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    Promoting student thinking in primary school : successful strategies in New Zealand's Year 3-6 classrooms : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2002) Laursen, Jill Wright
    This thesis examines the promotion of student thinking by six primary school teachers in Auckland, New Zealand. All students think; however, cognitive research indicates the powerful ability teachers have to promote higher levels of student thinking. In a rapidly changing world, the researcher believes now is an ideal time to link relevant literature to the practices of New Zealand primary teachers. This study has three aims: firstly, to investigate why the teachers believe in the significance of promoting student thinking; secondly, to examine what the teachers are doing to facilitate higher levels of thinking by investigating their teaching practices and learning environments; and lastly, to provide descriptive examples of how New Zealand teachers in Year 3-6 primary classrooms are promoting student thinking. The qualitative, case study research design provided descriptive data that was subsequently analyzed. This study was undertaken in three phases to achieve the research aims. The first phase asked teachers to assess their promotion of student thinking on a written scale. The second phase involved the observation of lessons that the teachers believed facilitated higher levels of student thinking. Individual interviews comprised the third and final phase of this study. The collection and triangulation of the data informed the analysis from which emerged the common themes and results. The teachers represented a range of experience levels and worked in schools with differing socio-economic statuses. All teachers believed in developing the children 'holistically' with consideration of the children's academic, social, emotional and physical growth. They involved their students in collaborative activities, stressed the importance of literacy, and included time for children's reflections. Discrepancies in the extent to which children were engaged in metacognitive activities and the school support received by the teachers appeared to be the largest disparity. The differences and similarities provide important discussion points. The researcher suggests that successful approaches to promoting student thinking are first and foremost in the hands of teachers. This research indicates that teachers can independently develop their professional knowledge in this area; however, a whole school promotion of student thinking benefits the teaching staff and the student body, which in turn can positively affect New Zealand.
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    BeWeDō® : co-creating possibilities with movement : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey Business School, Department of Management, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Bradford, Mark
    One of the main challenges in contemporary creative practice is shifting beyond collaborative thinking to more relational ways of engaging co-operatively with each other. The interdisciplinary research focused on investigating how can the movement practices of the Japanese martial art of Aikido facilitate leadership development for co-creation. This research synthesised diverse literatures focussed on aikidoka, leadership development, and creative modes of practice as processes in action and in relation to collective creativity and the context of co-creation within the experience economy. The Aikido principle of aiki was used as a theoretical framework where experiential knowing – anchored in relational processes – focused on engaging my body and its experiences as a site of learning and a participatory way of knowing. This design-led ethnography combined autoethnography and visual ethnography through two Phases of fieldwork. The findings from Phase One highlighted four concepts zanshin, hipparu, extension, and common center, which were blended into the BeWeDō® conceptual framework. The BeWeDō® framework was investigated experientially in a series of workshops as part of Phase Two. The workshops involved me being immersed in a relational leadership process which encouraged participants to be in the moment and generate co-creative movement. Six key themes emerged: Aikido is not BeWeDō®; BeWeDō® is more than collaboration; Aiki involves “the two of us”; an aiki approach invites co-operation; BeWeDō® positions the body to lead co-creative movement; and BeWeDō® moves the conversation to a different place. This research is the first to investigate how Aikido movement practices can facilitate leadership development for co-creation. Beyond the influential act of an individual or individuals, the BeWeDō® framework is a relational leadership approach founded on the idea that individuals are constituted by social processes: a new way of co-creating possibilities to facilitate leadership development specifically for co-creation. BeWeDō® is a unique co-creation experience innovation. Furthermore, BeWeDō® extends beyond notions of embodied leadership and embraces the role of emplacement for transforming co-creative possibilities.