Further information
Wadestown Kindergarten is nestled in the small community of Wadestown which is close to Wellington City. This kindergarten serves a wide range of families and ethnicities and offers a sessional early childhood service for children between the ages of 3-5 years. The kindergarten is one of 56 kindergartens that is governed by the Wellington Region Free Kindergarten Association.
Innovative teaching and learning at Wadestown Kindergarten
Wadestown Kindergarten holds a strong interest in the many languages through which children communicate. The kindergarten's interest in multiple literacies began through an interest in the project approach and the notion of the 'hundred languages of children'. A huge emphasis is placed on the documentation of teaching and learning, through children's portfolios and project books. Information and communication technology (ICT) is a strength within the programme and an avenue through which children's literacies and voices are captured. This kindergarten has shown leadership in sharing their developing ideas and innovations with others within the early childhood sector.
What are multiple literacies?
Traditionally literacy has been used to describe someone's ability to read and write. Competence has been measured through an ability to do this. We value and emphasise reading and writing within our educational programme. We also know that children's literacies can be seen through a range of other communicative and expressive modes that are wider than these print based literacies. The list of these literacies is not exhaustive but can include: music, dance, images, art, drama, movement, construction and ICT. These literacies can be seen at work within the learning stories, photos, and video clips we capture of children's learning. As a Centre of Innovation (COI) our emphasis is on optimising the benefits of this type of documentation and refining the way that information about children's literacies is recorded.
Research undertaken at Wadestown Kindergarten
Wadestown kindergarten’s action research focuses on the multiple ways that children communicate. They are exploring three overarching research questions:
- What does multi-literate communicative competence mean in an early childhood setting?
- How do multiple literacies interact and support each other at individual, interpersonal, and community levels?
- How does an emphasis on multiple literacies within pedagogy, drawing from the concept of ako and involving project work, build community and children's communicative competencies?
Who is involved with the project?
The teachers
- Yvette Simonsen - head teacher
- Mandy Blake - teacher
- Janene Cutts - teacher aide (P.M. only)
- Andre La Hood - teacher
The research associates
- Maggie Haggerty - senior lecturer, Victoria University of Wellington College of Education
- Linda Mitchell - senior researcher, New Zealand Council for Educational Research
The association
- Amanda Coulston - general manager, Wellington Region Kindergarten Association
- Lynette Wray - senior teacher, Wellington Region Kindergarten Association
The parent representatives
- Ali Spencer - kindergarten parent
- Nikki Shaker - kindergarten parent
- Alex Oliver - kindergarten parent
For further information contact
Yvette Simonsen (head teacher)
Wadestown Kindergarten
45 Oban Street, Wadestown, Wellington, New Zealand
Telephone: 04 472 2227
Email: wadestown@wn-kindergarten.org.nz