Early Childhood Folio Vol. 16 No. 2 (2012)

This issue of Early Childhood Folio has a diverse range of articles focusing on highly relevant and current pedagogical issues. Several involve case studies, where in-depth analysis enables opportunities for learning and development afforded by pedagogy and the environment to be highlighted. Some offer new methodological approaches, including the use of a “mosaic approach” to investigate “voices” of child and adult participants, kaupapa Māori methodology to illustrate… Read more

This is one of a series about researchers whose work has made a difference in the area of early years education. Sarah Boyd interviews Geraldine McDonald.

The significance of experiences in nature for children’s learning and development has been expounded by philosophers and educationalists for centuries. In many contemporary early childhood education (ECE) settings, such experiences are highly valued. Nowadays, Froebel’s notion of kindergartens as “children’s gardens” is likely to be complemented by ideas from Steiner, Montessori, Malaguzzi and, more recently, by Scandinavian notions of forest kindergartens. In Aotearoa New Zealand the… Read more

Learning about sustainability is now understood to be an important part of early childhood education. An important knowledge area associated with sustainability is biodiversity. Learning about biodiversity helps young children understand the importance of relationships between living and non-living things and local habitats. This type of knowledge is a necessary basis for the formation of attitudes that are respectful of the environment. In this paper we share the findings… Read more

This article examines findings from an action research project by three early childhood teachers and one researcher in an Early Learning Centre in a private school setting in Australia. Early in the project the teachers identified the presence of an “invisible barrier” between them and their school colleagues. Choosing to explore the “invisible barrier” they identified new ways of being in a relationship with their school colleagues. Discussing the outcomes of their learning… Read more

Children’s participation rights are articulated in articles 12 and 13 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. They are at the core of the theory that underpins the framework of Te Whāriki, the early childhood curriculum framework for Aotearoa New Zealand, and its effective implementation. Affording participation rights in early childhood education is a process which, in keeping with sociocultural theory, should be responsive to the voices of… Read more

"E kore au e ngaro; he kākano i ruiruia mai i Rangiātea." I will never be lost; the seed was sown in Rangiātea. This traditional Māori proverb emphasises that the speaker knows his or her whakapapa links to the Māori spiritual homeland of Rangiātea, so is confident and secure with a positive future. Whakapapa provides a continuum of life from the spiritual world to the physical world, from the creation of the universe to people past, present and future. While… Read more

The effects of teaching practice on parents’ participation in their child’s early education were studied by drawing on a “collective case” of five education and care centres with 100 percent qualified teachers and a “collective case” of centres employing 50–79 percent qualified teachers. The research found noticeable gaps between parents’ aims for their child’s learning before school and the content of the information shared by early childhood teaching staff with parents and… Read more