KEY POINTS:
Course: Early Childhood Education (ECE) - Pasifika specialisation
Where: University of Auckland Epsom Campus
Phone: 0800 61 62 63 or 0649 308 2386 (if overseas)
Email: studentinfo@auckland.ac.nz
Web: www.education.auckland.ac.nz
Entry Requirements: Interviews usually required. If under 20 years, NCEA University Entrance or equivalent. Applicants over 20 years can apply without UE
Intake: February each year
2008 course costs: $4172 per year. But there are substantial scholarships available through TeachNZ
Starting hourly rate: $20 per hour.
The teaching of preschoolers can be very rewarding, particularly when you are also helping preserve children's home language and culture.
Auckland University's Diploma of Teaching in Early Childhood Education - Pasifika takes three years' full-time study to complete, or six years' part-time. The Pasifika specialisation covers the same content as mainstream but lecturers use Pasifika examples and contexts. Lectures are given in English, with break-out tutorials in Pasifika language for cultural and language specific study. An extended family environment is fostered within the classroom.
The programme covers the early childhood curriculum document Te Whariki, including technology, language, mathematics, social sciences and the arts.
Content is delivered through workshops, small group tutorials, lectures and practicums.
Once the diploma is successfully completed, trainees are eligible to apply for provisional registration as practising professional early childhood teachers.
Students that are successful in the diploma can also staircase to degree status through a fourth year of study.
By 2012 every ECE teacher will be required to have at least a diploma in ECE, so demand for qualified early childhood teachers is continuing to grow, including teachers with Pasifika training.
GRADUATE
Ulu Nawaqavanua, 44
Early Childhood Teacher / Bachelor of Education student
Little Sunbeams Christian Early Childcare Centre
Graduated in November 2006.
The centre takes 40 children from 3 to 5 years old. I am working here part time while doing my fourth year of study which will lift my qualification from diploma to degree.
I am very passionate about education and love working with children. I enrolled in the diploma because I had no training and could see it was the way to get decent pay and a good job with children.
Most of our lecturers were Pacific Islanders and understood our cultural backgrounds. This has made a big difference for me. Many of us had left school years ago and were re-learning how to study. The lecturers would often use our languages to get a point across and ran lots of group discussions which helped us talk through ideas with lecturers and peers which helped us think more deeply about issues. It is a very supportive environment for us Pacific Islanders.
The main value of the course is that it has expanded my way of approaching children's learning. We learned to take a holistic approach about the role of culture and importance of language. If these aspects of a child are acknowledged, then other curriculum learning follows on.
Te Whariki curriculum strands include family and community, well-being and belonging. These strands weave in really well with Pasifika values around extended family and community. We have also learned a lot about the reasons behind Government ECE policies and the push to improve the quality of ECE.
Another important aspect of teaching we learned was how to reflect upon our practice, which involves taking time to think about why we do things and how you can improve on what you're doing. I went to five different places for practicum and found it really interesting to see how centres could run unique programmes yet still have Te Whariki as their base.
EMPLOYER
Luisa Lyth
Supervisor at Little Sunbeams Christian Early Childcare Centre
It is really hard to get hold of diploma-trained teachers, let alone degree trained. We advertised a job in June and only one of the nine applicants had a diploma.
Ulu adds a much-needed cultural perspective to our centre. Her training as an early childhood teacher makes a big difference to her approach to the job because it gives her a strong understanding of the curriculum and of the developmental stages of children. For example, she knows what to look for when the children are playing and how to build on and expand their learning through play.
Ulu is continuing her study to get her degree which will bring even more knowledge into our centre and help us keep up-to-date with new learning theories and other information.Angela McCarthy
