Te Whāriki, or ''Te Whāriki He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa'', is
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
's early years curriculum guideline. It is published by
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
, and has been recognised worldwide for its approach to early learning. The word Te Whāriki means 'woven mat' in
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
.
History
Following the New Zealand government's introduction of a Curriculum Framework in 1990, they began developing an early childhood curriculum. A draft was released to early childhood centres in 1993, and ''Te Whāriki'' was published in 1996 as a bi-cultural curriculum following consultation with teachers. Schools were not sent copies of the 1996 publication, which some felt led to disconnect between the early childhood and school curriculums.
The publication was met with interest outside of New Zealand, with educators in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
, and
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
reviewing it while developing their own early childhood curriculum.
It was also criticised following its publication, around a lack of research to back up its principles. An update was recommended in 2015, and in 2016 a team of writers began working on a revised edition.
A revised ''Te Whāriki'' was published in 2017 by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
Helen May
Helen May (born Helen May Bradwell on 25 February 1947; from 1968 to 1983 known as Helen Cook or sometimes Helen May Cook) is a New Zealand education pioneer. She has been an eloquent activist and academic in education, with a strong feminist ...
, Tilly Reedy,
Tamati Reedy
Sir Tamati Muturangi Reedy (born 16 July 1936) is a New Zealand Māori academic and former public servant and rugby union player. He served as secretary of the Department of Maori Affairs between 1983 and 1989, during which time he was involve ...
, and
Margaret Carr
Margaret Ann Carr (born 1941) is a New Zealand education academic. She is currently emeritus professor at the University of Waikato.
Academic career
After an undergraduate at the University of Waikato and Victoria University of Wellington, C ...
had each contributed as writers of the original publication and returned to advise the revision. The 2017 publication sought to make links between early childhood and school curriculums more explicit,
but upon its release it was criticised for a lack of consultation with the education sector and for changes in teaching methods.
For the 2017 edition, the Maori and English versions of ''Te Whāriki'' were separated into ''Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa'' and ''Te Whāriki a te Kōhanga Reo,'' with the later being the curriculum for children in
Kōhanga reo. Both were included together in one publication.
Content
''Te Whārik''i is a bi-cultural curriculum that sets out four broad principles, a set of five strands, and goals for each strand. It does not prescribe specific subject-based lessons, rather it provides a framework for teachers and early childhood staff (kaiako) to encourage and enable children in developing the knowledge, skills, attitudes, learning dispositions to learn how to learn.
The five strands of ''Te Whāriki'' are presented with dual English and Māori names. But due to different cultural connotations, the two names are not equivalents.
The five strands are:
* Wellbeing – Mana atua
* Belonging – Mana whenua
* Contribution – Mana tangata
* Communication – Mana reo and
* Exploration – Mana aotūroa
External Links
Te Whāriki He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa on Education NZ
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whāriki, Te
Early childhood education in New Zealand