Part two – Wāhanga tuarua, guide to Te Whāriki rua mano tekau ma whitu.

Nau mai haere mai, welcome to part two: Guide to Te Whāriki.

Part two of this presentation takes a closer look at the revised document to familiarise you with the new layout and content. It would be helpful to have a copy of Te Whāriki in front of you. You can download a copy from the Ministry of Education website at the link shown. On page 4 you can find the contents page. You can see Te Whāriki 2017 is organised by section and colour band. The colour bands are also linked to the various sections and chapters on the website Te Whāriki Te Kete Ipurangi or Te Whāriki TKI. This design feature was based on feedback from the sector. The layout is designed to make the document clear and easy to navigate. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is positioned prominently at the start of the document on page 3. This is because as kaiako in Aotearoa, we realise and fully enact the bicultural intentions of the document and our shared responsibility to uphold the articles of Te Tiriti.

Key ideas here are:

• achieving equitable outcomes for whānau Māori to succeed as Māori
• ensuring that Te Reo Māori not only survives but is a thriving language
• providing mokopuna with culturally responsive environments – a crucial role for early childhood education
• te Tiriti providing the foundation for all new migrants to belong here as Tangata Tiriti.

The 2017 Te Whāriki curriculum reflects this partnership in text and structure. We all share responsibility for enacting Te Tiriti aspirations as we use Te Whāriki with mokopuna and whānau; with hapū and iwi. We invite you to take time now to read the new statements, reflect on your practice, your understanding, your commitment, and what support you require. You may wish to pause as you consider these questions.

• How is Te Tiriti enacted in your service now?
• What are you are doing to ensure that te reo Māori not only survives but thrives?
• How is your service culturally responsive?
• How do you ensure mokopuna are provided with equitable opportunities to learn?
• What more do you need to do meet Te Tiriti obligations?

The aspiration statement from the original Te Whāriki in 1996, has been retained and given greater visibility on page 5.

Located in Aotearoa/New Zealand this vision implies a society that recognises Māori as tangata whenua (MOE 2017, page 6).

He purapura i ruia mai i Rangiātea e kore e ngaro. A seed sown in Rangiātea will never be lost.

The choice of the whakataukī throughout this curriculum document is deliberate and these are placed purposefully to provoke reflection. The introduction on page 6 explains the curriculum and this whakataukī. This whakataukī encompasses the messages in the curriculum about the mana of the child and links to past, present, and future.

Kotahi te kākano, he nui ngā hua o te rākau. A tree comes from one seed but bares many fruit.

Pages 8 and 9 outline the diversity of early learning services in Aotearoa, including different service types, philosophies, and characteristics.

Te Whāriki 2017 is a unifying framework which outlines "what matters here" in Aotearoa/New Zealand. This is about the local curriculum, the learning that is valued in each context. The distinct curriculum for Kōhanga Reo is explained here. References to additional curriculum guidelines for Pasifika services are found here. This is a key section on the Te Whāriki Te Kete Ipurangi website and is a good place to start as you revisit your own curriculum whāriki.

He whāriki he whakamana i te mokopuna, hei kawe i ngā wawata. A whāriki that empowers the child and carries our aspirations.

Te kōwhiti whakapae whāriki, or woven mat, is used once again in the document as a metaphor with the same four principles and strands interwoven.

Kei te ringa toi, Mari Rōpata Te Hei, nei ngā mihi mutunga kore mau i whakahou ai i te tohu.

As you can see, the colours have changed and draw on whakapapa from Te ao Māori. "The dark colour symbolises Te Po from the realm of enlightenment and te Kore the realm of potential. The green represents new life and growth. The purple, red, blue, and teal have many differing cultural connotations and are used here to highlight the importance of the principles as the foundations of the curriculum” (MOE 2017, page 11).

"The kōwhiti whakapae whāriki symbolises the start of a journey that will take the traveller beyond the horizon" (MOE 2017, page 11).

Kaiako in early childhood settings weave together the principles and strands, in collaboration with children, parents, whānau, and community, to create a local curriculum for their setting. Understood in this way, the curriculum or whāriki is considered "a mat for all to stand on".

On page 12 in the green section – A curriculum for ALL children, the whakataukī reads: "Ehara taku toa, i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini.” "I come not with my own strengths but bring with me the gifts, talents, strengths of my family, tribe and ancestors.”

We know that:

• affirming each child’s language and culture supports strong learner identity
• an inclusive curriculum removes barriers to participation, be physical, social, or conceptual
• one of the things that sets Te Whāriki apart from other curriculums is that it includes infants, toddlers, and young children. All children are able to access the whole curriculum
• kaiako adapt the environment and teaching approaches as necessary to invite full participation in a rich curriculum
• the curriculum acknowledges differing social and cultural expectations, broad patterns of development, and a pedagogy of care that balances secure and predictable with adventurous and challenging.

There is a new phrase in this section – A tōna wa – in their own time. This acknowledges children’s rights to reach their full potential and learn in their own time and in their own way. This requires kaiako, to attune to that pace, listening and watching deeply and respectfully.

The Kaupapa Whakahaere/Principles begins on page 17, in the yellow section. The principles remain as they were, and are intended as "touchstones for curriculum design and decision making". These principles are a guide for every aspect of pedagogy and practice and are crucial to the weave of the curriculum with a focus on the mana of the child. They are also referred to throughout the document – they used to be sectioned off, now they are woven in. Te āo Māori is strongly affirmed and acknowledged.

Think about how have you engaged with the principles in the past. From page 18 onward in this section, you will notice at the bottom of each page a new addition with specific reference to The New Zealand Curriculum. The introduction to Taumata whakahirahira – the strands, start on page 22 in the blue section. The five strands remain the same. Again here we see the strands – the full promise of Te Whāriki as a rich curriculum where relationships and experiences combine to empower children as competent and confident learners.

The strands set out valued knowledge, skills, attitudes, and dispositions. The goals describe the facilitating environment for children’s learning. The learning outcomes are broad statements that encompass; knowledge, skills, attitudes, and dispositions that children develop a tōna wa. They are specific to Aotearoa and are a reflection of "what is important here”. The final part of each strand provides support for leaders and managers.

You can find a set of reflective questions here for kaiako, intended to support pedagogical inquiry and internal evaluation. Feedback from the consultation process asked for these to be retained.

An overview is on pages 24 and 25. It is the full promise of the curriculum at a glance. This will become useful as you critically examine your curriculum and ensure all children in their time at your service experience the breadth and depth across all the learning outcomes.

Every child deserves the opportunities to develop the full range of these capabilities over time and with guidance and encouragement. Each service will explore/make sense of these in their own ways and set their own priorities for groups and individuals. Each service will also need to consider how you can provide evidence of how you are providing opportunities for children to meet these learning outcomes in multiple ways.

Page 51 in the purple section is where the pathways to school and kura are discussed. This connects the vision of Te Whāriki with The New Zealand Curriculum and Te Marautanga o Aotearoa using the concept of weaving as a shared practice. The learning outcomes of Te Whāriki are linked to the key competencies, values, and learning areas of the school and kura curricula. All three curricula use the weaving metaphor for curriculum design as well as for shared practice. This section of Te Whāriki is intended to support dialogue across ECE and schools/kura and in Communities of Learning | Kāhui Ako about local curriculum and learner progress. Over time our system will better support personalised learner pathways.

Here is an example of the documents referred to on pages 51 and 52. Te Whāriki 2017 emphasises the critical role of kaiako.

“The primary responsibility of kaiako is to facilitate children’s learning and development through thoughtful and intentional pedagogy” (MOE 2017, page 59). This was a key area that the sector wanted further guidance on.

On page 59 you will find responsibilities of kaiako. This section identifies a range of kaiako capabilities and practices known to have a positive impact on children’s learning. Kaiako are reminded to bring their knowledge of the child, and in partnership with parents and whānau, set learning priorities. “Promoting and supporting the ongoing learning and development of kaiako is a key responsibility of educational leaders”. The principles are again revisited in this section – they are a synthesising of Māori thinking and socio-cultural theorising. In this update, Kaupapa Māori is a legitmate theory – that validates and affirms Māori as Māori. The theories and approaches are briefly outlined and notes emerging areas of research (life course and neuroscience) and the impact of environment on children’s development and learning. The update acknowledges that a wide range of educational ideas and philosophies exist and will be reflected in specific services’ curriculum design. The website (Te Whariki TKI) is the repository for all of this information.

This section begins on page 63 and sets out the purpose of assessment. “Assessment makes valued learning visible. Kaiako use assessment to find out about what children know and can do, what interests them, how they are progressing, what new learning opportunities are suggested, and where additional support may be required”. The principles set out touchstones for assessment practice. Kaiako can draw from existing frameworks (Kei tua o te pae and Te Whatu Pōkeka). There is no one right way to gather information about children’s learning but kaiako should use a range of methods to document children’s learning and kaiako practices.

The purpose of planning is to ensure children experience a rich curriculum that empowers them as learners. The purpose of internal evaluation is to strengthen practice so that valued learning occurs and improved outcomes for children. It is important that we take time here to acknowledge and honour the mahi of the Kōhanga Reo Trust who are the kaitiaki of this taonga. I would like to bring your attention to the mihi from the Hon Hekia Parata at the beginning of the book on page 2.

“Me tuku mihi hoki ki Te Poari Matua o te Kōhanga Reo e tautoko nei te whanaketanga o te putanga tuatahi o Te Whāriki e torotoro nei i ngā tikanga Māori he rapunga whakaaro mō te Kōhanga reo.”

This acknowledges the significant contribution of Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust in supporting the development of the original Te Whāriki in 1993, which draws upon traditional Māori concepts underpinning the philosophy of Kōhanga Reo and can be found woven throughout the 2017 revised Te Whāriki.

He mihi nui tēnei ki ngā kōhanga Reo mō tēnei taonga… He mihi hoki ki ngā wāhine pukenga ko Jean Puketapu raua ko Iritana Tāwhiwhirangi.

Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga Reo has been developed by the National Trust and is intended for use in kōhanga reo. Starting as a grassroots, whānau led movement, kōhanga reo have led the revitalisation and sustenance of te reo and tikanga Māori. Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga reo outlines the curriculum for mokopuna in kōhanga reo. Both pathways are of equal status and have mana in their own right, neither part of the combined document is a translation of the other. This is pointed out on page 69 of the document, which explains the two pathways.

Page 11. The Kōhanga whāriki is distinct in its weave and can also be understood as a metaphor for the developing tamaiti. Interpreted in this way, here, the whāriki includes four dimensions of human development: tinana, hinengaro, wairua, and whatumanawa. Kaupapa whakahaere (principles) and Taumata whakahirahira (strands) intersect with children’s growing capacities – tinana – physical, hinengaro – cognitive, wairua – spiritual and whatumanawa – emotional. The whāriki also signifies the start of a journey that will take the traveller beyond the horizon, hence the part on the right that looks left open for further weaving, symbolising the potential of tamariki going forward.

Page 28. Te Kōhanga Reo have their own learning outcomes which are closely aligned to the learning outcomes in Te Whāriki but distinct to kōhanga aspirations and context. The Trust is the repository of deeper knowledge of Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga reo and the kaitiaki of this taonga.

As Tiriti partners and pointed out in the beginning of the English-medium document, it is the responsibility of both Tiriti partners to support the language to thrive, and is a strong aspiration of Te Whāriki 2017 looking to the future.

No reira tēnei te mihi ki a koutou. Thanks for joining us for part two.