I have now met with both of my supervisors and am inspired and excited and only need another day or two a week to be added to my calendar!
I am going to be exploring Kei Tua o te Pae and other documents relevant to ECE in NZ and will be identifying areas of ambiguity, contradictions and gaps. I have been enjoying reading 2 books in particular:
"Deconstructing Early Childhood education" by Gaile Cannella
and "Doing Foucault in Early Childhood Education" by Glenda MacNaughton.
Great for getting your head into a critical space!
I thoroughly recommend these books to anyone exploring ECE issues. You may not agree with some of the stances taken by the autors but you will certainly be challenged!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Getting busy
I am just launching into work for my thesis so may well be posting even less here. On the other hand I am focusing on socio-cultural approaches to assessment and may well end up posting more! Lets see what happens.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Using photography to increase democracy
I love this article. A new one I just had to share ( with anyone with access to online databases anyway)
Carpet-Time Democracy: Digital Photography and Social
Consciousness in the Early Childhood Classroom
STEPHANIE C. SERRIERE
Curriculum and Instruction, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract:
Although much energy has been spent designing children’s books and curriculum to bring issues of diversity and acceptance into
classrooms, perhaps the most meaningful and relevant curricular materials only require a digital camera and a space for students to
talk about photos of their own classroom community, creating an organic and everyday curriculum. From over three years of research
in a preschool classroom, the researcher-author tells how she uses digital photography to allow students to examine and reimagine
their own social community. She revives the pedagogies of seminal social educators like Vivian Paley and Fannie Shaftel while offering
a photo methodology for researchers of children who are interested in better understanding children’s peer culture. As play is perhaps
the most important vehicle of social education, carving out a time and space in the school day for a reflective component with digital
photography can be an interesting and empowering way for children to examine social dilemmas and confront inequities.
Keywords: digital photography, democracy, early childhood, play, social consciousness
The Social Studies (2010) 101, 60–68
Copyright C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0037-7996 print
DOI: 10.1080/00377990903285481
Carpet-Time Democracy: Digital Photography and Social
Consciousness in the Early Childhood Classroom
STEPHANIE C. SERRIERE
Curriculum and Instruction, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract:
Although much energy has been spent designing children’s books and curriculum to bring issues of diversity and acceptance into
classrooms, perhaps the most meaningful and relevant curricular materials only require a digital camera and a space for students to
talk about photos of their own classroom community, creating an organic and everyday curriculum. From over three years of research
in a preschool classroom, the researcher-author tells how she uses digital photography to allow students to examine and reimagine
their own social community. She revives the pedagogies of seminal social educators like Vivian Paley and Fannie Shaftel while offering
a photo methodology for researchers of children who are interested in better understanding children’s peer culture. As play is perhaps
the most important vehicle of social education, carving out a time and space in the school day for a reflective component with digital
photography can be an interesting and empowering way for children to examine social dilemmas and confront inequities.
Keywords: digital photography, democracy, early childhood, play, social consciousness
The Social Studies (2010) 101, 60–68
Copyright C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 0037-7996 print
DOI: 10.1080/00377990903285481
Monday, March 22, 2010
Transitions from ECE to School
Mangere Bridge Kindergarten is continuing their amazing work in this area in spite of the funding for the Centres of Innovation work being stopped.
Their findings are now being published in a number of places. To find this work please go to their Blog ( Link is below and to the right.
They are also continuing to disseminate information through their popular information sessions. Details of these are also on their Blog.
Teachers from the Kindergarten spoke at several sessions on Transition in 2008 and 2009 at Kei Tua o te Pae PD Seminars in Auckland and their work was truly inspiring for both participants and the facilitation team. They share simple practical ideas as well as larger philosophical discussions.
It is great to know we can start acccesing their findings in the literature.
Thanks Mangere Bridge.
(Dont forget to also follow the stories about the rather mobile guines pigs!)
Their findings are now being published in a number of places. To find this work please go to their Blog ( Link is below and to the right.
They are also continuing to disseminate information through their popular information sessions. Details of these are also on their Blog.
Teachers from the Kindergarten spoke at several sessions on Transition in 2008 and 2009 at Kei Tua o te Pae PD Seminars in Auckland and their work was truly inspiring for both participants and the facilitation team. They share simple practical ideas as well as larger philosophical discussions.
It is great to know we can start acccesing their findings in the literature.
Thanks Mangere Bridge.
(Dont forget to also follow the stories about the rather mobile guines pigs!)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
New Assessment Journal
It is great to see a new peer reviewed journal out from NZCER - New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
It is simply named Assessment Matters and looks like a 'must have' for anyone interested in assessment and education.
Along with some other great articles about school assessment there is one from Margaret Carr on the early childhood exemplars-
Kei tua o te pae: Assessing learning that reaches beyond the self and beyond the horizon
Margaret Carr
"This paper outlines the development and the conceptual design of an assessment for learning resource of 177 exemplars from early childhood contexts. Two metaphors provide the foundation for the resource: Te Whäriki and Kei Tua o te Pae. These metaphors underpin a discussion about assessment of learner outcomes that reach “beyond the self” and “beyond the horizon”, using the resource as an example. The resource that is built on these two metaphors includes three themes: principles that frame up the assessment; practices that are based on narrative; and a view of progression that aligns with the principles. The assessment practice exemplified is sited in stories and portfolios, and the paper concludes with an argument for the consequential validity of narrative assessments."
It is simply named Assessment Matters and looks like a 'must have' for anyone interested in assessment and education.
Along with some other great articles about school assessment there is one from Margaret Carr on the early childhood exemplars-
Kei tua o te pae: Assessing learning that reaches beyond the self and beyond the horizon
Margaret Carr
"This paper outlines the development and the conceptual design of an assessment for learning resource of 177 exemplars from early childhood contexts. Two metaphors provide the foundation for the resource: Te Whäriki and Kei Tua o te Pae. These metaphors underpin a discussion about assessment of learner outcomes that reach “beyond the self” and “beyond the horizon”, using the resource as an example. The resource that is built on these two metaphors includes three themes: principles that frame up the assessment; practices that are based on narrative; and a view of progression that aligns with the principles. The assessment practice exemplified is sited in stories and portfolios, and the paper concludes with an argument for the consequential validity of narrative assessments."
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