Valuing Agency in Young Children Chapter 11 Glynne Mackey University of Canterbury WEEC June 2015

Key tenets of ECEfS the child as a rights holder; meaningful dialogue and engagement with children; respecting and appreciating diverse contributions; and embedding democratic values and principles of participation (Pramling Samuelsson and Kaga, 2008) As the research project was planned and implemented, the synergy between using a participatory approach and the key tenets of early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) became apparent: the child as a rights holder; meaningful dialogue and engagement with children; respecting and appreciating diverse contributions; and embedding democratic values and principles of participation (Pramling Samuelsson and Kaga 2008).

Research Overview The New Zealand context Sociocultural theory – with emphasis on family, relationships, empowerment and holistic development in valuing children’s agency Ecological model – the systems impact on the child. This research can demonstrate how the child impacts on the systems The New Zealand early childhood context, guided by The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki (New Zealand Ministry of Education 1996), takes the ecological theoretical position of Urie Bronfenbrenner (Lee, Carr, Soutar and Mitchell 2013) where the child is at the centre of several systems that impact either directly or indirectly on the child and, also, recognises that the child impacts on the systems.  The position taken in this chapter is to focus on the way in which education for sustainability, aligns with the four principles of Te Whāriki: Empowerment, Holistic development, Family and community, and Relationships. These principles reflect a socio-cultural approach to learning and development (Lee, et al. 2013) that recognises children’s agency and the importance of building responsive and reciprocal relationships within early childhood learning communities. This research allowed for the voices and experiences of children, teachers and parents to be recognised and respected so that teachers could potentially better understand the importance of valuing each child’s agency when situated centrally in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model of Child Development (Bronfenbrenner 2005) .   As sociocultural theory underpinned the kindergarten program and informed the pedagogies; the voices and perspectives of children, teachers and the community needed to inform and be reflected in the research (Mackey and Vaealiki 2011). I think this is critical about BB and relates to your later data well    Bronfenbrenner, U. (2005) Making human beings human: Bioecological perspectives on human development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Added to reference list GM

Valuing Agency How were these teachers able to value agency in their children? Believing in the competency and confidence of young children ‘Listening, hearing and feeling children’s voices’ (Kinney 2010) Authentic partnerships and relationships with community Having a ‘provocateur, an encourager, and a facilitator walking alongside’ (education manager for the centre) Bringing the community in – sharing the good news and raising awareness & expectations If we believe and act on these key tenets then we are recognising the agency of the child and therefore, believing the child is competent and confident to make a difference. Through a socio-cultural lens, a culture for sustainability was created through the involvement of the early childhood professional community along with kindergarten families and the local community, each contributing with their strengths, knowledge and skills.   The education services manager  The education services manager initiated professional development and goal setting for the kindergarten staff, and met regularly with staff to discuss issues about setting up sustainability-focused projects, accessing suitable resources, and identifying community members with similar sustainability interests. Her perspectives as an early childhood professional outside the teaching team were of particular interest to us as researchers, as she was able to be objective, probe, and reflect with teachers on their progress towards creating a culture of sustainability in the kindergarten. She saw her role as a ‘provocateur, an encourager, and a facilitator walking alongside’ the staff as they embarked in their sustainability journey. the manager identified a tipping point where interest and momentum for sustainability increased through the implementation of two new projects within the kindergarten. When the community was invited in (the tipping point) the children had opportunity to take a lead. They could also see that the teachers and parents were proud of what they could do. These partnerships and relationships help to raise awareness among parents and adults about the capabilities of young children and their role as valued citizens in our communities. ‘ In her interview, one of the kindergarten teachers gave an example of such local community participation. She had invited the local Year 1 primary school teacher to attend various kindergarten events which not only encouraged a supportive relationship with the children before their transition to school, but demonstrated the kindergarten children’s capacities as change agents for ECEfS. At the time of interview, the school had not engaged with environmental or sustainability issues. The kindergarten teacher was aware that ‘her’ children would ask questions of the school teachers such as ‘Where do we put our recycling? Do we have a worm farm for our food scraps?’ Thus, as a result of their interactions with the school, the kindergarten children influenced the school’s decision to embrace the sustainability principles and actions of the EnviroSchools program. This is an example of how the influence of an early childhood setting, and particularly of the young children in the setting, can ripple out into the wider community (Vaealiki and Mackey 2008). As one of the kindergarten teacher commented in her interview: It’s got far-reaching benefits. At the [EnviroSchools] awards ceremony where people are coming together to talk about environmental education – we were there with primary and secondary [teachers] – people were saying ‘Oh, so it starts in early childhood!’ Our teachers were able to stand up and talk about children’s participation and community involvement, that they inspired other people. (June 2006)

Impact on teacher practice Involving children in creating the vision for the centre Seeking ideas and opinions from children Challenging the barriers that inhibit children participating, exploring and experiencing the outdoors Confidence in risk management to ensure safety Courage to step into the unknown The following points, extracted from the teacher interviews, highlight key shifts in the teachers’ practices as a result of their focus on ECEfS: Teachers now involve children in creating the visions for, and planning and mapping centre projects and alterations to the physical environment. Teachers now seek children’s ideas and ask questions such as ‘What’s your favourite space? Where do you like to play? What parts don’t you like? Why don’t you like them? What can we do to fix it?’ Children’s inputs are designed to guide changes within the kindergarten setting and to acknowledge the children as active participants in crating these changes Teachers now appear undeterred by past barriers. For example, they are more prepared to challenge the risk and safety policies of their management organisation and the government regulations that drive these policies that the teachers have identified as impacting negatively on their community. For example, children are now included in some of the ‘family work’ within the setting such as spreading bark soft-fall and gardening, and are involved in other playground working groups. Teachers stated that they have confidence in their revised risk management plan and that, rather than banning children’s participation in these family and community activities, still ensures everyone’s safety.

He kākano i ruia mai i Rangiatea The seed will not be lost