Kōwhiti Whakapae: A new early learning curriculum resource

Let's get started with Kōwhiti Whakapae. 

This video provides an overview of how to navigate the website and step you through a process to support your planning, formative assessment and teaching practice. 

The first thing you see on the homepage, are the three main areas that make up Kōwhiti Whakapae. 

These are: 

• social & emotional,
• oral language & literacy,
• and maths. 

Scroll down to discover what Kōwhiti Whakapae can offer your teaching practice.

This video explaining the foundations and framework is a good place to start. 

Click the tab to view in Te Reo Māori or English. 

Following this there is information about the foundations of Kōwhiti Whakapae and assessment examples showing how this resource can enhance your existing assessment practices.

Click ‘View more assessment examples’ to see them all.

At the top of the screen, you’ll find the ‘Resources’ tab.  

Here there’s a glossary of terms, all the assessment examples, and kaiako and whānau guides among other resources.

To gain a deeper understanding of each learning area, click the tiles on the home page.

Each area provides a description of what it covers, why it’s important and how it’s approached.

Click the ‘Learn more’ buttons to drill down into the detail.

In the ‘Social and Emotional’ page, scroll down to see the 4 sub areas that make up this topic. 

Click on one of these to get started. 

You can also navigate to the same pages by using the menu at the top, if you prefer. 

The ‘About’ tab unpacks this sub-area. It describes what this area is, and why it's important.  

The ‘Get Started’ tab takes you through the 4-step process including how you might implement this into your practice.

Each sub-area contains this process. The steps are: 

1. Lay the groundwork
2. Notice and recognise
3. Respond
4. Related Assessments.

Let’s have a look at each of these steps in more detail. 

In this step you’ll find teaching practices to help you to whakaritea te pārekereke or, to prepare the seedbed, for all children in your setting.

Within this sub-area, which is ‘Connected Relationships & Caring for Others’, the idea is to first focus on strengthening the environment you provide for all children.

Click on each practice to reveal why it is important and how you might apply it in your setting.

If you want to print this information to take with you, click the ‘Download’ button.

When you’re ready, go back to the overview to move onto the next step.  

In this step you’ll find progressions that illustrate children’s capabilities at different phases of learning: Te Korekore, Te Pō, Te Ao Mārama and Te Ao Hōu. 

These progressions are here to help you notice and recognise children’s current capabilities and identify possible directions for their learning. 

Click to expand for further information about each phase.

Using evidence that you have, decide which phase best fits the current capabilities of a particular child or small group of children in your setting. Here we are looking at one phase, Te Ao Mārama.

Click ‘Back to overview’.

Now it’s time to respond to what you’ve noticed and recognised.

In this step ‘Respond’ there’s a tab for each phase of progress. 

Click the tab for the phase you’ve chosen.

Here you can see practices to help you to scaffold, consolidate or extend children’s learning at this phase.

Click the arrow beside each of the headings to reveal associated practices.

Click ‘Back to overview’ to find related assessment examples which demonstrate how the information gathered can inform your assessment practice. Select the assessment you are interested in exploring.  

To access the full assessment example with further information on how Kōwhiti Whakapae and Te Whāriki has been used, download the resource. You can print these or save to your desktop for later use.

Wherever you are you can get back to the homepage through clicking on the words Kōwhiti Whakapae.

Also, in the bottom banner you can always find the starting guide for quick reference.

Now you’re ready to repeat the 4-step process to focus on a new area of learning.

You might notice the ‘Revisit’ section following this 4-step process. This is a reminder to revisit this process to continually notice, recognise and respond to children’s learning over time.

The same 4-step process is used across all the other areas so once you have used it a few times, it will become more familiar.