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

clarification” (p. 4). In terms of Te Whāriki the “activity of criticism” could be said
to be that of using school content for an early childhood curriculum; significantly,
however, this was avoided in Te Whāriki because principles and strands were
inspired by Māori world views rather than school subjects. As Cullen (2003)
observes “Te Whāriki has provided a coherent philosophy that distinguishes the
early childhood sector from the formal schooling sector” (p. 270). Therefore, Te
Whāriki clarified that the philosophy of early childhood education was different to
that of formal schooling. I would contend that Clark has summed up the position
of Te Whāriki in regards to philosophy and practice when she states:
The difficulty of implementing Te Whāriki in practical terms may be
based on the omissions of practical knowledge in favour of philosophy
and ideals. The structure of this curriculum document suggests that there
is an assumption that teachers will have the practical knowledge to
implement these values and ideals through practice. The ideals and
values are articulated to inform practice at a level of thought and attitude
rather than in terms of basic practice. There are guidelines for
curriculum implementation and for understanding the development of
young children but these are not at a content curriculum level, rather they
guide praxis focusing on relationships and interactions in the ECE
context. (Clark, 2005, p. 20)
What is problematic for teachers is that when they attempt to implement
Tiriti-based aspects of Te Whāriki “there is an assumption that teachers will have
the practical knowledge to implement these values and ideals through practice”
(Clark, 2005, p. 20). Gaining practical knowledge of someone else‟s culture is not
a straightforward matter (Colbung et al., 2007).
Philosophy, ideals, and values are, therefore, at the forefront of Te Whāriki
and these are intended to be the interface to guide relationships. Practical
knowledge and content are limited within Te Whāriki, leaving teachers to
implement those aspects from pre-existing knowledge, and this is what makes
practice so challenging – particularly Tiriti-based practice. For other aspects of the
curriculum, such as mathematics, the arts, and communication there are numerous
specific curriculum texts to enable teachers to weave an appropriate curriculum.
Nevertheless, despite a small body of reports and articles (Playcentre, 2008; Ritchie
& Rau, 2006b, 2008), specific texts on how best to implement Tiriti-based
curriculum are not readily available to teachers.
66