What New Zealand's 19th-century teachers knew but progressive educators forgot
From The New Zealand Initiative by The New Zealand Initiative
April 22, 2026 · 41 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the historical context of New Zealand's education system and critiques modern educational ideologies.
In this episode, Michael speaks with Professor Elizabeth Rata about the history of New Zealand's school system. The conversation challenges the contemporary narrative of 19th-century schools as authoritarian and oppressive. They discuss ways in which teaching was knowledge-rich and aligned with what we now understand from the science of learning before late 20th-century ideological shifts reshaped education, sidelining knowledge and teacher expertise.
People in this episode
Host: Michael
Guest: Professor Elizabeth Rata
Topics covered
- 19th-century education
- New Zealand history
- progressive education
- science of learning
- teacher expertise
Keywords
- New Zealand education
- 19th-century teachers
- knowledge-rich teaching
- educational history
- progressive education
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: New Zealand, New Zealand's school system
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