This article reviews the literature on the play-based curriculum, which is characterised by tension and debate. It aims to present the literature in a simplified and accessible way, suggesting it can be helpful to see it as falling into five debates over: (1) how much children learn through play; (2) ...

The Infants’ Lives in Childcare research project aims to investigate what life is like for infants in group care from the perspective of infants themselves. One outcome of the project is a greater appreciation of the extent to which preverbal infants strategically employ looking and listening-in behaviour in making meaning ...

Wellbeing is intricately connected with a strong sense of personal identity. This article reports on one study that explores wellbeing through narrative inquiry—a process that draws on the stories told by children, their teachers and their parents, along with the researcher’s analysis and interpretation. Beginning with a brief examination of ...

Te Whāriki has two learning outcomes: dispositions and working theories. The concept of dispositions has been developed much more fully, while working theories has tended to be the “neglected sibling”. This article aims to flesh out the concept of working theories, drawing on a range of sociocultural theories. It provides ...

It is with great pleasure that we write an introduction to this special issue of the Early Childhood Folio on key learning competencies across place and time. Publication of these working papers (adapted and edited for the Early Childhood Folio) from a Teaching and Learning Research Initiative (TLRI) project ...

This article explores the shift from “essential skills” to “key competencies” in the school curriculum. Drawing on information gathered from teacher interviews and observations at a New Zealand primary school, this article suggests that culture and context strongly shape and influence the interpretation of key competencies. The authors develop a ...

The authors of this article had been exploring the notion of continuity for an individual learner, and this led them to also explore the notion of continuity within the bigger picture. They provide an example of what they call a centre storyline: an ongoing project that developed over an extended ...

In this article, Yvonne, a junior school teacher, describes how she decided to explore how key competencies could be integrated into the daily programme, and assessed, without creating extra workload for teachers. The article outlines how, with support from research co-ordinators Keryn and Sue, Yvonne developed a way in which ...

The authors work with infants and toddlers and had become interested in rethinking the language associated with learning dispositions in documented Learning Stories. They decided to develop a different language, one that better reflected their knowledge and understanding of under-2-year-olds and their learning. The teachers returned to the curriculum document, ...

Two teachers research the documentation, continuity and complexity of key competencies in their combined new entrant, Year 1 and Year 2 classroom. They wanted to find ways to make the continuity visible without losing the complex interconnection of three aspects: key competencies, subjects and topics of interest. They saw the ...