Otago primary principals have been left scratching their heads after the Ministry of Education committed funding to a new education partnership with Australia that aims to explore how innovative learning environments can enhance teaching.
The transtasman education partnership, titled the Innovative Learning Environments and Teacher Change Project, was announced by New Zealand Education Minister Hekia Parata earlier this week.
It involves the ministry and at least six New Zealand schools participating in the four-year project, led by the University of Melbourne's Learning Environments Applied Research Network.
The project leadership team includes Prof John Hattie, a former Auckland University education professor and current director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute.
Ms Parata said classrooms needed to be equipped to enable 21st-century teaching practice and inspire children and young people to succeed.
''That's why this project is ground-breaking and timely. It will look at the potential for innovative learning environments to enhance teaching practice and improve student achievement.
''New Zealand has some of the most innovative teachers in the world. This project is a great opportunity for our education sector to work collaboratively with overseas experts to strengthen our education system.''
Ms Parata said the ministry would put $160,000 over four years into the project and the research would begin in 2016.
Otago Primary Principals' Association chairwoman Elizabeth Cleverley said she welcomed any new research, but believed New Zealand's education sector already had a pretty good idea about how to improve innovative learning environments to enhance teaching.
''Good research is always valuable. I believe in collaboration, whether it's with another country or whether it is within schools.
''What I am wondering is, what else do they think we'll find out by doing this research?''She said one of the greatest hurdles to improving New Zealand's innovative learning environments was its ''really old, old, old'' schools.
''We know that our buildings are our first and foremost challenge, to get them anywhere near what good effective learning environments are.
''We know a lot of answers already. What are we doing to address those things we actually know already?''She believed the Government should be focusing more attention on upgrading New Zealand's ageing schools.
''We might find out more from the research. It's all very well to learn more from the new research, but we've also got to be able to implement solutions.''
