Are we being inclusive enough of children in our pandemic response?
news article on consulting with children about COVID-19 public communications.
The Spinoff. https://thespinoff.co.nz/covid-19/24-11-2021/are-we-being-inclusive-enough-of-children-in-our-pandemic-response
He Whānau Manaaki kindergartens, Aotearoa New Zealand: a pandemic outreach in new political times
Early childhood education in kindergartens in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic
ABSTRACT This article is an early commentary on a kindergarten story from Aotearoa – New Zealand during the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown in 2020; detailing community outreach and new ways of providing a kindergarten experience for children at home. A backdrop to this commentary is the political context of a popular Labour-led government managing a pandemic with the intent to eliminate the virus, which few other countries considered possible. The onset of the pandemic coincided with a reinvigorated early childhood policy environment with the release in December 2019 of a ten-year action plan for the sector. Its future is unfolding in uncertain times.
COVID-19 and the exacerbation of educational inequalities in New Zealand
ABSTRACT New Zealand’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was “to go fast and go hard”. This directive meant closing the borders, requiring returning New Zealanders to go into two-week self-isolation and, on 25 March 2020, putting the entire country into full lockdown. Schools had a short period of time to get ready to offer online learning. The move highlighted the country’s social, economic and educational divide. On television we were shown children with laptops working at home in their designer living rooms, talking to their teachers through Zoom with their parents hovering around supportively. However, this was not the reality for all. There are parts of the country with limited or no Internet connectivity. There are high poverty areas where households do not have basic materials, let alone computers or other devices suitable for use as learning platforms. A survey of schools showed that only half the schools in the country felt that their students would be able to access online learning. The Ministry of Education had to quickly organise the delivery of learning packs of printed materials to outlying areas, laptops and modems to low-income communities and set up a home-learning television channel with programmes in English and te reo Māori (the indigenous language). Studies are now revealing that despite these efforts, and as the COVID-19 economic impacts begin to bite, New Zealand’s at-risk students have fallen even further behind. This article discusses these research findings and highlights what was learnt from the COVID-19 experience in order to begin to redress these disparities.
Children’s working theories about Covid-19 in Aotearoa New Zealand
Early childhood education, young children's working theories about COVID-19
ABSTRACT As the COVID-19 virus has spread worldwide, much attention has been paid to its impact on the health and wellbeing of adults, with less attention to how the virus has impacted on young children. This article draws on documentation and video data from a kindergarten in Aotearoa New Zealand. It discusses the working theories of 4 year-old children whose teachers encouraged them to draw, construct images, explain and tell stories about their experiences, ideas and feelings about the virus. A main argument is that children’s working theories about the virus, knowledge of the virus and sense of personal control over keeping themselves safe developed over time. Arts-based and storytelling pedagogy were central in enabling children to communicate with others, to be understood themselves and to extend their own understanding.
Raella Kahuroa, Linda Mitchell, Olivia Ng, Terina Johns
European Early Childhood Education Research Journal
Learning in a Covid-19 World: The Impact of Covid-19 on Early Childhood Education
Evaluation by Education Review Office of impact of COVID-19 on ECE
Children’s informal learning at home during COVID-19 lockdown
The New Zealand national COVID-19 lockdown during school Term 1 2020 provided a unique context to investigate children’s experiences of informal, everyday learning in their household bubble. In Terms 3 and 4, 178 children in Years 4–8 from 10 primary schools agreed to participate in a group art-making activity and an individual interview about their experiences. The research adopted a strengths-based approach on the basis that most children are capable actors in their social worlds. This report documents children’s accounts of the multiple ways in which they negotiated the novel experience of forced confinement over a period of several weeks with family and whānau.
Roseanna Bourke, John O’Neill, Sue McDowall, Maria Dacre, Nicole Mincher, Vani Narayanan, Sinead Overbye, Renee Tuifagalele
Early childhood education in Aotearoa in a post-Covid world
This article draws on recent research on the impact of Covid-19 on the early childhood education (ECE) sector in Aotearoa. It discusses the innovative ways that ECE services found to communicate with families and children and maintain an education programme during lockdowns, the essential role they played in childcare for children of essential workers, and the approaches some took to “working in solidarity” with children, families, and community. The article discusses crucial issues that need attention at policy and organisational levels. These include new issues that arose during lockdowns, and enduring issues that have intensified. The consequences of three decades of neoliberalism, privatisation and marketisation are briefly discussed and a reimagined vision is put forward.
Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington
Wellbeing of teachers and students in primary and secondary school in NZ during the lockdown
Education Review Office (NZ) surveyed a sample of students and teachers in primary and secondary schools to find about their wellbeing and experiences of learning and teaching during the lockdown.
Home learning Learning together. At home.
Page that links useful articles with regards to home based learning.
A comprehensive list of websites and useful guide for school and parents. This website also includes information on how to help those with special needs.
"Home based learning", " Support materials"
"Article", "Website", "Reference", "Guide"
Home Learning TV | Papa Kāinga TV Home learning and Māori TV education programmes launched on Wednesday 15 April
A list of available resources for children and young adult to support remote learning.
The website shows the different learning programmes that would be on TV and a list of useful pages and contact to support learning.
Ministry of Education. © 2020 Ministry of Education New Zealand
"Home learning", New Zealand", "Teaching and Learning"