Early Childhood Folio vol. 24 no. 2 (2020)

Data and the use of data for teaching and learning can be a powerful tool. However, data can also be overwhelming or underused if teachers and leaders do not have adequate systems, supports, or mindsets to facilitate effective data use. The Data, Knowledge, Action programme of research involves early childhood researchers and teachers working together to design and try out new data systems to produce useful information to guide pedagogical change and strengthen learning outcomes. This… Read more

The early learning action plan 2019–2029, He Taonga te Tamaiti / Every Child a Taonga, ushers in a new era of thinking about the governance of early childhood education (ECE). The policy language has changed, with a shift from “early childhood education” to the “early learning system”. This article starts from the concern that if a teacher was to search through the action plan and note where the phrases “early childhood”, “early childhood education”, or “early childhood care and… Read more

Mathematical learning is an integral part of early childhood education (ECE). In Aotearoa New Zealand there is a range of valuable curriculum resources including Te Kākano, a “living, evolving” framework of purposeful activities, to assist teachers to notice and respond to mathematics learning. This article aims to contribute towards this evolution by suggesting mathematical problem solving become more explicitly embedded within Te Kākano. This would be one way of keeping… Read more

This qualitative case study research explored children’s social disputes in one New Zealand kindergarten. The disputes typically related to the possession of resources and space. “First possession” was found to be significant, hence the name of this article. The notion that children have to experience “possession” and “ownership” to learn about these fundamental concepts was reinforced. Young children’s problem solving during peer disputes was identified and teachers were seen “stepping back… Read more

The quality of early childhood education and care fundamentally depends on teachers’ wise practice. However, the environments in which that education and care occur can influence, inform, and shape teachers’ practice, and children’s and families’ experiences. This article draws on a written “portrait” of the learning environment created at one New Zealand early childhood education (ECE) centre, capturing both physical and non-physical aspects of the environment and highlighting the… Read more

The Emmett Street infant and toddler centre closed in 2017. This portrait was written by Katrina McChesney to celebrate and preserve our collective memories of that space. It was presented as a gift to the Greerton Early Learning Centre community and has now been shared, at the request of the teaching team, as a resource for others.

Early childhood teachers enact a relationship-based pedagogy in contexts requiring their consistent emotional labour, not just with children but also with their families. Leaders have additional responsibilities for the wellbeing of teaching teams, meeting the expectations of those in governance roles, and accountabilities to agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the Education Review Office (ERO), and the Teaching Council. Little has been reported about the impacts of this work for the… Read more