An initiative by
Porirua Collective
in Partnership with EPIT
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Educators, whānau and children in the Porirua East community have co-designed a kete of annotated exemplars showing practices that support the expression and communication of multilingual children in the early years. The project is decolonising the way that oral language is assessed by providing alternative ways to view and support early years expression in a culturally specific context.
Teaching and assessment that reflect Eurocentric and able-bodied perspectives continues to disadvantage Māori, Pacific and disabled students. Children’s expression is inseparable from their culture and context particularly with bi/multilingual learners. Assessing and supporting translanguaging (using different languages and forms of expression together) requires a decolonised approach.
Action research is being used as the approach to change. Action research is an iterative process where communities come together to solve social problems together. The aim is for more equitable outcomes. The iterations allow for initiatives to be responsive to findings as the project develops. Analysis is therefore ongoing.
The Porirua East Collective is a group of educators, primary and early childhood trained, who have worked or are still working in centres and schools in Porirua East. This includes representatives from Whānau Manaaki, the Wellington based kindergarten association. In 2018 they received a Teacher-Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) grant from the Ministry of Education to carry out a research project to explore the ways in which children express themselves during play. The group has remained together to continue the research and develop a kete of annotated exemplars for educators and whānau.