Kei Tua o te Pae

Te Whāriki  elaborates on the Contribution/Mana Tangata strand as follows:

Ko te whakatipuranga tēnei o te kiritau tangata i roto i te mokopuna kia tū māia ai ia ki te manaaki, ki te tuku whakaaro ki te ao … Kia mōhio ia ki ōna whakapapa, ki te pātahi o ōna whānau, ki ōna kaumatua me ōna pakeke … Kia mōhio hoki ki a Ranginui rāua ko Papatūānuku, ā rāua tamariki, me ngā kōrero mō rātou.4

Opportunities for learning are equitable and each child’s contribution is valued.

Children experience an en…

Introduction - He kupu whakataki

Indeed, it was in this [research] process that we came to recognize – in practice as well as in theory – the critically important role of dialogic knowledge building in fostering the dispositions of caring, collaboration and critical inquiry that are at the heart of our vision of education.1

This book collects together early childhood exemplars that illustrate the assessment of learning that is valued within the curriculum strand of Communication/Mana Reo, keep…

The exemplars in this book illustrate possible ways in which assessing, documenting, and revisiting children’s learning will contribute to educational outcomes in the curriculum strand Communication/Mana Reo.

Assessment portfolios provide teachers and children with something interesting to talk about together and with families and whānau.
Children are able to “read” and respond to some of the documentation to do with their learning because photographs and other visual cues support the documenta…

Te Whāriki  elaborates on the Communication/Mana Reo strand as follows:

"Ko tēnei mea ko te reo he matapihi e whakaatu ana i ngā tikanga me ngā whakapono o te iwi … [Ko te] tūmanako mō te mokopuna … Kia mōhio te mokopuna ki tōna ao, ki te ao Māori, te ao o nāianei, me te ao o āpōpō, mā te reo Māori.5

The languages and symbols of their own and other cultures are promoted and protected. Children experience an environment where: they develop non-verbal communication skills for a range of pur…

The following exemplars in other books can also be viewed from a Communication/Mana Reo perspective.

Book 1: Blinking and clicking on the changing mat; Where’s Kirsty?; Tena kupu, ae, tuhia!

Book 2: “Those are the exact words I said, Mum!”; Jet’s mother contributes to the assessment; Zahra and the donkey; Assessments in two languages; Bella and Nina dancing; A shadow came creeping; Toddlers as teachers; Mana reo

Book 3: Pihikete’s learning; Te Aranga responds to a photograph; Hatupatu and the…

How does the documentation here contribute to language and storytelling?
Are documented assessments revisited, with the opportunity for adults and teaching peers to give feedback on the learning and for children to express their ideas?
What evidence is shown in assessments that te reo Māori is recognised as a poutokomanawa?
Do children have a voice in the documented assessments?
Are assessments clear about the languages and modes of communicating that are valued here?
Do documented assessments s…

1 Gordon Wells (2002). “Inquiry as an Orientation for Learning, Teaching and Teacher Education”. In Learning for Life in the 21st Century: Sociocultural Perspectives on the Future of Education, ed. Gordon Wells and Guy Claxton. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, p. 205.

2 Early Childhood Learning and Assessment Exemplar Project Advisory Committee and Co-ordinators, 2002.

3 Iram Siraj-Blatchford and Priscilla Clarke (2000). Supporting Identity, Diversity and Language in the Early Years. Buckingham:…

11 August - Mūmū Te Āwha na Whaea Re-nee 

Mūmū Te Āwha was watching Mira drawing on the whiteboard. She picked up a pen and began to draw alongside Mira, glancing over her shoulder to see what Mira was drawing then continuing with her own picture. After a short period Mūmū Te Āwha decided to use two pens, one in each hand, then changed to both in one hand. She drew circles with great concentration holding the two pens. She was very impressed with the outcome and asked Mira to look at her work.…

Child: Leo

Date: April

Teacher: Janine

A Learning StoryToday, at changing time, Leo put his legs up in the air. I said, “Tō waewae ki runga” then followed this sentence with “Tō waewae ki raro” (Put your legs down). Leo did not respond, so I gently pushed his legs down. I repeated, “Tō waewae ki runga” and he lifted his legs up, smiled and waited for the next command, “Tō waewae ki raro”, and down Leo’s legs went. Leo initiated this game later in the week and repeated the last two words of th…

The story so far... Over the past year the kindergarten has been involved in a programme of bicultural development as part of our special focus on biculturalism. During this time the children have been involved in kapa haka and have demonstrated their learning through performances at Te Waitawa House and at the kindergarten for the new entrants class from school. We have also been becoming familiar with a range of Māori stories from the past and te reo me ngā tikanga Māori.

Last year we were fo…

Harrie came to me today and said she wanted to make a mermaid pool. She had painted her face and was a mermaid. She had wonderful ideas – the pool was to have glitter and flowers and water! So we went on a hunt for the items required and soon lots of other children joined in – excited by her idea.

What next?Harrie wants to make a mermaid outfit 

Harrie told me she wanted to make her mermaid outfit. “OK – it would be a good idea to draw a plan – so you know how you want it to look,” I suggested…

Introduction - He kupu whakatakiHow does one maintain standards of accountability – to students, teachers, and parents, to school officials who are responsible for the students’ progress … while at the same time keeping the social contract with students, who are encouraged to view themselves as co-equal participants in a community of sharing? This is a difficult tightrope to walk, and our approach has been to be honest with the children and to allow them to participate in the assessment process…

The exemplars in this book illustrate possible ways in which assessing, documenting, and revisiting children’s learning will contribute to educational outcomes in the curriculum strand Contribution/Mana Tangata.

Children are provided with opportunities to contribute to their own assessments
Children have formative assessments that they can “read” and comment on
Group assessments illustrate children’s developing skills and dispositions to initiate, maintain, and enjoy relationships with other ch…

A broad definition of the learning of symbol systems and technologies is provided by one of the goals in the Te Whāriki Communication/Mana Reo strand: “Children ... experience the stories and symbols of their own and other cultures.”14 However, the learning that these four books focus on is not confined to this strand. The Exploration/Mana Aotūroa strand includes becoming competent with a range of tools for pretend, symbolic, or dramatic play. Listening to stories and using books as references a…

10 February

Zalaluddin is a Malaysian boy, Sajed is from Afghanistan and Art is from Kosovo. They are good friends and take care of each other.

Sajed and Zalaluddin were driving the truck. They left Art behind and Art was looking unhappy. I asked him, “What is the matter?”

He said, “I like to play with them and drive the truck. They do not want to have company.”

I asked him if he would like to have another truck and play with it but he wasnʼt happy about it and said, “No no no! I like to pla…

In Book 4 of this series, “Jak builds a wharenui” is an exemplar of children making a contribution to their own assessment.

"Jak approached me in the back room and asked if I could help him build something. We sat down together and talked about what he would like to build. Jak started to put a base down. “What could this be, Maya?” Jak asked me. “I’m not sure, but maybe it’s the floor of a building,” I replied. “Look around you, Jak. What could this be?”

Jak carefully looked at the pictur…

"Exemplars are examples of assessments that make visible learning that is valued so that the learning community (children, families, whānau, teachers, and beyond) can foster ongoing and diverse learning pathways." 13

Book 1 of Kei Tua o te Pae defines documented and undocumented assessment as noticing, recognising, and responding. The first nine books of Kei Tua o te Pae provide some guidelines about what assessment to look for. They are assessments that:

include clear goals;
are in…

Children: Zachary and Erin

8 February

Teacher: Carol

Sitting on the chair with Zach, going to Africa “to do ballet”, Erin is wearing a tutu. When in “Africa” she changes her dress and gives one to Zach so he can do ballet too. They dance to music on the radio for a little while and then move off to separate activities. 

Parent’s voiceIt was great to see how Zach joined in with Erin’s game. He really does enjoy moving to music and it is nice to see him feeling comfortable enough to express hi…

The sociocultural framework that informs Te Whāriki (see Book 2) is a useful perspective for understanding the teaching and learning and assessment of symbol systems and technologies in the early years.15 Young children learn languages, literacies, symbol systems, and communication technologies by participating in them in a range of family and community contexts (including early childhood settings outside the home), where the purposes and ways of “doing” literacy, mathematics, the arts, and ICT…

1 C. Edwards, L. Gandini, and G. Forman, eds (1998). The Hundred Languages of Children: The Reggio Emilia Approach – Advanced Reflections. Westport, CT: Ablex, 2nd ed.

2 C. Rinaldi (2006). In Dialogue with Reggio Emilia - Listening, Researching and Learning. London: Routledge, p. 65. The Hundred Languages of Children was the name of an exhibition conceived by Loris Malaguzzi. “Since 1981, the Reggio exhibition ‘The Hundred Languages of Children’ has travelled the world, accompanied by speakers…