New Zealand Early Childhood Education Learning Theories link with Essay

New Zealand Early Childhood Education Learning Theories link with Teaching - Essay Example Each story reflected the teachers’ chosen pedagogy. In â€Å"Learning From Very Young Children†, the teacher’s role was that of a co-learner. Muellar Tokunaga’s (2006) story illustrated a social constructivist pedagogy. Vygotsky (1978) believed that children’s intellectual development is influenced more by social context than by individual experiences. His theory places a great deal of emphasis on effective social interaction. Interactions are likely to go through a process called intersubjectivity. This is when two people are engaged in a task and begin from different understandings but with interaction, comes to an agreed, shared understanding. This is usually manifested when children initially debate opposite arguments but upon more understanding of the concept because of listening to each other’s opinions, will both end up seeing the concept in one direction. In Muellar Tokunaga’s story, she and the children eventually saw the same things in their imaginative play as it progressed to a smooth, seamless episode of a common experience. Because the play experience was so fulfilling and productive, Muellar Tokunaga, a relatively new teacher as of the time of writing gained inspiration in taking on a teaching philosophy that takes into account children’s ideas when planning the curriculum. ... 44). It is not easy letting go of the reins of control and passing it over to little children’s hands, however, Muellar Tokunaga (2006) found wisdom in it. She allowed herself to be enmeshed in the children’s world of imaginative play and saw for herself how rich an experience it was not only for the children but for her as well. Accepting their invitation to glance into their world was a privilege she gladly enjoyed, as she learned that much of what they play and think about is a reflection of their culture and daily life. Consideration of this culture reflects an Ecological pedagogy which is also very strong in the Te Whaariki curriculum. Muelluar Tokunaga gives much emphasis to the cultural orientation of her students as she believes in â€Å"the importance of an open mind and awareness of cultural influences and behaviours should not be overlooked† (p. 45). This is manifested in equitable dialogues and sharing of stories with each other. To her, the significa nce of such dialogues lies not only in fostering feelings of mutual respect, love, belonging and responsibility for each other but on the practical side, it helps in â€Å"negotiating daily curriculum content in early childhood education†. The teacher in Patterson, Fleet and Duffie’s (1996) story, â€Å"Lambs’ Tails† shares an opposite story. Her role in the story was that of an interviewer who kept trying to elicit stories from her student, Bernie. She would have wanted the same privilege granted to Muelluar Tokunaga when the children invited her into their world, but with Bernie, Patterson et al.’s teacher overwhelmed the boy with too much enthusiasm about his world that he did not let her in. It