Together, these four foundations task kaiako with providing equitable opportunities for all children to learn in individually and culturally responsive learning environments.
In Kōwhiti Whakapae communication is inclusive of all the ways children and kaiako communicate, including, but not limited to:
- Spoken languages including te reo Māori and home languages
- New Zealand Sign Language and other home signed languages
- Oral and visual means of expression, including vocalisations, gestures, movement, images and alternative and augmentative communication (AAC).
For learning about number and measurement, kaiako should:
- Weave te reo Māori and tikanga Māori meaningfully into the everyday curriculum. For example, explore number and measurement through kapa haka, waiata, stories, and events such as Matariki.
- Value children’s home languages and cultures and respond to their cultural ways of knowing and being. For example, communicate about number and measurement using children’s home languages.
- Work with families, whānau and community to identify and dismantle barriers to participation and learning. For example, adapt your interactions to support non-speaking children to communicate about counting, relative magnitude etc.
- Weave the four principles of Te Whāriki through all curriculum decision making and use them to guide pedagogy and practice. For example, create opportunities for learning about number and measurement that reflect the holistic way children learn and grow (Holistic development | Kotahitanga).
