Part three – Wāhanga tuatoru, five key areas to strengthen, e rima ngā māhanga matua hei whakakaha.

Nau mai haere mai, welcome to part three: five key areas to strengthen. These five areas of practice are supported by evidence as being important to children’s learning success. The richness of Te Whāriki is strengthened through its bicultural framing. Every child needs to experience the breadth and the depth of the curriculum. This applies to Infants, toddlers, and young children. Including every child means removing barriers and providing support where required.

The concept of rangatiratanga is related to agency, where children become increasingly confident and competent to run their own lives. A focus on learning that matters here is related to the idea of a local curriculum.

Kaiako are the key resource in any early childhood service. Your primary responsibility is to facilitate children’s learning and development through thoughtful and intentional pedagogy (MOE 2017, page 59). This means you need a wide range of capabilities, which are outlined on page 59. On this slide, there are four different but connected ideas.

Learner identity is strengthened when education affirms the culture and language of the home.

Parent and whānau engagement in their child’s education is a powerful determinant of learning success.

The shift here in this update is for parent/whānau involvement in learning, building shared understanding of what children are learning over time. This relates to the Ministry’s wider work programme that is focused on 0-18 learner pathways, where curricula progress is understood and learners are supported to take next steps, while pursuing their specific interests. It will be achieved through stronger communication across the settings and a shared commitment to learner progress.