Children’s story experiences are foundational to their social, emotional, and communication development. Viewed through a sociocultural lens, variability in the ways children and teachers interact during stories across diverse learning contexts is expected. This article explores the social and cultural knowledge demonstrated by children of different ages as they co-construct ...

An intentional teaching approach provided a Wellington kindergarten with valuable avenues for supporting the teaching and learning of young children from refugee and immigrant backgrounds. Despite reservations about implementing this approach, teachers found that it was possible to use it in a child-centred way. The teachers’ research inquiry into scientific ...

Weaving is a significant metaphor for kaiako in Aotearoa New Zealand. Te Whāriki is central to their professional lives. At Daisies Early Education and Care Centre (hereafter Daisies), the strands in Te Whāriki shape the curriculum and its principles guide pedagogy and relationships. In January 2019, the Daisies team decided ...

The 2020 COVID lockdown provoked the early childhood team at Manukau Institute of Technology to radically rethink how practicum was assessed. The usual approach of an “in-centre” observation followed by a triadic discussion was replaced by weekly “virtual” meetings and an online triadic. A reflective framework was developed to guide ...

Te Whāriki promotes the use of te reo rangatira in English-medium early childhood education (ECE) settings. There is a growing body of work concerning the use of pukapuka pikitia (picturebooks) to support language learning, but there is very little, if any, research documenting how pukapuka pikitia can support te reo ...

This study examined factors that influence and are influenced by the co-construction of pedagogical documentation by educators and children in early learning settings. Throughout a 6-month period, seven early childhood educators were asked to co-construct documentation with children and with a child audience in mind. Using interviews, questionnaires, site visits ...

Children are active and creative mathematical learners in the early years. This article reports part of a Teacher-led Innovation Fund (TLIF) project that investigated children’s mathematical activity at an early childhood centre and the first year of school. Teacher–researchers were from each site, and mathematical opportunities were identified in children’s ...

Immigrant families face many cultural and adjustment issues, including children’s engagement in early childhood education (ECE). Through research-based interviews, nine Indian parents shared their perceptions of their children’s experiences in New Zealand ECE. They identified positive experiences and concerns related to curriculum, language development, teacher’s attitudes, children’s participation, and EC ...

In Aotearoa New Zealand, populations of Pacific peoples increased by 45% between 2006 and 2018 (Statistics New Zealand, 2018). Consequently, teachers need to be equipped with knowledge, skills, and resources to be able to respond to Pacific learners and communities appropriately and effectively. This article presents findings from a research ...