Early Education Journal
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Does the ‘More Knowledgeable Other’ and the established discourses that accompany it have a place in ECE today? Rethinking and Re-Casting Vygotsky for the Twenty-first Century.
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A Survey of Emotional Factors for Early Years Educators During the Delta Lockdown of 2021.
No full textHow did teachers and managers feel during the Delta lockdown of 2021? How did they get their information and how regularly was information shared? Did teachers and managers check on one another's wellbeing during this time? This article takes information gathered from 27 respondents in Aotearoa to form a narrative of this experience
The role of critical friends and organisational leadership in supporting teacher inquiries in ECE settings
No full textThe Teacher-Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) programme actively promoted the importance of external supports for the inquiries undertaken within TLIF projects. In this article we explore the ways in which two specific external supports – organisational leaders and critical friends – supported the work of the four kindergarten teams involved in the Data, Knowledge, Action TLIF project. Specific examples of the practical actions undertaken, and mentoring offered, are shared to illustrate how both the organisational leaders and critical friends contributed to the success of the project
Children as teachers: How do we support children to be leaders amongst their peers?
No full textPeer interactions are an important part of children’s learning and development. Therefore, it is important that teachers support opportunities for children to work collaboratively and to share their knowledge with each other. This paper reports on an aspect of a recent doctoral study that investigated New Zealand early childhood teachers’ beliefs and practices related to peer learning. Examples of early childhood teachers promoting and supporting peer learning are presented and discussed. The findings revealed that teachers promoted children’s expertise and encouraged them to be leaders amongst their peers, whilst being physically present to support peer play. However, the study identified contradictions between teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding intentionally supporting children to learn from each other, and these contradictions are explained. By sharing these findings, I hope to inspire teachers to reflect on how they intentionally create opportunities for children to learn from and to teach each other.
I conducted this study because I wanted to know how teachers were supporting children in New Zealand early childhood centres to learn from their peers. The findings reported here identify strategies teachers used to foster children’s peer interactions and moments when children could potentially learn from each other. I also wanted to understand how teachers promoted and supported peer learning within a sociocultural curriculum. The open-ended nature of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996, 2017) means teachers need to interpret their role in a way that supports and respects children’s agency while capitalising on teachable moments throughout the day. Working within a curriculum that places the child at the centre can create a tension for teachers as they question the deliberate nature of their role. I was curious to know whether teachers intentionally planned opportunities for children to learn from each other and how they did this in play-based environments. The notion of a more intentional role for teachers is documented in the revised version of Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 2017) and teachers’ beliefs and practices related to intentionally supporting peer learning are shared in this paper. The paper concludes with some thoughts about how teachers can grow their purposeful practice to maximise opportunities for children to collaborate and learn from each other
Opening doors:Teachers supporting children with a loved one incarcerated
No full textBeing awarded the Margaret M. Blackwell Travel Scholarship for the early childhood sector in 2018 opened doors for me to research internationally how teachers can support children of prisoners and what local communities and government can do to. My motivation when applying for this scholarship was prompted by years of advocating for children of prisoners and realising the variances in understanding among many who interact with these children. My research both confirmed and challenged our responses when children in educational settings are affected by the incarceration of a loved one. Information was collected through prison visits, observations and interactions with children and prisoners, professionals and volunteers working in organisations and settings related to prison life. I read everything from academic research to pamphlets and attended a children and trauma conference. Among others I am indebted to advocates for children of prisoners here in Aotearoa: Liz Gordon and Pillars, Ka Pou Whakahou, Venezia Kingi and Sir Clinton Roper
Transition to School Strategies: Strengthening our practice to support whānau and tamariki
No full textIn 2017, we were privileged to be invited to participate in a Teacher Lead Innovation Fund (TLIF) project centred on strengthening assessment practices that support transition. As part of that process we examined the agency and role of whānau. This article outlines the implications of those findings on our design for an effective transition process. The research brief was to design a tool that would capture and communicate information to the primary school about transitioning tamariki. We reviewed literature to see was currently in use, both in New Zealand and internationally. We elected to cover the six months prior and six months following the move to primary school. We selected a cohort of 10 3-year olds with whom to trial the process. Key stakeholders from each group were interviewed and the research team used reflection and analysis tools to identify shifts in practice.
We quickly realised that we had a unique opportunity to construct a process for transition that actively involved families from start to finish. Our goal was to find a way to document children’s learning that truly strengthened partnership in the transition process. We wanted a transition tool that was relevant to individual children without being a tick box of skills and attitudes. Over the research period, we refined documentation, interactions and practice to enable whānau, teachers and tamariki to identify shifts in their understanding of what transition meant for them personally.
While we are still gathering data from the last of our research cohort to head off to school the results thus far have been positive. We believe that the transition process we have developed is a practical medium for strengthening relationships between whānau and both early childhood and primary education sectors. We will provide an overview of the research process, outcomes and implications in the sections that follow
A leai se gagana, ua leai se aganu‘u, a leai se aganu‘u ona po lea o le nu‘u
No full textThis article is the result of a Ministry of Education Teacher Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project. The inquiry explored how the older children in an immersion early childhood education (ECE) environment can expand their knowledge of the Samoan language using digital technology. Bilingual children learn better when their own language is recognised and valued. During early years of development children are endowed with "a hundred languages" through which they can express their ideas (Edwards et al., 2011)