Preparing the garden of learning with Kōwhiti Whakapae

Kōwhiti Whakapae helps kaiako focus on affirming the identities, languages, and cultures of all children.

Notice, recognise and respond is a familiar concept for many early learning teachers. Now, it’s being used in a new resource that supports kaiako to strengthen their planning, formative assessment and teaching practice.

Launched in late 2023, Kōwhiti Whakapae is a resource that empowers kaiako to weave Te Whāriki: He whāriki mātauranga mō ngā mokopuna o Aotearoa into their day-to-day teaching and learning.

“Kōwhiti Whakapae offers tools that help kaiako support all mokopuna to know their own cultures, languages and identities are valued in their early childhood context,” says Sue Cherrington, an associate professor at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka.

Kōwhiti Whakapae is designed to support kaiako to strengthen their teaching in three areas of learning across the strands of Te Whāriki to support children’s expanding capabilities and foster their growing identity as learners.

These three areas of learning are social and emotional, oral language and literacy, and maths.

With Te Tiriti o Waitangi being one pillar of the framework, te ao Māori is evident throughout Kōwhiti Whakapae. It guides kaiako to focus on affirming the identities, languages, and cultures of all children, whānau, kaiako and communities, and celebrates diversity.

Each area of learning provides information about both teaching practice and children’s progress, and each area is housed in a framework kaiako will be familiar with: create an environment for learning, notice, recognise, respond and re-visit.

Progress in phases

Progress in Kōwhiti Whakapae refers to the way a child’s learning changes in complexity and capability over time, and how it is shaped by identity, language and culture. Kōwhiti Whakapae acknowledges that while individual progress will vary in direction and pace, there are typical characteristics and patterns that are observable over time.

These characteristics and patterns of progress can be simplified into four phases, says Hilarie Nicoll, whose role as curriculum lead for the Ministry of Education in Taranaki/Whanganui supports early learning services with implementing Kōwhiti Whakapae.

“Kōwhiti Whakapae uses the term ‘phases’ to describe children’s capabilities as typical characteristics along a continuum of learning. We’ve defined these phases in the framework within a te ao Māori lens,” she explains.

“This framework places tamariki in the centre with their kaiako and whānau alongside. Expanding awareness and growth are acknowledged as occurring holistically, in varied ways, and as ever-changing over time.

“The first phase, te korekore, is the realm of potential. Māori Marsden, Te Tai Tokerau elder and Anglican minister, described te korekore as being the realm where, in the right environment, everything can reach its fullness.

“Te pō is the realm of exploration, the realm of giving a seed everything it needs to grow.

“Te ao mārama is realisation, or a space for understanding to grow.

“The last phase is te ao hoū, which is the growth that spirals outward and always connects back, to make sense of new learning and create new innovative ideas,” says Hilarie.

“While these phases look different for each child, we want kaiako to understand that capabilities across phases are cumulative and overlapping.”

Laying the groundwork

Within each area of learning, a four-step process guides kaiako through both their teaching practice and children’s progress.

• Lay the groundwork: Practices to ‘whakaritea te pārekereke‘, or ‘prepare the seedbed’ for all children.
• Notice and recognise: Descriptions of children’s capabilities across four phases of learning.
• Respond: Practices to help you respond at different phases.
• Related assessments: How you can document and communicate learning in ways that use evidence that has been collected over time.

Kaiako are also encouraged to revisit and review their practices, and to recognise tamariki who may need additional support.

Kaiako can start exploring Kōwhiti Whakapae(external link) by visiting the website.

What is social and emotional learning?

Social and emotional is the first area of learning released in the Kōwhiti Whakapae framework, with oral language and literacy and maths planned to be out later this year.

“Social and emotional learning refers to the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that children use in socially and culturally appropriate ways to form relationships, solve conflicts, express and regulate emotions, adapt in new situations, and overcome challenges,” says Hilarie.

Why is social and emotional learning important?

“Children with effective social and emotional competence are more likely to experience positive life outcomes and wellbeing in adulthood,” Hilarie explains.

How is social and emotional learning approached in Kōwhiti Whakapae?

• Broadly, social and emotional learning seeks to build on how tamariki:
• connect with familiar and unfamiliar people in responsive and respectful ways
• notice, understand and express emotions
• direct their own learning, make choices, set goals for themselves and their learning, and follow through with their plans
• recognise and celebrate diversity, and how they foster unity and respect for each other.