Shifting conceptualisations of knowledge and learning in the implementation of the New Zealand curriculum: Conceptual models and a preliminary analysis of data

Abstract

The introduction of a revised national curriculum in New Zealand has implications for ITE regarding how student teachers and teacher educators conceptualise knowledge and learning. This paper explores different conceptualisations of knowledge. The paper describes and critiques four conceptual tools. It reports some of the emerging findings from a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative project. The project investigated shifts in teacher educators' conceptualisations of knowledge and explored initiatives for working with teachers and student teachers in this regard. Consideration is given to how any shifts in conceptualisation affect the way the national curriculum is interpreted. The exploration of changes in thinking are presented in a detailed case study of a student teacher's reactions to a course on cultural studies.