Kei Tua o te Pae

Working theories about the self as capable and competent are the core of this domain. Children are developing an awareness of some of their strengths and a perception of themselves as capable of developing new interests and abilities.

Assessments are specific about children’s strengths and suggest ways forward for their development.

Perceived differently by different cultural groups, respect for all human beings is not simple or easily definable. However, within the context of social justice a…

12 October

Recorded by Marie

Today, for the first time, Anthony was joined by his best friend to give the blessing before we ate.

E Te Atua whakapaingia ēnei kai hei oranga mō ō mātou tinana whāngaia ō mātou wairua ki te taro ō te ora Amine

Anthony spoke with confidence and pride, reciting the whakapai kai karakia he had been taught at home and was now sharing with his friends and teachers at Whare Pukeko.

Anthony, it was only a few weeks ago that you shyly introduced “whakapai kai” to your…

Today I wanted to laminate some of the children’s work so I set up the laminator in the Castle room and as you walked past on your way outside you spotted it.

“I’ll do that for you, Elizabeth,” you said.

So you set about your job of laminating the pictures for me. Today, however, was different from the last time because today other children were interested, too. Oh dear, they all wanted a turn. To begin with you were very protective of your laminating, however you also let the other children j…

Micah and Jak had built a construction with blocks and then added treasure. Suddenly Micah left, followed by Jak, who then returned and with great delight slid into the construction and it collapsed. Micah came in and was very disappointed. Jak said to him, “It’s okay – we will build another one,” and they did.

This time they began with the beads and the blocks together from the beginning and they included the beads as they built it in a very clever way. Micah had a beautiful golden buckle and…

This is an exemplar of learning that is distributed across or “stretched” over people, places, and things: the teacher, the place (in this case the photograph of a place), and the things (the blocks). Jak appears to be exploring how three-dimensional objects can be fitted together and moved in space, also ways in which spatial information can be represented in photographs and used as a guide for building. Jak uses analogy (it’s like a skeleton) to make sense of the teacher’s explanation. This ex…

Date: 5 June

  Examples or cues
A Learning Story

Belonging

Mana whenua
Taking an Interest
Finding an interest here – a topic, an activity, a role. Recognising the familiar, enjoying the unfamiliar. Coping with change.

Hikurangi and Joel held hands and were very quiet and focused during the karanga as we were called onto the marae – as were the other children. Hikurangi liked the waiata in the wharenui, especially “Whakaaria mai”, which both tangata whenua and manuhiri sang together before th…

Child: Nicholas

Observer: Julie

Date: 14 March

$29.95

Nick asked me how much this was.

“Twenty-nine dollars, ninety-five cents, Nick,” I said.

“That’s a lot of money – but I’ve got heaps of money. When my Nana died, she left me some money,” Nick told me.

“What will you spend it on, Nick?” I asked. “A motorbike!” he told me.

“How about drawing me a picture so I can see what sort of bike you’ll buy?” Nick drew several bikes and ordered them from small to large.

“The big one is a Harley-Da…

Child: Greta (20 months)

Teacher: Caroline

A learning storyThe tape of dancing music was turned on and Greta began to wiggle her hips to the beat. Caroline: “Dancing, Greta.”

She turned and smiled.

Caroline: “Jiggling to the beat.”

Moving her feet and tapping, Greta continued to dance. The music stopped so Greta stopped.

We changed the tape to a “sounds” tape. Greta stood listening intently for a moment and then jumped up and down, clapping her hands. The sound changed to a heavy beat and…

The first forays into using ICT tools are frequently through play. Children, for instance, play at being a computer user, using the keyboard to “write” text or moving the mouse, as Tiari does in the exemplar “Tiari wants to draw” (see Book 17). In the exemplar “Exploring with iSight®”, the children play with a new ICT tool, trying it out to find out what it can do. At the same time, they are learning how to use a new tool for inquiry that will be practical for other explorations.

The Dinosaur Story by Charles Dougherty

Once upon a time there was a big king who was going through the forest and he heard a “bomb, bomb” noise, which was a dinosaur.

And suddenly he got his sword and cut the dinosaur’s stomach open, and sent him to jail.

Then the king ate a lolly and turned into a monster. “Grrrr” said the monster and suddenly he stamped his foot into the ground and there was his mum and dad.

So the monster ate a green lolly and turned back into a king and his mum and dad…

The second image is about growth, development, and learning through the engagement of body, mind, and spirit.

Tipu kē ake koe
Me he horoeka
Torotika ki te rā
Whāia te māramatanga
O te hinengaro
O te wairua

So too does the cycle of life continue.
Grow up strong and gracious,
just like the proud horoeka tree,
confident and free.
Seek out the secrets of the
hidden well-spring of your mind
and know the sounds and
dreams of your spirit.

This holistic view of growth reminds us that development and…

"Opportunities for learning are equitable, and each child’s contribution is valued. Children experience an environment where there are equitable opportunities for learning, irrespective of gender, ability, age, ethnicity, or background; they are affirmed as individuals; they are encouraged to learn with and alongside others.

Ko te whakatipuranga tēnei o te kiritau tangata i roto i te mokopuna kia tū māia ai ia ki te manaaki, ki te tuku whakaaro ki te ao … Kia mōhio ia ki ōna whakapapa, ki…

We have observed that George (12 months old) has a long concentration span. He will continue trying out a new skill he has developed over and over. If he is having difficulty with a toy, he will persevere until he succeeds, taking just a few goes or days or months to achieve his goals.

George’s parents, Fiona and Chris, also notice this perseverance. The attached message was written by Fiona in George’s home-centre notebook and illustrates their recognition of George’s strong desire to walk, ho…

Tōku tipuna

Te Rangihaeata (10 months) sits on a whale during a recent trip back to his marae. It is one of the props from the movie Whale Rider, which was based in his home town of Whāngārā mai Tawhiti on the outskirts of Gisborne.

Te Rangihaeata’s pepehaKo Pukehapopo te Maunga, Ko Waiomoko te Awa, Ko Whāngārā mai Tawhiti te Marae, Ko Ngāti Konohi te Iwi, Ko Paikea te Tangata.

The legend of Paikea goes, in part, as follows: Paikea was the son of a great chief. One day, Paikea and his brother…

Where assessments take a narrative approach in context, the assessments – and the notions of valuable knowledge and competence that they take as reference points – can be legitimised by calling on multiple perspectives.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which New Zealand signed in 1993, includes the child’s right to have a voice and to have it listened to and respected (Article 12). Respecting children’s views means that their views can make a difference.

Teachers who p…

Including families and whānau in the early childhood centre’s curriculum and assessment enhances children’s learning. Families enrich the record of learning, reduce some of the uncertainty and ambiguity, and provide a bridge for connecting experiences. Early childhood settings can include families in their assessment and curriculum in many ways. Documented assessments that are sent home regularly invite and encourage families to take part in the learning community. As many settings have found, n…

As children learn, they explore a variety of roles and literacies and the skills and understandings that are allied to them. These roles and literacies may be valued nationally, or they may be specific to certain social or cultural groups.

In learning communities, children will have the opportunity to try out a range of sociocultural roles and their associated competencies, for example, tuakana, teina, friend, measurer, jam maker, tower builder, kaimahi, observer of insects, reader, citizen of…

Te Whāriki also suggests learning outcomes that relate to children’s need to explore social roles and literacies that are culturally valued. It reminds us that:

"Language does not consist only of words, sentences, and stories: it includes the language of images, art, dance, drama, mathematics, movement, rhythm, and music."

Te Whāriki, page 72

For example, language also includes the signs and symbols of kapa haka, waiata and mahi toi. In addition, Te Whāriki emphasises the importance…