Te Whariki
Te Wháriki Report
This report is on Te Whariki: Early Childhood Curriculum in which we follow as a framework for teaching in New Zealand. This report is going to cover the three broad age groups Te Whariki is based upon. It will explain the principles and strands of Te Whariki and the impact it has on a developing child. It will describe the purpose of Te Whariki and discuss ways it is used by early childhood education services throughout New Zealand. It will describe Te Whariki’s support for bi-culturalism throughout the early childhood sector. This report will discuss the importance of a partnership between home and the early childhood education settings, and will also discuss the Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory and how it promotes and supports reciprocal responsive relationships in early childhood education.
Identify
There are three broad age groups of Te Whariki and they are: infant – birth to eighteen months, toddler – one year to three years and a young child – two and a half years to school entry age. Te Whariki covers three broad age groups because the curriculum recognizes that there can be wide variations in the rate of a child’s growth and development. It acknowledges that every child is an individual, and that infants, toddlers and young children have distinctive needs. (Ministry of Education, 1996)
There are four guiding principles Te Whariki offers which provide direction towards learning and understanding a child’s growth. These four principles are: Empowerment; this allows a child to be recognized as an individual. Holistic Development; which identifies a child as a whole and understands all aspects of a child -The physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional, social and spiritual side of all individuals. Family Community; the curriculum acknowledges the child as a important part of the family and wider world. Relationships; Te Whariki acknowledges the responsive reciprocal learning experiences a child gains from
This report is on Te Whariki: Early Childhood Curriculum in which we follow as a framework for teaching in New Zealand. This report is going to cover the three broad age groups Te Whariki is based upon. It will explain the principles and strands of Te Whariki and the impact it has on a developing child. It will describe the purpose of Te Whariki and discuss ways it is used by early childhood education services throughout New Zealand. It will describe Te Whariki’s support for bi-culturalism throughout the early childhood sector. This report will discuss the importance of a partnership between home and the early childhood education settings, and will also discuss the Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system theory and how it promotes and supports reciprocal responsive relationships in early childhood education.
Identify
There are three broad age groups of Te Whariki and they are: infant – birth to eighteen months, toddler – one year to three years and a young child – two and a half years to school entry age. Te Whariki covers three broad age groups because the curriculum recognizes that there can be wide variations in the rate of a child’s growth and development. It acknowledges that every child is an individual, and that infants, toddlers and young children have distinctive needs. (Ministry of Education, 1996)
There are four guiding principles Te Whariki offers which provide direction towards learning and understanding a child’s growth. These four principles are: Empowerment; this allows a child to be recognized as an individual. Holistic Development; which identifies a child as a whole and understands all aspects of a child -The physical, intellectual, linguistic, emotional, social and spiritual side of all individuals. Family Community; the curriculum acknowledges the child as a important part of the family and wider world. Relationships; Te Whariki acknowledges the responsive reciprocal learning experiences a child gains from
Bibliography: Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whariki: He whariki maturanga no nga mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media. Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, D. (2008). Programming and planning in early childhood settings (4th ed.). South Melbourne: Thomson. May, H. (2002). Early childhood care and education in Aotearoa – New Zealand: An overview of history, policy and curriculum, McGill Journal of Education. Te Kohanga Reo – History. (2010). Retrieved April 9, 2011 from www.kohanga.ac.nz.