“In what way can I strengthen my intentional teaching and sociocultural practices in relation to improving children’s literacy skills.”

Table of Contents

Introduction: Outline context, background and purpose of my research study.

Method: Describe the data sources, explain how the data was collected, and describe the analysis process undertaken.

Findings: Present the key themes of the research.

Discussion: Analyse results by drawing together different aspects of the themes, and findings from literature.

Conclusion: Briefly summarise how your discussion answers your research question and identify any limitations.

Recommendations: Suggest suitable changes/solutions as related to your research question.

Appendices: Attach evidence of analysis of data.

References: References of all sited material.

 

 

Introduction:

The subject I chose for my research assignment and literature review was “In what way can I strengthen my intentional teaching and sociocultural practices in relation to improving children’s literacy skills”. The aim of my research was to see how I could strengthen my sociocultural practice and my intentional teaching within Literacy whilst at the same time helping the tamariki to improve their Literacy skills.

I chose Literacy as a subject for a number of reasons.  The first reason was because I am very passionate about all forms of Literacy.  I especially love reading to the tamariki at my centre and then tying the reading to activities in some way.  The other reason was because I approached my manager to see if I could get our Before School Ready program up-and-running.  Be School Ready is a program that is available in all Best Start centres but owing to the fact that there had been a significant number of staffing changes when I started at my centre no one had the time, nor perhaps the desire, to get this program back up and running.

My research question asks what I can do to strengthen my sociocultural practices and intentional teaching.  The themes highlight ways I can strengthen my teaching in the following ways:

Evidence within my research data pointed to using cultural resources as a way of strengthening not only my teaching practice and my cultural knowledge, but it would also better support the tamariki with their multi-cultural learning as well. An example of this would be when Miss W takes her pretend play home to play with her parents.  As they do things differently in the Korean culture Miss W could then come back to the centre with her new knowledge to pass on to all of us (Appendix A). Learning about our cultural identities will also help us make sense of the world around us.

To strengthen my sociocultural practise within our ECE centre the research points to using scaffolding to help support the tamariki with tasks that they are able to complete with a partner (one who is more knowledgeable). This is supported when I could ask the tamariki what the hygiene rules they follow at home – do they differ from our hygiene practices here (Appendix B)?  To use scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise I would help the tamariki extend their learning until they can master the activity on their own.

 

Method:

For the purposes of this assignment I wanted to look at ways I can strengthen my intentional teaching and sociocultural practices whilst still being able to improve children’s literacy skills. For the period I have been working on this assignment, I have had limited access to my Liaison Teacher, so this assignment has been 100% my own hard work.  The struggle has happened because my centre is currently facing severe staffing issues and I have struggled with the assignment to the point where a week or two ago I told my lecturer that I was going to pull out of all my courses – such is the pressure I am facing right now.

Over a period of six weeks (from the 16th July to the 24^th August) in a self-study style I collected nine pieces of data from three different sources. The nine pieces of data include:

•          Three x anecdotal field notes of own practice when engaged in curriculum area (Appendices C, F, and I),
•          Three x reflecting on own practice in curriculum area when doing learning story (Appendices A, D, and G), and
•          Three x reflection with colleague with regards to curriculum area (Appendices B, E, and H).

The data that was collected was gathered in a way that protected the identity of the kaiako, centre and the tamariki.  This collection of data was done in an ethical way, and any conversations were treated as confidential.   My data analysis was based on the processes adhered to by Mukherji and Albon (2015, pp. 278-279) and Bullock and Pinnegar (2001, pp. 13-21).

Once the data had been completed, over a period of three weeks (27^th August to 14^th September) I then spent time becoming familiar with the data. I read all nine pages of data and started looking for words that indicated sociocultural practice, strengthening my practice, intentional teaching and literacy.

Once I was familiar with the data I noticed two things: on one hand there was data there that I had come to expect, but surprisingly, there was also unexpected data there.  On-going through my nine pieces of data I used different colours to code my specific words that related to my research question:

•          Strengthen my teaching practise.
•          Intentional teaching.
•          Sociocultural practice.
•          Literacy.

To code the data I read through each page of data and I then counted how many times each word appeared on each page.  I then made up a table on the bottom of each page which clearly showed the totals for each specific word I was coding.  Once I had coded all nine pages, I then totalled up the four specific phrases for each page.  For example: strengthening my practice was mentioned thirty-five times over the nine pages of data.

• Intentional teaching – 67 times.
• Sociocultural practise – 51 times.
• Strengthening my teaching practise – 35 times.
• Literacy – 49 times.

Once I had counted how many times I had used my expected phrases I then went through and at the unexpected phrases.  On re-coding the nine pages of data I came across five different phrases which were then highlighted and coded in the same way the original phrases were.  I then added the new phrases to my totals at the bottom of each page of data.  I then counted and totalled all new phrases and then added them all up so that I could add them onto the overall totals page as shown below.

After categorising the data I ended up with the following categories:

 

Intentional teaching x 67 times.

Sociocultural practice x 51 times.

Literacy x 49 times.

Strengthening practice x 35 times.

Scaffolding x 9 times.

Making sense of the world x 9 times.

Cultural x 6 times.

Library x 6 times.

Home x 5 times.

 

Findings: Analyse the coded data and identify your themes:

 

To analyse the coded data I combined the phrases into the three main concepts which relate to my research question.  These concepts then became my themes.  Looking through my coded data the three areas identified were:

 

Intentional teaching x 67 times: (due to its size I made this a theme on its own).  Intentional teaching is, according to Salamon (2011), “the practices of adopting holistic approaches; being responsive to all ngā tamariki strengths, abilities and interests.  Intentional teaching is thoughtful, informed and deliberate.

Sociocultural practise x 51 times and Scaffolding x 9 times:  Sociocultural practice and scaffolding are anchored by certain defining characteristics:

 

• That scaffolding in literacy is a social process, inseparable from interpersonal actions;
• That scaffolding was mediated by social tools and symbols, with language being primary; and
• That scaffolding, as an external support, would eventually be withdrawn from the learning process as the involved mental tools became appropriated and then internalized by the learner” (Turner and Berkowitz, 2006).

Strengthening practise x 35 times; Cultural x 6 times; Making sense of the world x 9 times; Library x 6 times; Home x 5 times: Parents “recognize and respond to the importance of the pre-literacy skills (e.g. name writing) for school readiness, which concretizes, operationalizes and localizes the generally, loosely and vaguely defined Te Whāriki learning outcomes. The findings support the practicality of the co-construction of local emergent literacy programmes by teachers and parents in ECE services in New Zealand (Zhang, 2015).

To get the themes I added up the total number of times the phrases appeared on each line and I got the following result:

• Intentional teaching x 67 times;
• Strengthening practise x 35 times; Cultural x 6 times; Making sense of the world x 9 times; Library x 6 times; Home x 5 times;
• Sociocultural practise x 51 times; Scaffolding x 9 times.

Link them back to research question and consider what order they will be presented (for the report):

The next step I needed to do with the data was to link my themes back to my original research question which was, “In what way can I strengthen my intentional teaching and sociocultural practices in relation to improving children’s literacy skills?

I decided to put the themes into the following order as I believed they best tied up to my research question:

• The importance of focussing on children’s literacy from a teaching perspective;
• Using cultural resources from the library, home or community to strengthen my teaching practise;
• Using scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise.

Arrive at generalised statements that link to each theme in relation to the areas of your research question:

Looking at the themes I decided to turn them into generalised statements that tie in with my research question.

Looking at the importance of focussing on children’s literacy from a teaching perspective, I believe that they tie in with my research question in the following ways:  

Appendix I talks about when K and I read a book together about the little girls first day of school.  The book was relatable to him because he would be going to school in just under a years’ time. ECE literacy is very much a social practice that develops within the social contexts of our centre rather than through formal instruction. As ECE educators, we need to consider and incorporate home and community literacy practices into our learning and teaching activities.  Hamer and Adams (2003, pg. 13) observe that when tamariki can engage with, enjoy and use language symbols (oral, written and visual) they will be better able to express themselves and they will also be able to become more active members in a literate society.

Looking at strengthening my intentional teaching practises, I believe that they tie in with my research question in the following ways:

Appendix H talks about my discussion with my colleague where they suggested that one way of extending on K’s learning was to reflect on what kind of follow up activities I could do with K to support and strengthen this learning e.g. setting up a first day of school activity in the whanau corner.

For a kaiako to teach the curriculum (in this case literacy) that will support positive outcomes for our tamariki, we need to be very clear about what it is we are trying to achieve.  Only then can we deliberately and reflectively teach in ways that will ensure those positive outcomes.  By making intentional decisions about our actions and using the best strategies possible will kaiako be able to act with intention, purpose, and awareness.

Looking at using cultural resources from the library or home to strengthen my teaching practise, I believe that they tie in with my research question in the following ways:

Appendix F talks about making puppets and doing a puppet play about How Maui Tamed the Sun to help strengthen K’s (and my) cultural learning.  Using cultural resources from the library, community or home will help strengthen our cultural learning in literacy which will help us make sense of the world around us.  Cultural resources help us to understand the context and meaning of the literacy activity – they not only support us to achieve higher-level thinking, but they also helps us to make sense of the world around us.

Looking at using scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise, I believe that they tie in with my research question in the following ways: 

Appendix H talks about how unsettled K is at mat times, and as a part of working with him I would like to scaffold him so that he feels supported and will eventually manage to sit on the mat with the other tamariki.

My research question asks what I can do to strengthen my sociocultural practices and intentional teaching.  The themes highlight ways I can strengthen my teaching in the following ways:

Evidence within the research data (Appendices B, C, D, G, H, and I) point towards using cultural resources as a way of strengthening my teaching practice.  By using cultural resources from the library, from within the centre, or from home, not only can I strengthen my cultural knowledge, but I can also support the classroom to become multicultural in what they are learning as well.  A trip to the library is a very good way of accessing cultural resources or bringing in cultural resources from home that we can base literacy activities on. Learning about or cultural identities will also help us make sense of the world around us.

Leggett and Ford (2013) see intentional teaching as a way for kaiako to be intentional with what we provide throughout the day: i.e. have specific goals with nga tamariki learning in mind, which are balanced with their rights to be an active participant in the teaching/learning partnership.  Intentional teaching requires all kaiako to be collaborative, reflective and knowledgeable in their practice, working in partnership with colleagues, family and whanau to deepen and extend the learning of our tamariki.

Discussion:

On analysing and comparing the results from my research I was able to link my results to other research out there.

The importance of focussing on children’s literacy from a teaching perspective:

On reviewing the research data I noticed that the findings were very similar to other research out there. In particular, Te Whariki (2017) supports a child-directed approach to literacy, which views tamariki as “actively engaging in the acquisition of early literacy by constructing knowledge through literacy-rich environments and play, rather than through formal directions. Te Whāriki (MoE, 2017) then suggests kaiako need to develop learning dispositions that are the basis of learning in school, rather than concentrating on the development of specific skills of early literacy.

Using cultural resources from the library, home or community to strengthen my teaching practise:

Hohepa (1992) in Makin, Diaz and McLachlan (2007) states that “the acquisition of linguistic knowledge is interdependent with the acquisition of cultural knowledge”.  They therefore believe that literacy knowledge is viewed as culturally constructed within social activities and practices and defined by social and cultural meanings carried by those activities.  Ministry of Education (2017) States that Te Whariki “highlights the importance for teachers to support the cultural identity of all children through ensuring that programmes and resources are sensitive and responsive to the different cultures and heritages among the families of the children attending that service. It places emphasis on communication, setting out as an aim that “The languages and symbols of [the children’s own and other cultures are promoted and protected” (p. 72).

Using scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise:

There was greater involvement of parents in the programme and in children’s learning at home when teachers were introduced to ideas about scaffolding and co-construction of learning, asked to think critically about their own beliefs” (Jordan, 1999).  Social interaction between tamariki and kaiako is the means by which, according to Woods (1998), tamariki achieve joint construction about how to make sense of the world around them.   Discussing the tamarikis deficits leads kaiako to pair maturational readiness with scaffolding for some tamariki.  Spodek (1988) sees it as “eclectic, but consistent with Spodek’s implicit theories and Genishi’s theories of practice where kaiako do whatever work is necessary to meet the needs of the tamariki, which is based upon their training and their prior experience”.

There were, however, some studies where the findings were totally different to the findings in my report.

The importance of focussing on children’s literacy from a teaching perspective:

In their research, McLachlan-Smith (1996) found that “the teaching of literacy in New Zealand kindergartens in the early 1990’s found that teachers espoused quite eclectic understandings of literacy and that the amount and type of experiences that children received differed according to teachers’ beliefs about their role”. This research is supported by Phillips, McNaughton and McDonald (2004) who found that “many early childhood kaiako had limited understandings of literacy and that professional development was needed to help improve literacy outcomes for children. A way around this dilemma was for centres to take part in something like the “Picking up the Pace” project”. Greater collaboration and negotiation between centres could see an increase in support for better continuity in literacy development.

Using cultural resources from the library, home or community to strengthen my teaching practise:

It is well known that children enter early childhood centres and primary schools with very different language and literacy experiences, some of which map well to the context of the centre or school and some which do not (McNaughton, 2002). Tunmer, Chapman and Prochnow’s (2006) longitudinal study found that these differences at school entry in what they term ‘literate cultural capital’, predicted reading achievement seven years later in New Zealand. Differences in abilities that children have in early childhood impact on the efficiency with which they transition into school where accurate reading and spelling is desired (Tunmer, et al, 2006).

Using scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise:

Ministry of Education (2003) believe that professional development programmes focusing on abstract concepts, complex theoretical understandings and interactions across many contexts, such as scaffolding learning, planning and assessment seem to require long timeframes (a year or more) for new understandings and ways of working to become embedded in pedagogy.  McLachlan-Smith (1996) discusses how some tamariki who come to ECE centres who have varying degrees of learning and experiential deficit’s, kaiako tend to blame families for the need to teach tamariki; where it could be argued that the “scaffolding” they undertake with the tamariki from “deprived” homes is an appropriate way for these tamariki to learn”.

In summary, writing this discussion has highlighted some practices that weren’t obvious until I did the required comparisons.

Although for the most part we hear positive stories about the tamariki and their literacy abilities, occasionally we will find that a tamariki will have some form of language development delay and there are various reasons for this.  It could be based on kaiako knowledge o n teaching, culture or when to scaffold.  Issues with teaching in the ECE sector is that not all kaiako have the same fund of knowledge.  With Te Whariki, the statements it makes are holistic in nature, which a knowledgeable kaiako will be able to interpret.  It is a document that all kaiako will interpret in a different way.  It’s principles of empowerment, holistic development, family and community and relationships are relevant as a curriculum base only as long as a kaiako how to read it.  Teachers need to be able to identify when tamariki are struggling and know the strategies to help these tamariki to learn. The implications for kaiako education and professional development providers are clear: kaiako need in depth, evidence-based knowledge to support their teaching of young tamariki and education providers need to ensure that the programmes they offer are current, practical and evidentially based.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the subject I chose for my research assignment was “In what way can I strengthen my intentional teaching and sociocultural practices in relation to improving children’s literacy skills”. The aim of my research was to see how I could strengthen my socio-cultural practice and my intentional teaching within literacy whilst at the same time helping the tamariki to improve their literacy skills.

Literacy is a subject I am very passionate about, and I would consider that the best quality time I have at the centre is when I am involved in any type of literacy activity.  My three themes tie in with my research question in the following ways:

My research question asks what I can do to strengthen my sociocultural practices and intentional teaching.  Three themes highlighted very specific ways I can strengthen my teaching practices.  They are:

• •          The importance of focussing on children’s literacy from a teaching perspective;
• •          Using cultural resources from the library, home or community to strengthen my teaching practise;
• •          Using scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise.

After reviewing the articles there were several important points that stood out which would greatly improve my teaching practices during literacy activities.

The importance of focussing on children’s literacy from a teaching perspective:

My findings were generally supported by literature (Te Whariki, MoE, 2017) where a child-led approach to literacy sees tamariki as “actively engaging in the acquisition of early literacy by constructing knowledge through literacy-rich environments and play”. Research that differed suggested kaiako need to develop learning dispositions that are the basis of learning in school, rather than concentrating on the development of specific skills of early literacy.  In their research, McLachlan-Smith (1996) found that “the teaching of literacy in New Zealand kindergartens in the early 1990’s found that teachers espoused quite eclectic understandings of literacy and that the amount and type of experiences that children received differed according to teachers’ beliefs about their role”. This research is supported by Phillips, McNaughton and McDonald (2004) who found that “many early childhood kaiako had limited understandings of literacy and that professional development was needed to help improve literacy outcomes for children. A way around this dilemma was for centres to take part in something like the “Picking up the Pace” project”. Greater collaboration and negotiation between centres could see an increase in support for better continuity in literacy development.

Using cultural resources from the library, home or community to strengthen my teaching practise:

Research done by Hohepa (1992) supports the use of cultural items from outside the centre.  Where research differed from my findings was in MoE (2017) where kaiako should support the cultural identity of all tamariki by ensuring that activities are sensitive and responsive to the different cultures within the centre.  An example of this would be not using food items (pasta) as resources as Maori see this as culturally offensive. It is well known that children enter early childhood centres and primary schools with very different language and literacy experiences, some of which map well to the context of the centre or school and some which do not (McNaughton, 2002). Tunmer, Chapman and Prochnow’s (2006) longitudinal study found that these differences at school entry in what they term ‘literate cultural capital’, predicted reading achievement seven years later in New Zealand. Differences in abilities that children have in early childhood impact on the efficiency with which they transition into school where accurate reading and spelling is desired (Tunmer, et al, 2006).

Using scaffolding to support my sociocultural practise:

In society today family and whanau are participating a lot more in their nga tamariki education.  Jordan supported my findings that scaffolding is something that should be done between the centre and the home environment – kaiako and whanau are co-constructing learning, leading tamariki to achieve joint construction about how to make sense of the world around them.   Where my research could have continued, however, was in looking at the tamariki where English is not their first language. This is supported by Spodek (1988) where scaffolding as “eclectic, but consistent with Spodek’s implicit theories and Genishi’s theories of practice where kaiako do whatever work is necessary to meet the needs of the tamariki, which is based upon their training and their prior experience”.

Ministry of Education (2003) believe that professional development programmes focusing on abstract concepts, complex theoretical understandings and interactions across many contexts, such as scaffolding learning, planning and assessment seem to require long timeframes (a year or more) for new understandings and ways of working to become embedded in pedagogy.  McLachlan-Smith (1996) discusses how some tamariki who come to ECE centres who have varying degrees of learning and experiential deficit’s, kaiako tend to blame families for the need to teach tamariki; where it could be argued that the “scaffolding” they undertake with the tamariki from “deprived” homes is an appropriate way for these tamariki to learn”.

In summary, writing this discussion has highlighted some practices that weren’t obvious until I did the required comparisons.

Although for the most part we hear positive stories about the tamariki and their literacy abilities, occasionally we will find that a tamariki will have some form of language development delay and there are various reasons for this.  It could be based on kaiako knowledge o n teaching, culture or when to scaffold.  Issues with teaching in the ECE sector is that not all kaiako have the same fund of knowledge.  With Te Whariki, the statements it makes are holistic in nature, which a knowledgeable kaiako will be able to interpret.  It is a document that all kaiako will interpret in a different way.  It’s principles of empowerment, holistic development, family and community and relationships are relevant as a curriculum base only as long as a kaiako how to read it.  Teachers need to be able to identify when tamariki are struggling and know the strategies to help these tamariki to learn. The implications for kaiako education and professional development providers are clear: kaiako need in depth, evidence-based knowledge to support their teaching of young tamariki and education providers need to ensure that the programmes they offer are current, practical and evidentially based.

Word Count 4,183

Appendices:

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Appendix E

Appendix F

Appendix G

Appendix H

Appendix I

References:

Ako Aotearoa: A Exploring the Teaching of Effective Approaches for Assessing Young Samoan Children’s Learning in Early Childhood Centres: Developing An Authentic Samoan Lens.  Retrieved on 22^nd October 2018 from https://ako.ac.nz/knowledge-centre/developing-an-authentic-samoan-lens/effective-approaches-for-assessing-young-samoan-childrens-learning/

Bullock, R.V., and Pinnegar, S. (2001). Guidelines for Quality in Autobiographical Forms of Self-Study Source: Educational Researcher, Vol. 30, No. 3 (Apr. 2001), pp. 13-21.

Hamer, J., & Adams, P. (2003). The New Zealand Early Childhood Literacy Handbook: Practical Literacy Ideas for Early Childhood Centres. Palmerston North, New Zealand: Dunmore. Pg. 13.

Jordan, B. (1999). Technological tools supporting the scaffolding of learning. New Zealand research in Early Childhood Education (2), 53-66.

Leggett, N. and Ford, M. (2013). A fine balance: Understanding the roles educators and children play as intentional teachers and intentional learners within the ‘Early Years Learning Framework’ [online]. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, Vol. 38, No. 4, Dec 2013: 42-50. Retrieved on 20^th October 2018 from https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=819052073145912;res=IELHSS> ISSN: 1836-9391.

Mclachlan, C, and Arrow, A. (2015). Literacy and the Early Education Curriculum in New Zealand. 95-120. 10.1057/9781137415578_5.

McLachlan-Smith, C.J. (1996). Emergent literacy in New Zealand kindergartens: An examination of policy and practices. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Massey University, Palmerston North.

McNaughton, S. (2002). Meeting of minds. Wellington: Learning Media.

Makin. L., Diaz, C.J., and McLachlan, C. (2007). Literacies in Childhood: Changing Views, Challenging Practice.  2^nd Edition.  MacLennan and Petty; Sydney: Elsevier Australia.  Pg. 218.

Ministry of Education (2003).  Characteristics of professional development linked to
enhanced pedagogy and children’s learning in early childhood settings: Best Evidence Synthesis.  New Zealand Council for Educational Research, pg. x.

Ministry of Education. (2009b). Kei Tua o te Pae/Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars: Books 2-17. Retrieved on 22nd October 2018 from http://www.education.govt.nz/early-childhood/teaching-and-learning/assessment-for-learning/kei-tua-o-te-pae-2/

Ministry of Education. (2017). Te whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Author.

Ministry of Education (2017). Te Whariki – Assessment for Learning.  Retrieved on 22nd October 2018 from https://tewhariki.tki.org.nz/en/assessment-for-learning/

Ministry of Education (2017). Te Whariki – Internal Evaluation.  Retrieved on 22^nd October 2018 from https://tewhariki.tki.org.nz/en/weaving-te-whariki/internal-evaluation/

Ministry of Education (2017). Te Whariki – Working Theories. Retrieved on 22^nd October 2018 from https://tewhariki.tki.org.nz/en/teaching-strategies-and-resources/working-theories/

Ministry of Education (2017). Te Whatu Pōkeka (English).  Retrieved on 22^nd October 2018 from      http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/EarlyChildhood/TeWhatuPokeka.pdf

Mukherji, P. and Albon, D. (2015).  Research methods in early childhood: an introductory guide (2^nd edition).  SAGE Publications, London; Thousand Oaks, California.

McNaughton, S. (2002). Meeting of minds. Wellington: Learning Media.

Phillips, G., McNaughton, S., & MacDonald, S. (2004). Managing the mismatch: Enhancing early literacy progress for children with diverse language and cultural identities in mainstream urban schools in New Zealand. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(2), 309-323.

Salamon, A. (2011). How the early years learning framework can help shift pervasive beliefs of the social and emotional capabilities of infants and toddlers. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 12(1), 4–10.

Spodek, B. (1988). Implicit theories of early childhood teachers: foundations for professional behaviour.  In B. Spodek, O.N. Saracho, and D.L. Peters (Eds)., Professionalism and the early childhood practitioner. New York: Teachers College Press.

Tunmer, W. E., Chapman, J. W., & Prochnow, J. E. (2006). Literate cultural capital at school entry predicts later reading achievement: A seven-year longitudinal study. New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, 41, 183- 204.

Turner, V.D. and Berkowitz, M.W. (2005). Scaffolding morality: Positioning a socio-cultural construct.  New Ideas in Psychology, 23 (2005) pg. 174–184.

 

Recommendations:

My recommendations can be taken from the early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki (MoE, 2017):

Responsibilities of kaiako (page 59):

Kaiako need to be:

• knowledgeable about nga tamariki learning and development and able to identify their varied abilities, strengths, interests and learning trajectories;
• knowledgeable about theories that underpin effective pedagogy in Te Whāriki, its framework and intent;
• knowledgeable about play-based curriculum and pedagogy and able to conceptualise, plan and enact curriculum that is motivating, enjoyable and accessible for all children;
• able to integrate domain knowledge (literacy) into the curriculum;
• culturally competent: developing increasing proficiency in the use of te reo and tikanga Māori and able to form responsive and reciprocal relationships with tangata whenua;
• able to support the cultural and linguistic diversity of all tamariki as part of promoting an inclusive environment;
• able to engage in dialogue with parents, whānau and communities to understand their priorities for curriculum and learning;

• attentive to literacy and learning and able to make this visible through assessment practices that give tamariki agency and enhance their mana;
• inclusive, enabling all children to learn with and alongside their peers;
• knowledgeable about and able to try alternative ways to support and progress nga tamariki learning and development;
• role models for languages and learning, both as individuals and as members of collaborative teams;
• role models for practices that support their own health and wellbeing and that of others;
• able to establish and maintain relationships that enable professional collaboration with others, including other kaiako in their ECE setting, school teachers and specialist services;
• thoughtful and reflective about what they do, using evidence, critical inquiry and problem solving to shape their practice;
• committed to ongoing professional development that has a positive impact on children’s learning.

Assessment and further recommendations:

• Kaiako use knowledge gained from assessment to make the teaching and learning more effective and enhance curriculum implementation. Assessment practices will reflect the principles of Te Whāriki, considering the whole child and the whole curriculum.
• MoE (2017): Kei Tua o te Pae/Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars:
  • Book 2 – Sociocultural Assessment;
  • Book 3 – Bicultural Assessment;
  • Book 4 – Children contributing to their own assessment;
  • Book 5 – Assessment and Learning: Community;
  • Book 6 – Assessment and Learning: Competence;
  • Book 7 – Assessment and Learning: Continuity;
  • Book 8 – Assessment for infants and toddlers;
  • Book 9 – Inclusive assessment;
  • Book 10 – An introduction to books 11-15;
  • Book 11 – The strands of Te Whāriki: Belonging;
  • Book 12 – The strands of Te Whāriki: Well-being;
  • Book 13 – The strands of Te Whāriki: Exploration;
  • Book 14 – The strands of Te Whāriki: Communication;
  • Book 15 – The strands of Te Whāriki: Contribution;
  • Book 16 – An introduction to books 17-20;
  • Book 17 – Oral, visual and written literacy;
• MoE (2017): Te Whatu Pōkeka (English)
• Ako Aotearoa: A Exploring the Teaching of Effective Approaches for Assessing Young Samoan Children’s Learning in Early Childhood Centres: Developing An Authentic Samoan Lens
• MoE (2017): Te Whariki – Internal Evaluation.
• MoE (2017): Te Whariki – Working Theories.