Pedagogies of Possibility

A central question that animates my research is: What supports quality teaching? I have applied this question to curriculum-based teaching and learning in schools, teacher preparation, my own teaching within initial teacher education, and more broadly to teaching in the academy. 

My research coalesces around the practice of teaching and lived experiences of teachers and learners. I have published in relation to curriculum issues and developments and how teachers navigate curriculum changes, teacher development and teacher preparation programmes and systems, practice-focused research in initial teacher education, pre-service teacher identity development as culturally responsive and sustaining teachers and as critically engaged educational professionals, twenty-first century education and development of critical information literacy and digital citizenship, social sciences education, and gender relations and ICT in schooling contexts. 

A major research project I was involved in as a co-investigator was the Teaching and Research Learning Initiative (TLRI) research project titled "Shifting the conceptualisation of knowledge and learning in the integration of the new New Zealand Curriculum in initial and continuing teacher education." My current research projects relate to understanding curriculm developments and teachers' voices in relation to curriculum changes, practice-oriented assessment in teacher education, and exploration of the complexity of teaching.

I began my career as a secondary school teacher, before moving into teacher education and academia. This grounding as a teaching professional means that I value relationships with teachers and their roles as curriculum leaders and developers.

Chris Astall is in the School of Leadership and Professional Practice | Te Kura Whakawhanake Hautūanga me te Ngaioanga at the University of Canterbury. He has been the programme coordinator for both the undergraduate Ako: BTchLn (Primary) programme and the postgraduate / Master of teaching and learning. Chris teaches across numerous primary undergraduate teacher education courses. His research is grounded in teacher education, with a particular focus on how student teachers experience professional practice, develop their professional identity, and sustain their wellbeing during training. He also explores how self‑study and reflective practices can enhance tertiary teaching, ensuring that research directly informs course design and delivery. Recognised with an HEA Fellowship in 2020 and supported by several UC teaching and learning grants, his collaborative projects continue to strengthen the preparation of future educators and enrich the teacher education programmes at UC.

Head of the School of Social and Cultural Studies in Education and co-Director of Te Puna Rangahau i- Ako, the Digital Education Futures Lab at the University of Canterbury. I am a Commonwealth of Learning Chair with a research focus exploring (post)digital (in)equality in Tertiary Education with a particular focus on perspectives and opportunities in the Pacific region. 

As an educational and pedagogical ethicist, my research explores the moral dimensions of teaching and learning. I am interested in the complex dynamics between values and action – how values shape ethical assertions that, in turn, influence educational policy, practice, and images of the child. Drawing on a range of philosophical perspectives, my work engages concepts such as the moral imagination and the practice of attention to reimagine education in ways that recentre relationships, wellbeing, and human flourishing.

Love is a key dimension of attention, and is a key value and moral concept that informs my research inquiry. Love is not only a critical dimension of a life well-lived, it is also a lens through which teachers can interrogate the aims of their pedagogical approaches, to refine and reposition learning to see tamariki in their best light. A teacher's ability to see, empathise, and ethically respond to the child, their family members, and teaching colleagues can be greatly enhanced through an understanding and application of attention and the moral imagination in everyday situations. As co-lead of the Infant and Toddler Network and co-president of OMEP Aotearoa, my role as an early childhood ethicist supports actions of advocacy to advance Te Tiriti o Waitangi, address issues of social justice and sustainability, and enable teachers to recognise and respond to the agency of children within their everyday teaching practices.

I am interested in Masters and Doctoral level candidates that can see their work aligning with my research interests, and I welcome research proposals that may prompt or provoke new thinking about early childhood education as a relational, ethical and moral undertaking.

I am a teacher and researcher whose work is shaped by extensive experience across both Chinese and New Zealand education systems. Moving between these educational contexts has made me recognise that educational success is never simply an individual matter; it is deeply connected to the resources and opportunities available to learners and teachers. My work is therefore guided by a belief that education should expand possibilities for those who have been disadvantaged rather than reproduce existing inequalities.

       Across my research and teaching, I am driven by questions of equity in language education: how multilingual children can access and sustain their first or Indigenous languages through education; how multilingual teachers’ linguistic repertoires can be recognised as assets rather than constraints; and how AI can help reduce longstanding inequalities in access to second-language learning.

       These questions are beyond career aspirations. Growing up in a low socio-economic background, I experienced firsthand the transformative power of education, and this continues to shape my commitment to expanding educational opportunities for others. I believe that every child should have the right to speak their own language, see it valued in educational settings, and have meaningful opportunities to learn additional languages. By supporting linguistic inclusion and access, education can become a pathway for more children to participate and succeed.

Kathryn’s work sits at the intersection of AI literacy, digital pedagogy, teacher professional knowledge, and education policy, with a strong emphasis on Indigenous and equity-centred approaches. She is best known for leading the development of the Scaffolded AI Literacy (SAIL) framework, which has shaped national curriculum reform in Aotearoa New Zealand and is informing institutional and international approaches to AI in education.

Her research is impact-driven and policy-engaged, translating conceptual and empirical work into curriculum design, professional learning, and system-level change. She works closely with schools, tertiary providers, government agencies, and international partners to ensure research outcomes are meaningful, adoptable, and sustainable.

Kathryn has published extensively in high-impact international journals, leads multiple funded research initiatives, and supervises doctoral research.

Enquiries are welcome from prospective PhD students and collaborators interested in AI literacy, digital pedagogy, curriculum reform, and education policy. Particular interest is on projects with strong theoretical grounding and applied impact across education systems.

Impact Highlights

• National curriculum influence: Research directly informed the redeveloped Digital Technologies Curriculum and is contributing to ongoing discussions around AI literacy integration across the New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. 
• Framework adoption at scale: Developed nationally and internationally adopted frameworks ((TPACK)², He Whare Ako, He Whare Hangarau, and SAIL) now embedded in institutional strategies, professional learning, and teacher education programmes.
• Policy and sector engagement: Research has shaped institutional assessment policy, teacher preparation guidance, and national conversations on responsible AI use in education.
• Practice change: Funded projects have supported measurable changes in classroom and tertiary teaching practice through teacher-researcher partnerships and sector-wide professional learning.
• Leadership in emerging fields: Recognised nationally and internationally as a leader in AI literacy and digital pedagogy, with invited contributions to policy forums, curriculum advisory groups, and international research networks.

Selected Media Engagements and Keynotes

• Keynote addresses, lectures, and panels, including international and national appearances; informing MoE officials, professional bodies, and education leaders; and positioning Aotearoa New Zealand research within international AI-in-education conversations.
• Invited media commentary and interviews on AI and education for national and international outlets, contributing to public understanding of generative AI, assessment, and curriculum reform.
• The Conversation – Authored research-informed articles on digital education and AI, including one piece translated into French and read by over 63,000 readers, extending reach beyond academic audiences.

My research sits at the intersection of equity, social justice, inclusion, and culturally grounded teacher education in Aotearoa New Zealand. Through my interdisciplinary work in early childhood education and family sociology, I examine how early childhood settings can become places where every family experiences belonging, and how teachers engage in socially just and inclusive practices while addressing issues of exclusion.

A core strand of my work investigates how teachers learn to enact pedagogies that honour the identities, languages, cultures, and relational worlds of the children and communities they serve. More recently, my research has expanded into Pacific education, particularly Samoan conceptual frameworks that re‑centre culture, values, and relationality as catalysts for learning.

My research focuses on problems of equity and social justice in and through education, exploring how the development of people’s own art of living supports personal and societal well-being, cohesion and equity. I am interested in the relationship between education and society. My research, which formulates an innovative approach to education and schooling based on Wilhelm Schmid’s concept of the art of living, is leading in the English-speaking academy. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on education, philosophy and psychology, I regularly present and publish at international conferences and journals. My current research projects include two international collaborative studies to develop practical tools to support teachers with inclusive practices and a re-imagination of education systems, policies and practices to strengthen equal educational opportunities for all students in society. I am also running an international comparative project exploring diverse cultural approaches to the art of living with implications for education.

I am particularly interested to supervise thesis students whose work directly links to my main research interests and ongoing projects (please see the 'Research' tab of my profile). I am also open to consider candidates with projects in the wider field of philosophy of education and educational theory.

Nikki Tod’s professional background includes primary classroom teaching, school management and governance, plus lecturing and leadership in Initial Teacher Education. Teaching and research interests include effective pedagogy and authentic learning experiences, mana-enhancing mentoring practices, and culturally responsive education. High quality teaching practices, and learning experiences that promote engagement and achievement for all students, is at the core of Nikki's own teaching and research, and is advocated for in course development and delivery. Nikki currently supports the development, teaching and course cordination of Social Sciences curriculum courses, Professional Practice courses, plus the Teacher as Practitioner and Teacher as Professional Ako BTchLn courses. Nikki also contributed to the design of the UC micro-credential titled Mentoring Teachers. She facilitates and leads cultural exchange programmes between UC and Sonoda University (Osaka, Japan). Nikki is always open to assisting and supporting students, plus promoting effective partnerships with schools.

Professor  E. Jayne White leads early years scholarship at the University of Canterbury. As Director of Seeing and Sensing Early Becomings (SaSEB) Lab, she brings dialogic philosophy, pedagogy and methodology together to explore critical and creative ways of bringing our youngest learners, and their perspectives, into view.  She is interested in “what could be” when diverse lenses are brought to bear on how young children are, or could be, seen. Her emphasis is on advancing positive outcomes for infants, toddlers and young children – so that their contributions are taken seriously in matters that concern them. She works closely with children, families and teachers towards this goal. 

Jayne brings an extensive background – spanning over 40 years - as teacher, researcher, philosopher, author, editor,  and scholar to this platform. She has authored over 100 books and articles, with significant research translations in policy and practice. Coupled with her prestigious role as Editor-in-chief of Springer’s International Journal of Early Childhood, Jayne leads an international network of researcher who promulgate cutting-edge research that makes a difference for infants, toddlers and young children – wherever they may be across the globe. As co-founder and Fellow of  Association for Visual Pedagogies - she has co-initiated and led a visual movement in educational thought and practice. Combined with her Fellowship role in Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia, she brings visual philosophy to bear on contemporary educational scholarship. 

The impacts of Jayne’s research can be felt in practice, research and policy: ECE teachers are empowered to be more critical, creative and inclusive in their pedagogical efforts; while researchers adopt methodologies and philosophies that prioritise diverse dialogues and interrogate their meanings. One-size-fits-all policies or practices are invited to adjust their orientations in consideration of diverse perspectives and their consequences for those who are affected the most. As Life Member of Aotearoa OMEP - Jayne advocates for ECE both locally and globally in this regard. Jayne's 2025 selection as recipient of the Springer Award for Publication Excellence: Community Engagement is clear evidence of her dedication and skill as editorial leader across complex systems and global contexts. 

Jayne is interested in supervising PhD students and collaborating with colleagues who share an interest in early years scholarship (concerning aspects of learning for children aged birth to eight) where dialogues – their diverse forms and nuanced meanings – are taken seriously. She is keen to work with future facing topics concerning (proto/post) digital futures, philosophy-practice interanimations, sustainable responses to climate change issues with children at their heart, transdisciplinary alliances that cross divides and address real-world issues facing ECE, and pedagogical comparisons/innovations within and across culture. Projects that are oriented to Jayne’s world-leading expertise in visualities and/or dialogic methodologies are especially welcome.  

Ko Te Arawa te waka
Tamatekapua te tupuna
Ngātoroirangi te tohunga
Ko Te Arawa te iwi
E haruru nei te whenua mai i Maketū ki Tongariro
Ko Ngaroma Williams e mihi atu ki a koutou
Tēnā tātou katoa.

Ki te hoe: Navigating our spaces to become confident bilingual and bicultural practitioners

My scholarship is grounded in mātauranga Māori and kaupapa Māori ways of knowing, being, and doing. I explore the relationships between Māori and non-Māori streams of knowledge and how these can be integrated meaningfully in educational practice. A central question that guides my work is: How might teachers and educators listen deeply to whakapapa (identity), te reo Māori (language), and tikanga (culture) as they strengthen their pedagogical knowledge and practice?

Too often, the hidden drivers of pedagogy remain anchored in Western-oriented values, processes, and motivations. In Aotearoa New Zealand, adopting genuinely bicultural and bilingual pedagogies gives life to the intent of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and honours this nation’s dual heritage. As Co-Director of Te Rū Rangahau – The Māori Research Laboratory, I am committed to advancing Māori research and supporting work that is responsive to Māori and Indigenous aspirations.

I welcome doctoral candidates whose research aligns with Aotearoa New Zealand’s bicultural early childhood curriculum and reflects kaupapa Māori principles that are locally grounded and globally relevant. I am also passionate about supporting Indigenous scholars who seek to strengthen identity, language, and culture in early years and education contexts worldwide.

I have diverse research interests that all revolve around teachers' and/or students' use of digital toolsto support teaching and learning. These research interests include: professional learning and development of teachers; teachers' use of digital tools in their classroom practice; teachers' use of digital tools to support indigenous students' learning; teachers' use of tablet technology in Primary settings; and, preparedness of pre-service teachers to use digitals tools to teach and to support students in their learning. 

My doctoral research focused on New Zealand primary school teachers' ICT professional development and classroom practices. My other research activities have included exploring the use of tablet technology for assessment in mathematics; investigating mainstream primary teachers' use of digital tools to support their indigenous students' learning and the lessons that can be learned from teachers' use of digital tools in indigenous schools. This has also led to developing an interest in indigenous research methodologies.

My current research interest is in pre-service teachers' preparedness to teach in a range of learning environments (e.g., innovative/flexible learning environments, traditional single cell classrooms and online environments. This includes the skills and pedagogical approaches needed to teach effectively in these varied learning spaces.

Sue is a Senior Lecturer who teaches mathematics education and professional practice courses in a three-year primary Initial Teacher Education Programme. She is still a registered primary teacher and regularly works in primary schools, mentoring pre-service teachers during their practicum experiences.  She has recently completed her doctoral thesis which focussed on the planning and pedagogical reasoning processes of primary pre-service teachers during their final practicum experience. She also leads and carries out work related to tertiary teaching within the Faculty of Education. She connects with several communities through goverance work in schools and other educational settings. Prior to joining the University of Canterbury, Susanna was a primary school teacher, Deputy Principal, and a primary mathematics advisor.

Sue  welcome enquiries from prospective Ed.D or Ph.D students seeking a second supervisor in areas such as, primary teaching, primary mathematics education, pedagogical reasoning for planning and teaching, design for teaching and learning, and professional learning. She also has experience using multiple case study methodology and innovative methods for collecting data from pre-service teachers  during their practicum experiences.