies and work with some accessible forms of indigenous Pacific knowledge.