New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work
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Gramsci in the Kindergarten: Creating and Transforming Cultural Spaces
No full textThis article examines how early childhood education (ECE) settings in Aotearoa New Zealand can serve as counter-hegemonic spaces that affirm tamariki identities, languages, and cultural rights. Grounded in Gramsci’s theory of cultural hegemony and Freire’s pedagogy of the oppressed, it argues that ECE environments are not neutral but often reproduce Eurocentric norms through English dominance, Western developmental frameworks, and monocultural rituals. Policy frameworks including Te Whāriki (2017), Tapasā (2018), Ka Hikitia (2020), and the Action Plan for Pacific Education (2020), alongside the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), provide a foundation for resisting these hegemonies and sustaining diverse cultural worldviews. Drawing on practice examples such as pūrākau, whānau-led weaving, and culturally-sustaining arts, the article illustrates how kaiako and communities can co-construct transformative learning environments. It also identifies challenges, including tokenism, inconsistent teacher capability, and persistent privileging of English and Western developmental norms. The article contends that intentional, critically reflective pedagogy is vital for embedding cultural rights as foundational to ECE. By engaging with counter-hegemonic practice, kaiako can transform kindergartens into liberatory cultural spaces where tamariki thrive as confident, culturally grounded learners
Physical Pedagogical Environments: Teachers’ Views
No full textThe pedagogical environment’s significant role in education is viewed as a “third educator” in Reggio Emilia’s pedagogical philosophy. This study employs a posthuman theoretical framework and an art-based educational research method to explore how teachers experience the role of physical pedagogical environments, the barriers that may hinder their use, and potential strategies to overcome the obstacles. The study was conducted in Sweden, and thirteen teachers shared their perspectives on physical pedagogical environments. Research data included teachers’ drawings, interviews and open-ended questionnaires. Findings reveal that, while teachers recognise the importance of physical pedagogical environments in teaching, they encounter challenges in utilising them effectively and suggest ways to address these obstacles. Continuous education for teachers, inspiring physical learning environments in teacher education, and practical training are essential to fulfil the potential and enhance the use of physical pedagogical environments in accordance with the posthuman paradigm
He Ao Tūhono: A Comparative Look at Indigenous Early Learning Rights
No full textThis article examines Indigenous children’s rights and early learning through a framework grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, mātauranga Māori, and international Indigenous education policy. Drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, it argues that children’s rights cannot be meaningfully realised without Indigenous authority over language, culture, and education. Situated in Aotearoa New Zealand, the paper critiques the dominance of Western developmental models in early learning and positions Māori concepts of relationality and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) as foundational to rights-based pedagogy. Comparative examples from Hawai‘i, Canada, and Australia illustrate how Indigenous-led governance and language frameworks operationalise children’s rights through community authority rather than institutional inclusion. The article concludes that genuine transformation requires structural change beyond symbolic recognition, including shared governance with Indigenous communities, mandated professional learning in Indigenous pedagogies, and policy frameworks that centre Indigenous knowledge systems as foundational rather than supplementary
The Global Education Reform Movement, Children’s Rights, and Education in Aotearoa New Zealand
No full textBack to standardised assessment: A dangerous policy for teachers’ work
Full text linkThe current government is actively working towards reintroducing standardised assessment for children between Year 3 and Year 10 in reading, writing and mathematics. In this commentary, we unpack this policy introduced by stealth, its drivers and virtual consequences for teachers’ work based on research from both New Zealand and overseas. We argue that, despite the rhetoric, this policy seeks to foster choice and competition, control teachers’ work, and rationalise scarce resources. The policy will likely have several collateral effects on teachers’ work, including further narrowing of the curriculum, de-skilling of the profession and privatisation of education. We conclude the piece with a call for teachers, educational scholars and the public to fight back against this dangerous policy
Upholding children’s rights to bicultural ECE curriculum: A developmental work research study into teachers’ professional learning
No full textThe upholding of children’s rights to develop their identity as citizens in a bicultural country is contingent with teachers’ capacity to co-construct bicultural curriculum with children and whānau in ECE. Te Whāriki provides a framework around which teachers can work with whānau and children to localise teaching and learning experiences. In doing so, they are able to promote conditions for teaching and learning where the unique mātauraka and reo of mana whenua may thrive and a context within which children’s languages, identities and cultures are supported to flourish. But, how do teachers hold themselves to account and build their collective knowledge and practice to lead teaching and learning in this way? This study investigates how kaiako used a structured professional learning framework (DWR) to intentionally uphold children's rights to bicultural curriculum, as outlined in Te Whāriki and international rights conventions
The Question Intent Matrix: A Framework for Interpreting Emotional and Intentional Layers of Questions in Education
Full text linkCommunication in educational and community contexts often hinges not just on what is asked but why and how it is asked. This article introduces Sudhan’s Question Intent Matrix, a novel 2x2 framework for interpreting the emotional and intentional layers behind questions. The matrix is defined by two axes – Emotional Energy (ranging from defensive, low-openness to curious, high-openness) and Intent (ranging from an intent to influence to an intent to understand) – yielding four quadrants of question types: Curious Questions, Check-in Questions, Challenge Questions, and Control Questions. Grounded in communication theory and pedagogical practice, the model builds on foundational ideas including Speech Act Theory, intent-based communication principles, Socratic questioning, and Edgar Schein’s concept of Humble Inquiry. I propose that by “listening for intent” behind questions, educators and community practitioners can respond more effectively, fostering better understanding, empathy, and critical dialogue. The article details the theoretical underpinnings of the matrix, describes each quadrant of the framework, and discusses its practical implications for enhancing communication and learning in educational and community support settings
Australian ITE Primary students’ preparedness to teach Arts education: An investigation of perceptions, beliefs and confidence
Full text linkPreparation of Primary teachers to deliver the Arts in schools continues to receive attention, particularly as the shortage of educators becomes more prevalent. This paper seeks to examine the preparedness of teachers undertaking Initial Teacher Education (ITE) across three Australian Institutions (n=120). The authors explore ‘How does ITE preparation influence teacher confidence, perceived subject value, and readiness to deliver Arts education in primary schools?’ Drawing on responses from an anonymous online survey, descriptive analyses presents the high value placed upon the arts by teachers, while similarly indicating differences between perceptions of preparedness to teach and perceived confidence to teach the Arts. Findings across cohorts are presented, raising issues for future ITE subject design combined with longer term considerations for the sustained integration of the arts
How does the quality of leadership and mentoring relationships shape the ākonga experience in ITE programs?
Full text linkThis teacher reflection explores how the quality of leadership and mentoring relationships shapes the ākonga (student) experience within Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs, with a focus on the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education. Drawing from both managerial and lecturer perspectives, it examines how embodied and relational leadership practices, rooted in empathy, authenticity, and reflective dialogue, foster professional identity, resilience, and confidence in ākonga. The authors argue that effective mentoring is not confined to formal settings but often emerges through everyday interactions that create safe and inclusive spaces for growth. By modelling vulnerability and engaging in reciprocal relationships, leaders and lecturers support ākonga in bridging theory and practice, navigating classroom challenges, and developing a strong sense of belonging. The article concludes that leadership, when enacted with the whole self, becomes a transformative force that not only enhances learning outcomes but also inspires future educators to lead with integrity and connection throughout their professional journeys
Conscientious Objectors: Teachers and the Battle for the Secondary English Curriculum
Full text linkIn White Collar: The American Middle Class, C Wright Mills describes teachers as the “economic proletarians of the professions” (1959, pg. 129). His argument is that despite the professional status and salary, teachers have little control over the conditions or realisation of their work. Mills’ claim is a fitting provocation in the context of the recent refresh (2023) and subsequent rewrite (2025) of the English curriculum. More to the point, Mills’ view of teachers as ‘state labour’ raises (at least) two questions about the role of teachers in relation to state policy