This article examines the early childhood curriculum in action by looking at two oppositional forces that are at play: authoritative discourse (which is perceived as uncontestable) and internally persuasive discourse (which is open for debate). Unless challenged by knowledgeable teachers, authoritative discourse may dominate. When this occurs, there is little ...

This article draws on recent research into early childhood teachers’ views on how they support children’s scientific learning. It identifies four strategies teachers used to increase their scientific knowledge base—learning from parents and children, learning from other teachers, learning with children and learning from outside sources such as books or ...

A real challenge children face is how to successfully enter collaborative play that is already in progress. Some children achieve this with little trouble, while others struggle to be included. Through case studies of four children, this study explores the nature of participation strategies, and offers strategies for teachers to ...

This article presents a fine-detail analysis of one observation from a wider ethnographic study of four-year-old children in a primary school in mid-Wales. The social interactions of the participating children show the multifaceted nature of children’s everyday social organisation. By investigating the complexities of children’s social interactions, their social competencies ...

This article explores teaching games of chase in the early childhood curriculum. It identifies three areas of teacher involvement: (1) developing a framework for playing games, which prompts the teacher to create teaching strategies that consider both the value of and issues with games in early childhood; (2) engaging with ...

This article looks at the experiences of same-gender parents and their children when they encounter and challenge heteronormativity in early education settings. Drawing on a study that investigated how lesbians and gay men create and maintain family in contemporary New Zealand society, the article highlights the disparity between family experiences ...

The articles in this edition of Early Childhood Folio are likely to generate thinking that challenges taken-for-granted practice and beliefs. They all draw on research within early childhood settings.

The New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, has a sociocultural emphasis. As a result it places importance on relationships with families, and the validation of children’s cultures. Yet questions could be asked about how visible culture(s) are within early childhood practice, in terms of whose cultures are being represented, and how ...

How can we grow rich, authentic mathematics in early childhood settings? This article focuses on a framework, Te Kākano (the seed), which is a metaphor for growing rich mathematics. Te Kākano is set out in Book 18 of Kei Tua o te Pae and is now central to a new early childhood resource ...

In early childhood education, the arts have traditionally been taught based on ideas about developmentally appropriate practice and the creative self-expression of the child. This is despite a shift towards sociocultural theory in New Zealand and many parts of the Western world. This article looks at an initial teacher education arts module that ...