Symposium for the Waiariki / Bay of Plenty Early Learning Sector
Saturday 8 June 2024, 8:30am-4:30pm
Rydges Rotorua
Free to attend, this SELO event has been funded by the Ministry of Education in direct response to the region, to proactively support you in your professional learning and growth!
Programme:
8:30am-9:00am: Registration and coffee and tea on arrival
9:00-10:30: Mihi Whakatau (welcome) and Keynote by Jase Williams
10:30-11:00: Morning Tea provided
11:00-12:45: Workshop Session One (attendees to select from the options below)
12:45-1:30: Lunch provided
1:30-3:15: Workshop Session Two (attendees to select from the options below)
3:15-4:15pm: Keynote by Hana Tapiata and Whakawātea (Farewell)
Keynote Presentation One: Unconditional Love – The Link Between the Mind-Body-Heart-Soul
Jase Williams (Ngāti Tamaterā)
Jase will explore Trauma Informed Practice through a Te Ao Māori lens linking the Mind-Body-Heart-Soul connection through a Neuroscience lens, incorporating his lived experience, and experience as an educator for over 20 years.
Bio:
Jase Williams (Ngāti Tamaterā) is one of the most sought after presenters, keynote speakers and professional development facilitators in the country. He is the leading voice in Trauma Informed Practice in Education in New Zealand.
He has 20+ years experience working as an educator, and is the former Principal of Henry Hill School – a decile 1A Primary School in Napier, Hawke’s Bay. The school’s Trauma Informed Approach raised attendance, academic achievement, and improved health outcomes for students at the school. Henry Hill School were the winners of the most recent Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Awards – Wellbeing category.
Jase has worked with a range of agencies including Oranga Tamariki, Ministry of Social Development, and Department of Corrections.
1. Bringing Te Whāriki to life through Kōwhiti Whakapae
Kaihautū Marautanga | Curriculum Leads: Saskia Dean and Nicole Young
Saskia and Nicole will offer an interactive session to unpack one learning area in Kōwhiti Whakapae: Social & Emotional. The content will highlight and explore progress and practice tools that are designed to notice and recognise patterns in children’s progress within the framework of Te Whāriki. This session requires a device.
2. Trauma-Informed Practice
Ocean Babington-Black, Psychologist, Ministry of Education and
Donna Taylor, Early Intervention Teacher, Ministry of Education
As experienced practitioners in the ECE sector, Psychologist Ocean Babington-Black (Ngāti Awa) and Early Intervention Teacher Donna Taylor, regularly run collaborative workshops with early learning settings. These workshops discuss what trauma-informed practice looks like for teachers working in early childhood. As they delve into how trauma impacts early brain development, they also explore how trauma presents in pre-schoolers and evidence-based strategies to help support tamariki. They also acknowledge that teachers also can bring in their own trauma experiences, so they give practical solutions to fill their own kete for their own wellbeing. While also covering theory and practical knowledge of trauma-informed practice, they will also cover Te Mahau, Learning Support systems and what this looks like in daily practice
3. Learning Stories embedded in Te Whāriki with the power to transform lives!
Lorraine Sands, Educational Leadership Project
Transformation is a really big notion and it’s not surprising that we might wonder what this could look like in our practice. One way to think about transformative practice is to consider what we do that makes a difference in the lives of our mokopuna, how we know this, and whether our colleagues share a similar vision. Setting an internal evaluation research question that draws us towards a shared understanding of our local curriculum enables us to examine our practice and share our findings with our team. This work for Kaikao has to be meaningfully focused on ako without additional workloads in an already time-constrained work schedule. Writing emotionally connected Learning Stories is a way to understand how we can design environments that speak to children’s deeply felt curiosity for learning and how we are responsive to learning that matters to children. When we write these kinds of Learning Stories, Te Whāriki aspirations come to life in our learning settings.
This workshop considers how our bicultural curriculum does indeed come to life when Kaiako intentionally listen to our mokopuna and make it possible for their mana, mauri, and wairua to be living expressions of children’s identities.
4. Te Whāriki in Action: Internal Evaluation and Professional Growth Cycles
Roberta Skeoch, Educational Leadership Project
He iti, he iti mānuka
Though little, it is a mānuka tree
This whakatauki relates to the Mānuka tree. Though small in size, Mānuka has numerous uses, from food to rongoā, as well as all manner of tools and artefacts. Like the Mānuka tree, wonderfully written Learning Stories can also serve a number of purposes from Assessment for Learning to evidence of Te Whāriki in action, Internal Evaluation and Professional Growth Cycles! This workshop will explore a ‘work smarter not harder’ approach to align Internal Evaluation, PGC’s and appraisals that uses Learning Stories as primary evidence. Nau mai!
5. Kaiako Wellbeing Unfolded: FIVE Foundations to a Flourishing Life
Wendy Lee, Educational Leadership Project
This workshop will begin with an exploration of where we are now. We all face challenges in life, and the size and difficulty of these challenges are different for everyone. However, we all know what it’s like to struggle to cope. The goal is to offer you strategies to build your strength and increase your resilience. The workshop will guide you through four practices to a flourishing life, each aligned with the principles of Te Whāriki, our cherished early childhood curriculum—a framework designed to support everyone within our early childhood community. With empathy and understanding, we hope to provide you with tools and insights that will help you navigate life’s challenges and embrace a path to wellbeing and growth.
You’ll explore how these concepts relate to the strands of:
Wellbeing | Mana atua |Be Active
Embrace playfulness in your life! As Stephen Ludin says, “Play is not just an activity; it’s a state of mind that brings new energy and sparks creativity.” Engaging in physical activities like walking, running, cycling, playing games, gardening, or dancing not only makes you feel good but also significantly boosts your mental health and well-being.
Belonging | Mana whenua | Connect
With the people around you. With whānau, friends, kaiako and neighbours. At home, work, or in your local community. Think of these as the anchors of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.
Contribution | Mana tangata | Give
Weave the Te Whāriki Strand of Contribution with a focus on giving, nurturing connections with those around you—your whānau, friends, colleagues, and neighbours, whether at home, work, or within your local community. These connections serve as the foundations of your life, worthy of investment and development, enriching your daily experiences with support, joy, and fulfillment.
Communication | Mana reo | Take Notice
Infusing the Te Whāriki Strand of Communication with a focus on mindfulness invites us to take notice, appreciate the nuances of each moment, and savour the richness of our experiences. By honing skills that heighten awareness of both our internal thoughts and external surroundings, we embark on a journey toward improved wellbeing.
Exploration | Mana aotūroa | Keep Learning
Embrace new experiences and challenges by continually learning new skills and hobbies. Lifelong learning enhances self-esteem, encourages social interaction, and provides a sense of purpose and achievement. It keeps your mind active and can open up new opportunities. Strengthen your powerful growth mindset. Keep learning; this is a powerful space to be.
Together, we’ll delve into what these five foundations and see what they mean for you and how they can inspire positive actions and changes in your life. Let’s embark on this journey of wellbeing with enthusiasm and empathy, embracing the opportunity to grow and thrive as kaiako.
Keynote Presentation Two: Heipūkura: Embracing authenticity with tupuna mātauranga (Māori ancestral knowledge)
Hana Tapiata (Te Arawa, Ngāti Awa, Ngāti Porou, Waikato, Pākehā)
Heipūkura: Embracing authenticity with tupuna mātauranga, is an exploration of ancestral wisdom and learn how to harness it in our everyday lives to enrich interactions, insights and experiences.
Throughout the keynote, Hana will weave together pūrākau, whakataukī, and practical insights drawn from her own experiences and research into the kura huna, the deeper wisdom of te ao Māori. Attendees will be guided and encouraged to celebrate their identity while cultivating a deeper connection with their whakapapa.