Why now is a good time to rethink the purpose of ECE
Professor Linda Mitchell and her colleagues surveyed 156 managers from Early Childhood Education (ECE) providers on the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Opinion
Early childhood teachers are shovel ready
Last Friday, ECE kaiako and their supporters across the country showed that ECE is primed for investment, by sending their ‘shovel-ready’ photos to key decision-makers in a day of action.
Reflecting on ECE professionalism post Covid-19 and Budget 2020
Dr Carmen Dalli reflects on the positives for the early childhood sector as we head toward the end of Level 2.
Anxiety, Australia, Covid-19 2020, LGBTQ+, Lockdown, Mark Cross, Pandemic, Stress, Wellbeing / Hauora
Living with anxiety, Covid-19 and the new school term
Dr Mark Cross, an Australian psychiatrist specialising in anxiety disorders, shares his experience and advice for New Zealand teachers as the new Term 2 looms. His new book is “Anxiety: Expert Advice from a Neurotic Shrink Who’s Lived with Anxiety All His Life”.
Auckland, Covid-19 2020, Henderson Primary School, Lockdown, Mindfulness, Opinion, Pandemic, Renu Sikka, Wellbeing / Hauora
This too shall pass: gratitude and mindfulness for teachers, by a teacher
Renu Sikka, a primary school teacher and member of NZEI Te Riu Roa, reflects on what the lockdown can mean for her colleagues around the country and how mindfulness can play a role in getting through.
Challenges and initiatives
NZEI Te Riu Roa is committed to ensuring every one of our members is heard and supported during the Covid-19 pandemic, using all the expertise, resources and channels we have available.
Love reading aloud? Love writing!
Every year I read my class the same book – Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume. Why? One of my favourite memories from primary school was hearing it read by my Year 3 teacher.
Compulsory te reo in schools – what does it look like? / Ko te whakapūmau i te reo ki te kura – ka pēhea hoki?
Ah, compulsory te reo Māori in mainstream schools. It’s a grazing table for politician-elects and a fear-inducing topic for overworked teachers. It’s been on the cards since 1972, when 33,000 people signed a petition approaching Government on the topic, but so far, it’s been a fruit too high to harvest.
O Taumafa Manogi ma Aogā mo le Fanau / Nourishment for the next generation
O a ia Taumafa? O Taumafa Manogi, ua fa‘atusaina lea i le fa‘aaogaina o le Gagana e fafaga ai tama a Samoa e Faatonu, Fa‘asino, Faapoto ma Fesoota‘i ai. E leitioa fo‘i le Fa‘autaga ma le ‘au fai Tofā a fa‘apea mai: “O fānau a tagata e fafaga i ‘upu ma tala ‘ae ‘o tama a manu o fuga o lā‘au.”
Reflections of a president
When asked to share some reflections on my three years as NZEI Te Riu Roa President, I was prompted to think back to the very beginning of this journey.
Editorial, Language, Liam Rutherford, NZ Curriculum, Opinion, Ross Intermediate, Summer 2020, Te reo Māori
Asking the big questions
It is great to have the opportunity to contribute to Ako. I am really pleased that this issue is focussed on language, as it is top of mind for me.
Community, Gisborne, Kiana Ria Renata-Kokiri, Kura, Māori, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Nga Uri A Maui, Winter 2019
Home has been my classroom
Child of the mist, Tame Iti, says that “history has woven us together. We are the basket, the kete, that holds the future!”
Enabling positive change
This winter 2019 issue of Ako focusses on community and the different ways it is evidenced within education.
Community, ECE, NZ Curriculum, Opinion, Sally Peters, Te Marautanga o Aotearoa, Te Whāriki, University of Waikato, Winter 2019
Working together effectively and consistently
Children do not exist in isolation; their lives are embedded in families, communities and societies. Nested within these communities are the schools and early childhood education (ECE) services children attend.
Fostering a sense of home in a new environment
When my mother and I first arrived in New Zealand, she was 22 and I was four. We didn’t know anyone or anything. We had to learn how to use public transport, ATMs, how to buy groceries and clothes, pay bills – all while learning a whole new language. This was very overwhelming and isolating.
Reconciliation in education
Australia is home to more than 250 distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations – diverse geo-cultural communities, each with their own traditional languages, customs and connections to Country/place.
Engaging parents, whānau and hapori
It is widely acknowledged that engaging whānau and community in educational activities that support the learning of their children is mutually beneficial. It is also acknowledged that this is not always straightforward.
He waka eke noa – we are all in this together
When researching a good kura for our older son, we sought a school with genuine commitment to biculturalism and the environment, a diverse roll with ngā ākonga from a variety of backgrounds, and modern systems for encouraging positive behaviour.
Now is the time for human rights-based education
The trouble with “inclusive education” is that it can become a slogan, a mantra, a label for government policy, that imposes extra burdens on teaching professionals.
Thinking about what is normal has changed over time and place
When we think about diversity, and who we mean when we talk about diverse people, depends a lot on who and what we think of as normal.