supporting tiriti-based curriculum delivery in mainstream early ...

Teamwork thus enabled members to move beyond superficiality, to
achieving instead a confidence derived from understanding each other‟s theoretical
praxis:
It would have stayed still – perhaps the individual‟s matter of choice and
not the team‟s. Now as a team we need to deliver…But because of the
results we all started thinking as a team. That is what otherwise was our
individual choice. Because, for the research, we all used to sit together
in a team. So we hold each others‟ ideas and theories and we all had a
say and maybe that is what has given us that confidence just to try out in
our team – just knowing each other‟s ideas and feelings (F.G: D,
15/12/08).
Because teachers were exchanging ideas, listening to each other and
moving beyond individual, and even isolated implementation, they were able to
gain confidence as a team. In this study, centres appeared to struggle with the
depth of understanding required to effectively implement Tiriti-based curriculum
(Colbung et al., 2007). Furthermore, this study has demonstrated that a strong
team also weather staff changes, which are fairly commonplace in early childhood
education centres. The implication is that having a strong team makes it possible to
sustain and maintain Tiriti-based curriculum. As was shown in Case Study One,
despite staff changes, team commitment, and philosophy were sustained, and
maintained. A factor that seemed to make this possible was the opportunity for
whole team discussions and a willingness to discover more about each others‟
views. The research provided a:
forum for discussion for our team to discuss and know each other and J T
talks about her experience and Sb hers and so because sometimes,
especially in day care setting, we don‟t have time to talk and not so
specifically on bicultural curriculum as such (F.G: D, 15/12/08).
But as D said, it went beyond just knowing the team members. The
research was an opportunity to understand each other at a deeper level, which is not
usually possible because of the amount of business that needs to be covered during
team meetings. Additionally, when Tiriti-based pedagogy was the team focus,
opportunities arose to share their appreciations and to slot themselves into the
whole. They were also able to explore how each person could share and apply
their skills in an integrated team environment. D explained further:
I would say it was just more than just knowing other team members‟
views and their ideas and their fears - it was so real. Otherwise I always
used to think it‟s mine, you know, I always used to think I can‟t. Let‟s try
that out as a team (F.G: D, 15/12/08).
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