title: Transnational conversations about teacher identities in early childhood places and spaces: Call for alliance-building, advocacy and activism

authors: Kamenarac, Olivera

subjects: teacher identities

abstract: The professional identities of teachers are fundamental to their understanding of how to be and how to act in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Professional identities have emerged as a key consideration both in policy and scholarship as a result of growing political interest in ECEC and the work of teachers. When we first called for papers for a special issue on teacher identities, it was in the context of a global neoliberal policy-scape dominated by ideas about the social and economic benefits of investing in ECEC, as well as free-market and entrepreneurial discourses. Specifically, our intention was to engage in a collective and cross-national conversation that problematised prevailing discourses, examined intersections with local concerns and policy priorities, and their shifting and ongoing influences on professional identities. The complexities associated with neoliberal discourse in ECEC have surfaced more urgently in the context of a global Covid-19 pandemic. In many countries, ECEC teachers have been positioned as essential workers supporting ongoing economic activity during the pandemic, sometimes at the same time as schools and tertiary institutions have remained closed. ECEC work has become more entrenched in economic narratives that position the purpose of ECEC as supporting work-force participation, child wellbeing, and family support. These new and unexpected contexts also shape teacher identities. The tensions present in current policy constructions of teachers and intersections with emergency measures present new opportunities to govern teachers and practice in particular ways. These materialise in teachers’ daily experiences, work conditions, and wellbeing. A current narrative about the pandemic includes the idea of not letting the crisis go to waste, and we agree that it is important to use this moment to re-think and problematise teacher identities across educational contexts and to encourage critical conversations about what we do, why we do it and who benefits.

text: Transnational conversations about teacher identities in early childhood places and spaces: Call for alliance-building, advocacy and activism The professional identities of teachers are fundamental to their understanding of how to be and how to act in early childhood education and care (ECEC). Professional identities have emerged as a key consideration both in policy and scholarship as a result of growing political interest in ECEC and the work of teachers. When we first called for papers for a special issue on teacher identities, it was in the context of a global neoliberal policy-scape dominated by ideas about the social and economic benefits of investing in ECEC, as well as free-market and entrepreneurial discourses. Specifically, our intention was to engage in a collective and cross-national conversation that problematised prevailing discourses, examined intersections with local concerns and policy priorities, and their shifting and ongoing influences on professional identities. The complexities associated with neoliberal discourse in ECEC have surfaced more urgently in the context of a global Covid-19 pandemic. In many countries, ECEC teachers have been positioned as essential workers supporting ongoing economic activity during the pandemic, sometimes at the same time as schools and tertiary institutions have remained closed. ECEC work has become more entrenched in economic narratives that position the purpose of ECEC as supporting work-force participation, child wellbeing, and family support. These new and unexpected contexts also shape teacher identities. The tensions present in current policy constructions of teachers and intersections with emergency measures present new opportunities to govern teachers and practice in particular ways. These materialise in teachers’ daily experiences, work conditions, and wellbeing. A current narrative about the pandemic includes the idea of not letting the crisis go to waste, and we agree that it is important to use this moment to re-think and problematise teacher identities across educational contexts and to encourage critical conversations about what we do, why we do it and who benefits.

year: 2021-05-07

title: Scientific mobility and knowledge networks in high emigration countries: evidence from the Pacific

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: diasporas

abstract: This paper uses a unique survey to examine the nature and extent of knowledge flows that result from the international mobility of researchers whose initial education was in small island countries. Current migrants produce substantially more research than similar-skilled return migrants and non-migrants. Return migrants have no greater research impact than individuals who never migrate but are the main source of research knowledge transfer between international and local researchers. Our results contrast with previous claims in the literature that too few migrant researchers ever return home to have much impact, and that there is no productivity gain to researchers from migration.

text: Scientific mobility and knowledge networks in high emigration countries: evidence from the Pacific This paper uses a unique survey to examine the nature and extent of knowledge flows that result from the international mobility of researchers whose initial education was in small island countries. Current migrants produce substantially more research than similar-skilled return migrants and non-migrants. Return migrants have no greater research impact than individuals who never migrate but are the main source of research knowledge transfer between international and local researchers. Our results contrast with previous claims in the literature that too few migrant researchers ever return home to have much impact, and that there is no productivity gain to researchers from migration.

year: 2013-02

title: Representations of te reo Māori and te ao Māori in a translingual picturebook: How my Koro became a Star

authors: Barbour, Julie Renee

subjects: Indigenous language and culture

abstract: While English is the most commonly used language in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a multilingual nation with two languages recognised as official: te reo Māori (the Māori language) and New Zealand Sign Language. The English language is dominant in children’s literature published in Aotearoa New Zealand, but since the 1980s there has been an increase in the number of picturebooks featuring two languages, te reo Māori and English. Previous work has explored how representations of te reo Māori and English in pukapuka pikitia reorua (dual language picturebooks) in Aotearoa reflect changing attitudes towards the two languages. In this article, we focus particularly on Brianne Te Paa and Story Hemi-Morehouse’s picturebook How my Koro became a Star. Originally written in te reo Māori, this multi-award winning picturebook is located at the beginning of Matariki, the Māori New Year celebration. In a move away from the linguistic analysis of te reo Māori being ‘borrowed’ by English, we consider how storytellers like Te Paa weave Māori language together with English in a translingual publication, supporting reader comprehension of Māori vocabulary and cultural meanings through embedded illustrations and explanations, inviting the curious reader to learn beyond the story.

text: Representations of te reo Māori and te ao Māori in a translingual picturebook: How my Koro became a Star While English is the most commonly used language in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a multilingual nation with two languages recognised as official: te reo Māori (the Māori language) and New Zealand Sign Language. The English language is dominant in children’s literature published in Aotearoa New Zealand, but since the 1980s there has been an increase in the number of picturebooks featuring two languages, te reo Māori and English. Previous work has explored how representations of te reo Māori and English in pukapuka pikitia reorua (dual language picturebooks) in Aotearoa reflect changing attitudes towards the two languages. In this article, we focus particularly on Brianne Te Paa and Story Hemi-Morehouse’s picturebook How my Koro became a Star. Originally written in te reo Māori, this multi-award winning picturebook is located at the beginning of Matariki, the Māori New Year celebration. In a move away from the linguistic analysis of te reo Māori being ‘borrowed’ by English, we consider how storytellers like Te Paa weave Māori language together with English in a translingual publication, supporting reader comprehension of Māori vocabulary and cultural meanings through embedded illustrations and explanations, inviting the curious reader to learn beyond the story.

year: 2025