ECE Reflection Three

Reflection three: How your centre implements Tikanga Maori

Stop

In my time in my centre I have noticed that some Tikanga Maori protocols are put in place but not as much as there could be. The children in my centre are told that it is bad manners to sit on tables but this is not always followed through with. The children in my centre are also aware that they are not allow to run inside but I have seen no evidence of them being told why other than safety reasons. Also in my centre there are no rules about wearing shoes inside and are free to do so, staff also wear their shoes inside, I am now aware that this is against Maori protocol.

Think

After learning more about Tikanga Maori in class I am aware that my centre could be taken allot more steps toward teaching the children about this and also having rules in place to respect this. I also have realised the staff don’t use as much Te Reo Maori as they could, I have witnessed several activities were they could have worked teaching the children about Tikanga Maori into the lessons. I have also seen another student using simple Maori words with these children and the seemed very interested in what she was talking about, so I feel if this is done more often the children would pick up on it very quickly.

Change

After looking back on my time at my centre I have realised that the staff could make several changes to implement Tikanga Maori with the children. If I had more time at my centre I would start small with the children letting them know why some rules are there. I would also try and use simple Maori words and phrases with the children as much as I could. "Staff should support Tikanga Maori and the use of the Maori language." (Ministry of Education, 1996, p.55)



References

Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

ECE Reflection Two

Reflection Two: Establishing and maintaining relationships with children

Stop

I have established relationships with the children at my on the first day at the centre by firstly making sure that from the minute I walked in the door I had a good attitude and a smile on my face so that the children would feel comfortable with me being around them and in the centre. Then I went for a walk around the centre looking and observing all the different activities and games that were going on. Next I sat beside a group of children that were busy playing a game and introduced myself to them and asked them what their names were then waited in till the children asked me to join in their play. Ever since that day I have been building and maintaining this relationship by slowly getting to know them through having conversations and sharing things about myself with them to try gain their trust. “The learning environment will assist children in their quest for making sense of and finding out about their world if adults know the children well, providing the basis for the “give and take” of communication and learning;” (Ministry of Education,1996,p.43)

I have also tried to make these relationships stronger by trying to implement as much fun in the activities I lead as possible.

Think

I feel I have been very successful in making and maintaining relationships with the children and know if I had more time to get to know them better it could have turned into more of a strong trusting relationship. I can tell the children feel comfortable around me because they often come to me when they are upset or have a problem, this shows that they trust me to enough to tell me what’s upsetting them and help them out. I can also tell I have created a strong relationship with the children when they ask me to play a game or do an activity with them because they know that I will try and make it as enjoyable for them as possible.

Change

I wouldn’t change much about the time I spent with the children and how I established relationships with them. I think my strategy of observing the children playing and letting them come to me worked well and didn’t over whelm too much with there being a new person in the centre. One thing I would change about what I did is taking more time to get to know the children that aren’t as trusting and that keep to themselves.

References

Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.

 

ECE Reflection One

Reflection One: Establishing and maintaining relationships with children

Stop

I have established relationships in my centre with the other staff members by introducing myself and telling them why I am there on the first day I started and by taking the time to remember their names. From that day on I have maintained those relationships by asking questions about the centre and the children. Also by being helpful and willing to learn and be open to new ways of doing things. I also help maintain these relationships by not needing them to feel like that they have to watch over me and tell me what need to be done. I have also made these relationships stronger by using my initiative in the centre and helping out where I feel it is needed. I believe keeping my conversations with the other staff members friendly but professional has also helped kept my relationships with them positive.

Think

I feel that I have been successful at creating a relationship with other staff members I work with because I feel welcomed and respected in my centre. This also is shown through the conversations I have with the other staff members, as they take an interest in and ask question about how my assessments are going and if I need any help or ask more personal questions like how my weekend was. I believe if I hadn’t made and maintained these relationships I would not have been able to complete any of my assignments that included my work or the children at the centre. Having these relationships have helped me become more confident when interacting with the children as I feel I their support in any task or activity I lead. In my time at this centre I have learnt that communicating with others is a very important part of maintaining any type of relationship, and it’s also important to be professional when it comes to work relationships. Adults should be consistent, reliable, and realistic in their expectations and responses and should foster harmonious working relationships with other adults. (Ministry of Education,1996, p.55)

Change

Something I would do differently in the future when creating relationships with the other staff members and other students in my centre is ask more questions about their past studies and their experiences to help me in my future decisions in my studies. I would also make more of an effort to put myself out of my comfort zone and try more at making new and different relationships with people I wouldn’t normally interacted with. Something I wouldn’t change about my experience and the relationships I have made is how I kept them professional while I was in the centre because I believe this is very important in any line of work.

References

Ministry of Education (1996). Te Whāriki: He Whāriki Mātauranga mō ngā Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Media.