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A word from the authors...
Observations and wonderings from Steve and Rebecca - creators of Engaging Learning Voices.

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Listening to Our Children: Returning to the Heart of Te Mātaiaho
By Rebecca Thomas 2023 Te Mātaiaho RIP We stand at a crossroads. One path leads back to hope, vision, and trust. The other leads to...

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Apr 27, 20256 min read


Where will $118 Million Go?
by Rebecca Thomas AI generated image Outside, the storm will pass. I hope the one within our sector does too — not by tearing things...

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Apr 16, 20254 min read


Why Dismantling Kāhui Ako Isn’t the Fix We Need
by Rebecca Thomas A false choice: This binary oversimplifies a complex issue I’ve said it before: my Kāhui Ako is broken . Meetings feel...

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Apr 14, 20253 min read


I will not let a curriculum written in nostalgia erase my future
By Rebecca Thomas, inspired by Suli Breaks and Te Ngāhere students Yuval Noah Harari So you want me to get an education… Why? Let me...

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Apr 10, 20253 min read


#AdolescenceLiteracyMatters
by Rebecca Thomas Artwork by Year 8 Student Why English must evolve to include digital and critical literacy for today’s teens. Some...

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Apr 5, 20254 min read


Why Our English Curriculum Feedback Must Connect with Adolescent Reality
by Rebecca Thomas Adolescence, Netflix I promise this blog won't summarise the many concerns I have already heard this week. Not the Rata...

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Apr 2, 20255 min read


So You Know Your Government Is Whitewashing the Curriculum. What Can We Do?
by Rebecca Thomas Artwork by Raewyn Harris I've spent the weekend reflecting on Jessie Moss's powerful article exposing how anti-Māori,...

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Mar 31, 20255 min read


My Kāhui Ako is Broken
by Rebecca Thomas A line I hear all the time is: Kāhui Ako don’t work. And I get it. Across New Zealand, two-thirds of our schools are...

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Mar 26, 20256 min read


The great assessment sell off - the true cost going ‘standardised’
By Rebecca Thomas Our assessment system is now out for tender to consultants—most likely non-educators being paid fat salaries—to design...

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Mar 21, 20253 min read


Do you Mark your e-asTTle with AI?
by Rebecca Thomas Image by Steve Saville Just Because We Could, Does It Mean We Should? No doubt you’ve been in a room full of teachers...

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Mar 12, 20255 min read


How are your new maths resources going?
By Rebecca Thomas I am not a maths person, or a maths facilitator. These thoughts are reflections on how I have seen the maths resources...

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Mar 10, 20254 min read


Some schools swear by PB4L; others struggle to make it work
by Rebecca Thomas A blog post asking if PB4L is the right approach for our young people is going to attract two kinds of readers. Some...

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Mar 2, 20256 min read


AI in the Staffroom
By Rebecca Thomas Free Downloadable Resource Cards Teacher: Hey Bee, good to see you. I’m looking forward to our staff meeting on AI. Me:...

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Feb 25, 20254 min read


A culturally responsive way to understand AI
by Rebecca Thomas Caveat: Being culturally responsive doesn’t mean becoming an expert in tikanga Māori, Mātauranga Māori, or te ao Māori....

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Feb 21, 20255 min read


The Flow of Money in Education
by Rebecca Thomas A cone of silence is impressed upon those who work in the top tiers of our education system. From suppressing...

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Feb 18, 20253 min read


Helping Every Student Feel at Home in the Classroom (Even When the Rules Keep Changing)
by Rebecca Thomas Togs? or Undies? We know how long it takes us to ‘get back into it’ after a long break, yet we often expect our...

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Feb 12, 20254 min read


How Best to Invest Your Attendance Budget
by Rebecca Thomas Walking Bus When you work across schools and connect with different communities, you hear a range of strategies...

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Feb 5, 20253 min read


Supporting Tamariki as Waitangi Day Approaches
by Rebecca Thomas Haki Ātea: Waitangi Day 2024 As Waitangi Day approaches, I find myself reflecting on the power of curiosity and the...

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Feb 2, 20253 min read


My First TOD 2025: The Day We Got It Right
By Rebecca Thomas The days leading up to our first Teacher Only Day were a blur of emails and last-minute logistics. Catering numbers,...

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Jan 29, 20253 min read


Time you can't get back
By Rebecca Thomas Between the cuts in education and educators being used as political footballs, we must continue to think critically...

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Jan 19, 20252 min read
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