title: Leadership in ECE: A conversation with Professor Margaret Car

authors: Clarkin-Phillips, Jeanette

abstract: I have had the privilege of working with Margaret Carr in a variety of capacities over the past 15 years. I first encountered Margaret when I was a kindergarten teacher and studying for my Masters degree. Margaret was my lecturer for a paper entitled Early Years Curriculum and Assessment. Soon after completing this paper, I was employed at the Faculty of Education at the University of Waikato and was able to “learn the ropes” by joining Margaret in her Level 3 Developing Early Childhood Programmes paper. Subsequently Margaret has been the Chief Supervisor for both my Masters and PhD theses. I have also been fortunate enough to co-lead two TLRI projects with Margaret and been a researcher on a Marsden funded project led by Margaret.

text: Leadership in ECE: A conversation with Professor Margaret Car I have had the privilege of working with Margaret Carr in a variety of capacities over the past 15 years. I first encountered Margaret when I was a kindergarten teacher and studying for my Masters degree. Margaret was my lecturer for a paper entitled Early Years Curriculum and Assessment. Soon after completing this paper, I was employed at the Faculty of Education at the University of Waikato and was able to “learn the ropes” by joining Margaret in her Level 3 Developing Early Childhood Programmes paper. Subsequently Margaret has been the Chief Supervisor for both my Masters and PhD theses. I have also been fortunate enough to co-lead two TLRI projects with Margaret and been a researcher on a Marsden funded project led by Margaret.

year: 2019

title: Mastering Primary Design and Technology by Gill Hope [Review]

authors: Fox-Turnbull, Wendy

abstract: It is refreshing to read a book devoted to teaching Design and Technology in the primary classroom. I was hooked as soon as I read in the introduction when author Gill Hope stated that she was using the full term ‘Design and Technology’ throughout the book and not abbreviated to ‘D&T’ or ‘dt’. Her reasons “the danger of using such abbreviations is in forgetting what they stand for” (p2). I agree with this whole heartedly as I think it is very important to emphasise the design component of Design and Technology Education as this distinguishes this curriculum area from classes that involve “just making stuff”.

text: Mastering Primary Design and Technology by Gill Hope [Review] It is refreshing to read a book devoted to teaching Design and Technology in the primary classroom. I was hooked as soon as I read in the introduction when author Gill Hope stated that she was using the full term ‘Design and Technology’ throughout the book and not abbreviated to ‘D&T’ or ‘dt’. Her reasons “the danger of using such abbreviations is in forgetting what they stand for” (p2). I agree with this whole heartedly as I think it is very important to emphasise the design component of Design and Technology Education as this distinguishes this curriculum area from classes that involve “just making stuff”.

year: 2018

title: Indigenous epistemology in a national curriculum framework?

authors: Macfarlane, Angus

subjects: curriculum competencies

abstract: In this article, a group of four indigenous Māori educators and one non-Māori educator comment on a proposed amendment to the New Zealand National Curriculum Framework to replace the current separate sets of skills, values and attitudes with five generic performance-based key competencies. The paper discusses important parallels between western/European sociocultural theorizing on human development and learning (on which the key competencies seemed to be based), and the values, beliefs and preferred practices that are embodied within an indigenous Māori cultural worldview (Te Ao Māori). A Māori worldview is characterized by an abiding concern for the quality of human relationships that need to be established and maintained if learning contexts are to be effective for Māori students, and for these relationships to balance individual learning and achievement against responsibilities for the well-being and achievement of the group. Within such a worldview, education is understood as holistic, collective, experiential and dependent upon a free exchanging of teaching and learning roles. The article describes five specific cultural constructs within this worldview that highlight Māori traditional understandings of human development and learning and teaching, and aligns and compares these constructs with the five key competencies proposed. The article argues that the worldviews of Māori people in New Zealand provide an extensive and coherent framework for theorizing about human development and education, and are able to contribute strongly and positively to the development of a national school curriculum for the benefit all students. Implications for other contexts can also be drawn.

text: Indigenous epistemology in a national curriculum framework? In this article, a group of four indigenous Māori educators and one non-Māori educator comment on a proposed amendment to the New Zealand National Curriculum Framework to replace the current separate sets of skills, values and attitudes with five generic performance-based key competencies. The paper discusses important parallels between western/European sociocultural theorizing on human development and learning (on which the key competencies seemed to be based), and the values, beliefs and preferred practices that are embodied within an indigenous Māori cultural worldview (Te Ao Māori). A Māori worldview is characterized by an abiding concern for the quality of human relationships that need to be established and maintained if learning contexts are to be effective for Māori students, and for these relationships to balance individual learning and achievement against responsibilities for the well-being and achievement of the group. Within such a worldview, education is understood as holistic, collective, experiential and dependent upon a free exchanging of teaching and learning roles. The article describes five specific cultural constructs within this worldview that highlight Māori traditional understandings of human development and learning and teaching, and aligns and compares these constructs with the five key competencies proposed. The article argues that the worldviews of Māori people in New Zealand provide an extensive and coherent framework for theorizing about human development and education, and are able to contribute strongly and positively to the development of a national school curriculum for the benefit all students. Implications for other contexts can also be drawn.

year: 2008