There is a rich variety of topics in this issue of set: Research Information for Teachers, with research reported from junior primary to senior secondary, and with themes intersecting these sectors: the use of ICT, literacy learning, and student engagement. These themes are particularly topical in the current educational environment.

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 ...

Currently early childhood teachers often ask parents or whānau to write comments in response to their child’s Learning Story. However, it can be difficult to obtain a contribution that leads to parents/whānau participating in their child’s learning and in planning for further learning experiences. This article reports on the development of a new ...

This article is offered as a provocation for teachers, encouraging them to reflect on underlying assumptions about the ways in which resources for children’s learning are managed. The article explores how the familiar notion of children’s “freedom of choice” was played out in a centre. It describes how, within the apparent freedom, teacher ...

In developing Ministry of Health guidelines for early childhood education (ECE) services to support breastfeeding, the authors of this article consulted widely with the health and ECE sectors early in 2009. The article discusses the main themes and issues raised by the parents, educators, advocates and health representatives who participated. Although ECE centres have ...

Global issues, such as ecological sustainability, can be difficult topics to address in early childhood education. This article reports on a research project exploring an approach based on the idea of “global citizenship”—where care for self, others and the environment are inextricably intertwined. It gives the perspective of one of the researchers and two ...

Meaningful leadership development opportunities are rare for those working in the New Zealand early childhood education sector. What difference can they make to leadership practice? This article describes the experiences of participants in a study that used a blend of ICT and face-to-face sessions to support leadership learning. For the participants, this approach resulted ...