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

directed by Margaret Carr and Wendy Lee (Ministry of Education, 2004b).
Research by Mitchell (2008) into assessment practices found that of those teachers
surveyed, 72 per cent had made use of the exemplars. One of the booklets was
specifically aimed at Tiriti-based assessment: Kei Tua o te Pae Assessment for
Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars: Bicultural Assessment: He Aromatawai
Ahurea Rua. This document was important because examples were provided from
teachers who were implementing Tiriti-based curriculum. According to the
introduction this particular booklet:
…looks at bicultural assessment practices and how these practices can
embody the principle of partnership fundamental to Te Tiriti. The
principles ... and the different areas of mana that shape the five strands
provide a bicultural framework to underpin bicultural assessment. This
book of exemplars builds on Te Whāriki framework and includes
examples of many developments in early childhood settings that indicate
movement along their pathways to bicultural assessment practice.
(Ministry of Education, 2004a, p. 2)
Building an early childhood sector that was responsive to Māori was to be
promoted by focusing on working with early childhood services and teacher
education providers. The aim was to improve teachers understanding and
appreciation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, bicultural development, and te reo Māori me
ōna tikanga. The goal was to help teachers to support and encourage the learning
of Māori children and promote and grow the involvement of their parents. But not
all assessments were expected to have Tiriti-based components which may still
indicate the existence of tokenism rather than absolute commitment.
The materials were attractive and well assembled but nevertheless, there
was insufficient information on how working with whānau Māori could be
achieved which is a basic issue for teachers attempting to implement Tiriti-based
curriculum. I was not alone in expressing disquiet about the usefulness of the
exemplars. Blaiklock (2010) also expressed concerns about the lack of clear
guidance for teachers when he critiqued the language exemplars.
However, there was insufficient information on how this could be
achieved, which is one of the basic issues for teachers in their attempts to
implement Tiriti-based curriculum. As will be argued below, aspirational
exemplars alone are inadequate when it comes to providing guidance to early
childhood teachers, especially when many are non-Aotearoa New Zealand born.
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