30.06.2013 Views

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

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

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

karakia and waiata. In 1989 the National Playcentre Federation Conference passed<br />

remits which affirmed the pr<strong>in</strong>ciples embedded with<strong>in</strong> Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These<br />

<strong>early</strong> <strong>in</strong>itiatives led to the development and publication of Whānau Tupu Ngatahi:<br />

Families Grow<strong>in</strong>g Together (Work<strong>in</strong>g Party on Cultural Issues (Ropu Hanga<br />

Tikanga), 1990), which was written to assist Playcentre members to work <strong>in</strong><br />

partnership with Māori.<br />

Similarly, other <strong>early</strong> childhood services such as k<strong>in</strong>dergartens and<br />

education and care centres were develop<strong>in</strong>g ways to honour Te Tiriti and for<br />

work<strong>in</strong>g towards bicultural development (Cubey, 1992). The M<strong>in</strong>istry of<br />

Education cont<strong>in</strong>ued to <strong>in</strong>corporate bicultural development <strong>in</strong> its services. Dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

1988 it held several important <strong>early</strong> childhood courses at Lopdell House <strong>in</strong><br />

Auckland and for the first time the notion of <strong>curriculum</strong> and bicultural statements<br />

emerged (May, 2003). The <strong>early</strong> childhood work<strong>in</strong>g party report, Education to be<br />

More, (commonly known as the Meade report) became the basis of subsequent<br />

policies (Te One, 2003).<br />

This wave of <strong>early</strong> childhood commitment to the spirit of Tiriti-<strong>based</strong><br />

development became an important factor <strong>in</strong> the formulation of a national bicultural<br />

<strong>early</strong> childhood <strong>curriculum</strong> (May, 2003). Bicultural themes were evident <strong>in</strong><br />

Education to be More (Department of Education, 1988a), which was the first of a<br />

raft of government documents on <strong>early</strong> childhood education (M<strong>in</strong>istry of<br />

Education, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004a) which addressed Tiriti-<strong>based</strong> pedagogy.<br />

By the mid-1980s, four ma<strong>in</strong> types of <strong>early</strong> childhood services operated:<br />

k<strong>in</strong>dergarten, Playcentre, full-day education and care, and Te Kōhanga Reo (Māori<br />

immersion language nests). These different <strong>early</strong> childhood services had each<br />

developed their own <strong>curriculum</strong>. In the 1960s and 1970s there were Māori<br />

preschool movements which had <strong>curriculum</strong> <strong>based</strong> on Māori values. In 1982 the<br />

first Te Kōhanga Reo commenced which delivered Māori immersion pedagogy and<br />

<strong>curriculum</strong> (May, 2003).<br />

At this time Playcentre parents and k<strong>in</strong>dergartens teachers had<br />

programmes that were different from each other. Similarly, education and care<br />

centres knew that what they were about was different to that which was found both<br />

<strong>in</strong> Playcentres and k<strong>in</strong>dergarten (May, 2003). Although each service developed<br />

27

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!