• Sabbatical at Chapman University (CA) with Professor Suzanne SooHoo: August- September 2015

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    I’m very privileged to be hosted by such a distinguished scholar as Suzi. She is the co-director of the Paulo Freire Democratic Project, and the endowed Hassinger Chair of Culture, Community and Collaboration. Suzi has collaborated with Associate Professor Mere Berryman and other University of Waikato scholars for several years, so she is very familiar with Maoritanga and New Zealand initiatives to improve the experiences of Maori in our schools.

  • 3-4 August 2015 Education, Language and Society conference, Redlands, CA (1)

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    Putting funds of knowledge theory into practice: Applications in classroom teaching: A review of literature, focusing on ways that school teachers apply FoK theory in classrooms.

  • 3-4 August 2015 Education, Language and Society conference, Redlands, CA (2)

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    Applying funds of knowledge theory: Challenges and opportunities of new types of teacher student interactions in a New Zealand case study: reporting on findings from my doctorate.

  • 14-15 May 2015 Assessment for Learning in Higher Education International Conference, Hong Kong.

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    Associate Professor Liz Jones will present a poster showing findings from our collaborative study of students’ perceptions of peer grading. An interactive version of the poster can be seen here.

  • 18-19 November 2014 7th Educational Psychology Forum, Dunedin, New Zealand.

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    My presentation at this conference focuses on shifting the focus to Maori and Pasifika students’ strengths and skills.

  • November 2014 Book Launch:

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    A chapter contribution to this book: Multiple identities: Consideration of respectful research practices. The book, published by the New Zealand Council of Educational Research,  it is available for purchase on their website. The kindle edition is available on Amazon and ebook here.

  • 14-17 July 2014 21st International Conference on The Learner, New York.

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    Re-imagining Students’ Lives Through a Funds of Knowledge Approach: What New Zealand High School Teachers Learned. The paper reports on changes in New Zealand teachers’ knowledge and perceptions of minoritized students which resulted from learning about their funds of knowledge.

  • 12 December 2013 PhD Graduation, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

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    Admittance to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education. Academic underachievement of  Māori and Pasifika students is a long-standing social justice issue in New Zealand. Little is known about the value of understanding the strengths and skills these students bring to school from their life experience - their funds of knowledge. My doctoral study involved teams of  Māori and Pasifika students, parents and teachers, exploring their preferred ways for teachers to learn about students' funds of knowledge. The study demonstrates how a team-based collaborative approach enhances teachers' understanding of students, improves teacher-student relationships, increases student engagement, and helps teachers design relevant, motivating learning experiences.

  • 15-18 July 2013 21st Social Psychology of the Classroom International Conference, Auckland.

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    Building teacher-student relationships: Making connections through learning about funds of knowledge. Emerging findings from this New Zealand doctoral study reveal that participation in teams and teachers gaining knowledge of students’ FoK resulted in improved teacher-student relationships, as well as improved learning behaviours for students who were previously most marginalized. The study affirms the role of trust and rapport within a sociocultural approach to teaching and learning, and offers a model for consideration.

  • 27 April – 1 May 2013 AERA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (1)

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    Preferred Approaches to Identify Minority Ethnicity Students’ Funds of Knowledge: A New Zealand Case Study. This first roundtable presentation discusses emerging findings from a New Zealand study in process. The investigation draws on the perspectives of high school teachers, Māori and Pasifika students, and their parents working as teams to negotiate and evaluate strategies for the teacher to learn about the students’ funds of knowledge (FoK). Māori and Pasifika students valued mutual sharing of personal information with their teacher in small group settings; neutral locations were preferred. Students preferred diverse strategies and implementation difficulties arose when strategies were not decided with attention to student voice. This paper confirms the fundamental role of relationship for Māori and Pasifika school students, and presents findings related to a model through which teachers collaborate with minoritized students and parents to enhance their relationship and knowledge to inform teaching practice.

  • 27 April – 1 May 2013 AERA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA. (2)

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    Collaborative Team-based Research Involving Students, Parents, and Teachers: Challenges and Opportunities Identified in a New Zealand Case Study. This second roundtable presentation discusses findings from my doctoral study in progress related to the challenges and opportunities of the team-based collaborative (TBC) methodology.  The study investigates the perspectives of participants working in teams to negotiate and evaluate strategies for the teacher to learn about students’ funds of knowledge. Participants (n = 21) from a New Zealand high school community were organized into five teams; three teams included a teacher, students, and their parents, and two included a teacher and students. Opportunities arising from the TBC approach included expression of multiple perspectives; establishment of new forms of interaction between teachers, students and parents; and provision of a safe space from which to explore a new educational initiative. However the methodology also generated specific challenges, including complexity of team recruitment, barriers to students’ and parents’ participation as partners with equal status, and ethical dilemmas arising from teacher withdrawal. Implications for future applications of this methodology are discussed.

  • 13-17 April 2012: Teacher PD informed by students and parents: AERA Annual Meeting, Vancouver

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    In this poster presentation, entitled "Teacher professional development informed by students and parents: Participant experiences of a collaborative team approach", I will describe findings from a New Zealand study in process which draws on the perspectives of Māori and Pasifika students and their parents working together with high school teachers within teams, to negotiate and evaluate strategies for the teacher to learn about the students’ funds of knowledge. The study therefore investigates the effectiveness of a teacher professional development model in which teachers work directly with students and their parents. Early findings suggest that Māori  and Pasifika students and their parents feel valued when they are invited to collaborate with teachers in small group settings. Findings also highlight key issues relating to the recruitment and continued participation of parents, students and teachers with multiple responsibilities and commitments.

  • 8-12 April 2011: Course Structure in ITE: AERA Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA.

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    In this poster presentation, entitled Initial Teacher Education – It’s More Than Pedagogy: Student Teachers’ Perceptions of Issues and Opportunities Arising From Course Structure, I will share findings from a qualitative study completed by Anne Yates and myself. The study investigated the perceptions of student teachers of factors affecting the quality of their learning experience in a teaching models and strategies course within an initial teacher education program. Data collected indicated that, as well as pedagogy, course structural factors had a significant impact on students’ perceptions of their learning experience. For instance timetabling affected their ability to process and reflect on learning. This study is relevant for teacher education practitioners, raising questions about how delivery of initial teacher education can be effective within common current course structures.
    To see the brochure, click     here.

  • 30 June - 2 July 2010: Walking the Talk: Humanities Conference, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA.

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    In this workshop session I'm presenting and inviting discussion on research conducted collaboratively by myself and Anne Yates. The study relates to aspects of our teaching practice in the delivery of EPSY302: Teaching Methods and Strategies in 2009, at Victoria University of Wellington. This evaluative study sought to identify student perceptions about our own modeling of different teaching models and strategies, and our modeling of critically reflective practice, and to identify students' readiness and willingness to implement these models.
    The workshop addresses the issues of coherency of teacher educator practice with key messages, and explores findings about achieving this within the framework of lectures, tutorials, and independent learning time. A key role of teacher educators is to build student appreciation of the rationale, relevance and skills for application of a range of appropriate teaching methods for use within their classrooms. The workshop presents findings from our work within this course delivery structure, which provide insight for us into improved ways of working, and generate recommendations for good practice.

  • 16-17 November 2009: A fresh approach to differentiation: Second Educational Psychology Forum.

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    This workshop presentation explores the applicability of the funds of knowledge concept and research findings to differentiated instruction, to meet the needs of diverse learners. It describes an adapted model for differentiated instruction, which in addition to the consideration of other data, also draws on data about students' funds of knowledge to inform teaching decisions. The aim of the adapted model is to enhance the effectiveness of a differentiated approach.