Early Childhood Education Essay

He taonga te reo Honouring te reo me ona tikanga1, the Maori linguistic process and grow, in spite of appearance primevalish childhood bringing up in Aotearoa2. Dr Jenny Ritchie, chap Professor, azoic childishness Teacher commandment, Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand Abstract This piece of music considers information from recent research which illustrates the ways in which tamariki (children), whanau (families) and educators are combine the exercising of the Maori phrase within their everyday knowledgeal interactions, as mandated by the bilingual New Zealand former(a) childhood curriculum, Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996).Languages contrive cultures, expressing our deeper meanings and representations. engraved within verbal and non-verbal wordings are our ways of existence, knowing and doing (Martin, 2008). Jeanette Rhedding-J peerlesss has inquired in her Norwegian multi ethnic context as to What kinds of constructions are the mono ethnic prof essionals creating for cross-cultural meetings and mergings? (2001, p. 5).What follows is an exploration of strategies by which Maori ways of world, knowing and doing are being enacted through the medium of te reo in archaean childhood affections. Introduction Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996), the first bicultural fosterage curriculum in Aotearoa, reaffirmed a load already widely adjudge across the early childhood education sector in this country, to Te Tiriti o Waitangi3, and the validation and inclusion of te reo me ona tikanga4 as an integrated agent of early childhood education programmes.Te Whariki contains strong clear statements of expectations for educators in terms of enacting te reo Maori within their pedagogy method New Zealand is the home of Maori lyric and culture curriculum in early childhood settings should promote te reo and nga tikanga Maori, making them visible and affirming their rate for children from alto viewher cultural backgrounds. Adult s working with children should plant an understanding of the varied iwi and the meaning of whanau and whanaungatanga5 (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.42) The juxtaposition of the promotion of te reo and tikanga aboard whanau and whanaungatanga is insightful. Previous research had place that as early childhood 1 2 Te reo is the Maori expression, tikanga are Maori beliefs, value and cultural practices. Aotearoa is a Maori piddle for New Zealand. 3 Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between Maori chiefs and the British Cr take, stipulationd protections to Maori of their lands and taonga everything of value to Maori , which includes their deliverys, beliefs, values and traditions.4 Te reo is the Maori language and tikanga are Maori cultural practices. This phrase, liter every last(predicate) toldy, the language and its cultural practices demonstrates how intrinsically the language and culture are linked. 5 Iwi are tribes, whanau are families, and whana ungatanga is the building of relationships. 2 educators feed an environment reflective and inclusive of Maori values such(prenominal) as whanaungatanga, Maori families are to a greater extent comfortable and be lift more involved within that early childhood setting (Ritchie, 2002). Te reo Maori has been severely jeopardised by the processes of colony.As upright Skerrett has written Maori ways of verbalize were overly colonised through the oppression of te reo Maori, to be replaced by English. This, at times violent, process of colonisation caused a disruption in the intergenerational transmission of Maori language, Maori knowledge and, as a consequence, disrupted Maori lives and Maori socie plug intos. (2007, p. 7) Whanau Maori have tenaciously stated their preference that their children learn their language and culture within education contexts (AGB/McNair, 1992 M.Durie, 2001 Else, 1997Te Puni Kokiri/Ministry of Maori Development, 1998) in affirmation of their identity eleme nt as Maori, since Te reo Maori serves as the medium through which symbolic and cultural comp championnts are properly united and Maoriness most appropriately expressed (A. Durie, 1997, p. 152). junior children learn languages comparatively easily. archaeozoic childhood centres are a pellucid site for young children to have opportunities to learn te reo Maori, in representational experiential ways, consistent with both early childhood and second language learning pedagogies (Cummins, 2001 Ritchie, 1994).This entrust only occur if we are able to endure them with a linguistically rich environment and authentic language models. It is bonnie that Maori raises might expect that their children will non acquire poor pronunciation of their have got language from their educational experiences. Previous search In 1999 as part of my doctoral research (Ritchie, 2002), I discovered 13 different early childhood settings in the Waikato realm (Ritchie, 1999). I noted that in most of th e settings there was at least one staff element who attempted to use close to Maori language.This was a stronger use of te reo than Pam Cubey observed in eight hessian early childhood centres in 1992, when she report that virtually no Maori language was heard (Cubey, 1992). During my observations, the most frequent system of te reo Maori were commands, such as Haere mai ki te kai E tu tamariki E noho Haere mai ki te whariki Horoi o ringaringa6. There were also instances of counting and grant tints in te reo Maori. Several staff repeatedly inserted iodin Maori nouns within some of their regular English sentences, for practice session, Do you want some fruit? Some panana 6.Haere mai ki te kai come and eat E tu tamariki stand up children E noho- sit down Haere mai ki te whariki come to the mat Horoi o ringaringa wash your hands panana banana aporo- orchard apple tree taringa ear(s) waha m breakh 3 or some aporo? Turn on your taringa, step on it up your waha. During my vi sits, eight of the 13 centres sang at least one song in te reo Maori, usually at structured mat-times, which were authoritative for all children. These teachers identified confidence and competence as barriers, because, as one teacher explained, you feel like a real twit when it comes out wrong.I was concerned that the available te reo Maori re obtains appeared to be under-utilised and that the persist of language use was restricted to simple commands, the use of colour name and counting in Maori. This indicated reliance on a limited ambit of vocabulary, with little knowledge of Maori grammar. Teachers expressed their neediness for support and encouragement to let out their comfort zone beyond single words, to using complete and more complex phrases that represent linguistically authentic Maori structures.I suggested that teachers consider widening the range of formats in which they used Maori phrases. Recent data Whilst 6. 58% of registered early childhood teachers are Maori (Ministry of Education, 2007), only 1. 6% of New Zealanders of European traverse speak Maori (Ministry of Social Development, 2007). Early childhood teachers use of te reo whitethorn seem encouraging in that 75% of Pakeha early childhood teachers utter that they use some Maori whilstteaching, yet 70% of these teachers reported themselves as disquisition Maori not very well (Harkess, 2004, p. 12).In 2006 we reported on a two-year study7 with a range of participants, which included early childhood educators, an Iwi Education Initiative8, teacher educators, specialist educators and professional learning providers, co-exploring strategies for supporting the involvement of whanau Maori within early childhood settings otherwise than Kohanga Reo9 (Ritchie & Rau, 2006).Using narrative (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990 Schulz, Schroeder, & Brody, 1997) and Kaupapa Maori (Bishop, 2005 Smith, 1999, 2005) research methodologies, we explored early childhood educators strategies for encouraging t he participation of whanau Maori within early childhood education settings, and ways for implementing understandings of commitments derived from Te Tiriti o Waitangi as expressed in the bicultural early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, through the delivery of Tiriti-based programmes10.Participants in this study were those who were potently committed to implementing Tiriti-based practice. Pedagogical word picture described in this study was consistent with 7 This project was funded through the Teaching Learning Research Initiative, a fund provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Education, and administered by NZCER. 8 We gratefully jazz the support and contribution of Kokiri Tuwaretoa Education Initiative to the Whakawhanaungatanga study.9 Kohanga Reo are Maori-medium educational settings where young children are immersed in the Maori language and culture in a whanau-based context. 10 The term Tiriti-based practice is derived from a commitment to Te Tiriti oWaitangi, the treaty s igned in 1840 by Maori chiefs and the British Crown, that legitimated the presence of immigrants, initially from Britain, on base the tangata whenua, Maori, the indigenous people of this land.4 a view of Maori language and cultural practices as being holistically and simultaneously performed. This enactment includes passing(a) welcome and spectral rituals in te reo, and is inclusive of waiata11. This climate generated a sense of welcoming and safety for Maori families, which resulted in their increasing involvement in centre reo and tikanga implementation. An educator demonstrated how this whanau participation was integral within their early childhood centre programmingIn partnership with whanau weintroduce new waiata each term, and tikanga experiences, such as, hangi, powhiri, harakeke, and legends of the whanau, hapu12, and iwi attending the service. Other Maori co-researchers within the Whakawhanaungatanga research project also identified aspects of Te Ao Maori13 that they wo uld like to see reflected within early childhood education and care settings. They considered it important that Maori parents and whanau sense a match between their values and those of educational settings.They valued a sense of whanaungatanga generated and enacted within the early childhood centre, whereby tamariki and whanau, kuia and kaumatua, and other whanau members such as Aunties (Martin, 2007) participated as a collective, learning and teaching on board the teachers and children, educators sharing responsibility and demonstrating willingness to identify and support the needs of all members of that collective.In this vision, te reo Maori is modelled and integrated throughout the programme, with support for adults to maturation their own facility with the language alongside their children, and there is on-going everyday enactment of tikanga such as rituals of welcoming and coldewell sharing of kai14 a value of inclusiveness reference to Te Ao Wairua15 and nga Atua16, and an nual celebrations such as Matariki.17 Children, in this view are exposed to te reo as part of the daily enactment of Maori beliefs, values and practices. Co-researchers in this project demonstrated a commitment to compound te reo and tikanga within their centre practice, in ways that were meaning(prenominal) and contextual for children and families.Working with natural materials, such as harakeke (flax), provided a initiation of learning of traditional knowledge, involving the planting and care of the flax bushes, twine of rourou18, children observing alongside adults, connected to the land and its spiritual signifi nominatece, as Ana, a Playcentre kaiako, described So even though we had those harakeke within our centre boundary, in our lawn, we knew that the pa harakeke19 of that harakeke that we had, came 11 12 Waiata are songs.Hangi are feasts cooked in earth ovens, powhiri are accost ceremonies, harakeke is flax, and hapu are sub-tribes 13 Te Ao Maori is the Maori world. 14 Kai is food 15 Te Ao Wairua is the spiritual dimension. 16 Nga Atua are supernatural beings, or gods. 17 Matariki is the configuration whose arrival announces the Maori New Year. 18 Rourou are flax food baskets. 19 Pa harakeke are flax bushes, often planted as a source of flax for weaving and rongoa (medicinal remedies), and also refers metaphorically to the nurturing by the wider family of the offspring, the younger shoots.5 from a larger picture. And all the natural resources on our little wagon inside, in the area of where they go and falsify pictures and glue things and make structures out of the driftwood and put their shells and tie their shells on and harakeke, they might have been just in the rourou baskets, but we knew and the tamariki knew they come from this bigger picture out there in the whenua20, because they had asleep(p) to get them. So we brought our big world candor and our spiritual world reality into the bounds of that centre.Pania, a Maori kindergarten tea cher, spoke of her bilingual approach as being like a whariki,21 where you get two strands and you build them together to make your little kete22 or your whariki of learning. And implementing a bilingual approach is a way that I can facilitate my programme that is non-threatening. Its an option for the child and the parent whether they would like to do it, but its also another teaching technique and a resource and a learning strategy.Daisy, a Pakeha kindergarten teacher, actively researched aspects of tikanga that she was interested in integrating into her teaching I wrote a spirit level and what I wanted to do was encompass the tikanga aspects on collecting kai moana23. I wanted it to be something Pakeha could grasp, something simple, that was really clear and conveying the tikanga aspects because its not just about going down to the beach and picking up a few pipis24, its deeper than that, theres a lot of kaupapa25 coffin nail it. How did I know about all the tikanga?Ive never gone out collecting kai moana in my life? Research, korero26 with others more knowledgeable. As far as getting it to children it needs to be simple and straight-forward. The pipi story is cerebrate on Tangaroa,27 the protocols around that. The tamariki seem to enjoy it, but in couch to deepen their understanding, and extend the story, I set up the pipi lean in the sandpit. So the story was a visual and a listening experience, whereas the pipi hunt was a tactile experience, so that then I think I would have managed to tap into every childs way of learning.Daisy also involved whanau Maori of her centre in her planning, although she took primary responsibility for researching the reo and tikanga that was to be incorporated. Incorporating te reo and tikanga was more effective when educators were committed both individually and collectively to proactively integrating this within planning, teaching 20 Whenua is land. Whariki are woven flax mats. 22 A kete is a woven flax basket. 23 Ka i moana are seafoods. 24 Pipi are cockles. 25 Kaupapa is philosophy. 26 Korero is talking. 27 Tangaroa is the Atua, supernatural being, or God, of the sea.21 6 interactions, programme evaluation, and centre review. Many of the Pakeha coresearchers have worked hard over the years to increase their competence in te reo, and continue to do so, by pickings courses. At Ariels childcare centre, all the teachers had attended a reo course offered in their local community. Penny, a kindergarten head teacher who was also studying te reo, explained that as her own confidence grew, and supported by her co-teacher, the flavour of te reo within the centre programme continued to strengthen, as the reo is supply in gently and quietly.Respondents from the Hei Ara Kokiri Tuwaretoa Education Initiative data articulated aspirations for early childhood education services that envisioned all children as being supported to become biculturally and bilingually competent. The following example recognises t he important role of early childhood services in offering quality models of te reo Maori To be fully bicultural and therefore bilingual all children in Aotearoa/NZ should have the opportunity to learn to be fluent in Maori and English and develop understanding of both cultures world view.We need full Maori speaking teachers in all ECE learning environments. It is not enough to use Maori language in directives information acknowledgment contexts. We need to work towards providing environments where children can use the target language, be completely immersed in te reo Maori. We need to promote environments where the conscientization of language is constructed as normal to prevent dialogue being used by teachers to act on children. Teachers and children need to be using dialogue to work with each other co-constructing. In order to reflect this, we need to provide environments rich in Maori language.We need proficient speaking Maori teachers Regurgitating learnt phrases will not p rovide the opportunities for children to really conscientise their experiences, that is, thinking in Maori. besides a very high level of exposure in Maori will do that. Honouring the indigenous language and culture of this country carcass an ongoing challenge for educators, particularly given the legacy of colonialistic arrogance that has limited gravel for many people, both Maori and non-Maori. Kaupapa Maori models are providing inspirational pedagogical models that honour te reo me ona tikanga (Skerrett, 2007).However, as the numbers of Maori children in education services other than kaupapa Maori remains high, the onus is on educators in these sectors to find strategies to provide Maori children and families with the language that is their birth-right and source of identity as affirmed by Article 30 of the join Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child (1989), which requires thatIn those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of Indigenous o rigin exist, a child belong to such a minority or who is Indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language.7 Conclusion Maori continue to seek education supplying that respects and honours their identity, including the linguistic affirmation of authentic models of te reo Maori (Robertson, Gunn, Lanumata, & Pryor, 2007). 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