Overview

The team was interested in innovative solutions that built on the strong foundation laid in Te Whāriki and extending into new areas such as mindfulness and targeted social emotional learning such as He Māpuna te Tamaiti. Consistent with the development of local curriculum they sought to design a framework for practice that would capture what is known about the foundations for socio-emotional competence and what kaiako can do to facilitate their development. This framework would be tailored to their community and accompanied by other tools for monitoring changes in kaiako practice and the impact on tamariki.

The use of tamaiti-friendly yoga was a key standout during the lockdown, in which tamariki and families were using Storypark to share their experiences and stay connected. In a fun challenge set by the team, kaiako posted new yoga cards for the kindergarten that showed the poses inspired by animals and creatures from around the world! The team then encouraged tamariki and whānau to stretch their body, calm their mind, and have some fun together at home. This resulted in a wide range of positive feedback with lots of pictures and examples of tamariki showing their families how to do the poses they had learned and used at kindergarten. The yoga poses and other shared practices, such as sharing video of kaiako and tamariki saying the kindergarten mantra, were great ways to stay connected and nurture well-being during this difficult and uncertain time.

Project report

The kaiako implemented their framework through rapid cycles of inquiry that were each targeted at a specific aspect of socio-emotional competence. As they did so, they implemented and tried out new practices across the kindergarten community. To understand whether the things they were doing was making a difference, they selected tamariki who would be enrolled at the kindergarten of the duration of the project to track progress in the key area of social-emotional learning.

The framework, combined with support for its implementation, proved successful in generating focused professional conversations and enabling targeted changes in the kindergarten’s routines and practices. As tamariki gained the tools to self-regulate their emotions and interact more successfully, the culture of the community changed. When a very sad event occurred in the community, the work they had done showed in the kindergarten community’s resilience. New practices supported tamariki, whānau, and kaiako to feel and take comfort from its connectedness.

The inquiry story

This inquiry involved the entire teaching team, and all tamariki and their whānau. It unfolded at two levels – across the centre and at the levels of individual kaiako. The two levels of inquiry were connected through a shared framework.

What was the focus?

This project grew out of an awareness that many tamariki can struggle with anxiety and heightened emotions, occasionally displaying challenging behaviour, such as aggression or withdrawal. Kaiako were also aware that the foundations for life-long wellbeing occur through “primary prevention starting from very early in life” (Gluckman, 2017, p. 1). They wanted to develop and implement intentional teaching strategies that would help tamariki gain skills that would provide a foundation for life-long social and emotional wellbeing. They wanted these to be informed by research but tailored to their community. The team developed the following innovation statement:

We would like to know whether an integrated and targeted approach to social-emotional learning and mindfulness will have an impact on tamariki competency, confidence, and resilience, particularly for our tamariki who currently show high levels of anxiety and stress, with a focus on our three year-olds.

Through their inquiry, kaiako addressed two questions:

• What are the core practices for mindfulness and social-emotional teaching that work for our kindergarten?
• What impact do the core practices from our framework of mindfulness and social-emotional teaching have on developing our tamariki social and emotional competencies?

What did the teachers try?

The ‘action’ phase of this inquiry began with the development of a ‘Tamariki Strong’ framework. The Tamariki Strong framework is aligned with the learning outcomes from Te Whariki and draws on research into mindfulness and the development of social-emotional competence. It is organised around competencies:

• Emotional literacy
• Calmness and self-regulation
• Being present and focusing attention
• Connecting with others and showing manaakitanga
• Resilience, empowerment, and agency in learning.

The framework describes:

• the important things tamariki need to know or be able to do in relation to each of these competencies.
• what kaiako need to know and be able to do to support tamariki learning and development in these competencies.

Kaiako used the framework to determine their foci and guide their discussions. They also used the knowledge captured in the framework to support the development of a kaiako reflection tool and a tamariki assessment tool that included whānau and tamariki voices. An emotion drawing protocol was developed to monitor shifts in the range of emotion words used by tamariki over time.

The kaiako took a staged approach to addressing the five competencies they had chosen for focus, beginning with emotional literacy and calmness and self-regulation and moving on to the next two. (The Covid-19 lockdown meant that Resilience, empowerment, and agency in learning was still a ‘next step’ at the time the TLIF funding concluded.)

Using a rapid cycle inquiry methodology, the team collected information about teaching and learning at the beginning and end of the project with action and implementation between cycles. Within the wider inquiry, each kaiako used the Tamariki Strong framework and associated tools to determine an individual inquiry focus related to the tamariki for whom they were most responsible.

The following practices were introduced across the centre:

• Mantra: The following mantra was developed to support tamariki to construct a positive sense of self and use positive self-talk: I am strong in mind, heart, and body and we are all connected. │ Ki te kaha ahau me whakairo, me ngākau, me tinana, he wairua tātou katoa. The kindergarten’s Kaitiaki o Kaupapa Māori played a critical part in the mantra’s development, pointing out that the individual is not strong without being connected to their whakapapa, whanaungatanga, and whenua.
• Te Pere chime and breathing: Three different breathing techniques were introduced to foster listening and focusing at mat time and help tamariki self-regulate their emotions throughout the day.
• Yoga: After learning about child-friendly yoga through small group training sessions using animals to present and describe poses, kaiako now offer yoga sessions several times a week. Mats and yoga picture cards are available for tamariki who wish to initiate and lead informal sessions, with kaiako and peers taking part.
• Emotions: The team uses pictures, picture books, drama, and visual displays of words and images to help tamariki learn words to express and recognise emotions. They are conscious and intentional about using emotion words in talk. This was supported by having an explicit team discussion about, and writing in their planning, which emotion words would they intentionally use in their setting.
• Calming: The team created a quiet space (chill out tent) and supported tamariki to use it as a place to calm down. They developed a personalised social story for a tamaiti who needs additional support.
• New daily routines: Kaiako changed parts of the daily routine to lessen the disruption to play and ensure the day flows more peacefully. This included shifting to flexible eating time.

In their individual inquiry projects, kaiako selected a specific practice goal and developed an action plan for implementation and review. For example, when the kindergarten was focusing on the competency of connecting with others and showing manaakitanga, kaiako chose practice goals such as:

• supporting tamariki to consider differences between themselves and others, as well as connections between others and self;
• supporting tamariki to appreciate the good things about themselves, others, their experiences, and their environment;
• pointing out tamariki strengths to other tamariki;
• role modelling expressions of warmth and acceptance;
• guiding tamariki through mindfulness moments, yoga poses, and tai chi movements.

What happened as a result of this innovation?

The team reports that their project has resulted in a strong orientation to wellbeing and a more positive climate. Kaiako practice has been de-privatised and made more intentional, consistent, and team oriented. The development and implementation of the Tamariki Strong framework has created new knowledge and understandings about how to recognise and implement strategies that support all tamariki, especially those who experience anxiety and need social-emotional support. Kaiako share this information with whānau and colleagues and work collaboratively to enhance outcomes for tamariki.

The outcomes for tamariki have been numerous. The team has evidence that tamariki are better able to recognise and express their feelings to parents, kaiako, and peers; use mindfulness strategies to support them to navigate difficult moments or see joy or appreciation in everyday moments; and seek support when they experience strong feelings. They enjoy positive social interactions and friendships with peers and adults, with increasing confidence.

In addition to the reported data, the team shared individual stories of the ways that the use of social-emotional and mindfulness skills has impacted on them, tamariki, and whānau. Some of the most powerful stories have been during times of difficulty experienced by the community, including the Covid-19 lockdown and needing a way to stay and feel connected. The community also experienced a tragic loss when one of their tamariki passed away. The mantra, which this child had cherished, proved of great comfort to both whānau and the kindergarten community and was spoken by her father at her funeral.

What did they learn?

The team identified four themes in its learning:

1. The development of a shared framework capturing target practices, along with collective support for implementation, can foster shared understandings of what effective practice means and looks like. A shared framework helps focus discussions and the process of trying things together can bring a team closer together.
2. The development of shared understandings and a more supportive team culture gives kaiako greater confidence to try the new practices.
3. Changes in the centre routine and the centre-wide introduction of practices designed to support social-emotional development can help create a more calm, relaxed setting that is pleasant for everyone.
4. The provision of a shared framework with linked assessment tools supports kaiako to be more intentional in their teaching, to see and understand tamariki differently, and to respond in ways that are more personalised to individual tamaiti.

Inquiry team

The project leader was Monica Bay Waters. Lynette Wray, Kim Thomson, Tracey Hosie, Kirsty Bargh and Sarah Berry made up the rest of the team. Louana Freuan, the kindergarten’s Kaitiaki o Kaupapa Māori ensured the integrity of the kaupapa.

The project had two critical friends from Massey University: Karyn Aspden and Tara Mclaughlin.

Further external expertise was accessed from the Mental Health Foundation’s Pause Breathe Smile programme and local experts in yoga and tai chi.

For further information

If you would like to learn more about this project, please contact the project leader Monica Bay Waters, at monica.baywaters@wmkindergartens.org.nz.

Reference list

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Pause Breath Smile https://pausebreathesmile.nz/

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