Date/Time
Date(s) - Mon 27 July
16:30 - 17:30
Early Childhood Seminar Series 2026
Organised by Faculty of Arts and Education
Abstract:
Children’s inquiry is a pedagogical approach that positions children as active, capable meaning-makers who investigate ideas, questions, working theories and relationships collaboratively over time. Drawing from the recently published book Children’s Inquiry in Early Childhood Education in Aotearoa New Zealand, this presentation shares findings from a collaborative research project that explored how early childhood kaiako develop, interpret and sustain inquiry-based practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The research included an initial national survey and in-depth work with six early childhood settings, each with a strong commitment to children’s inquiry. Through interviews, observations, documentation and collaborative analysis, the study examined the theoretical, pedagogical and contextual influences shaping inquiry practice. While international approaches such as Reggio Emilia have been influential, the findings suggest that children’s inquiry in Aotearoa New Zealand is developing in distinctive ways, shaped by Te Whāriki, local places, relationships with whānau and communities, and an ongoing commitment to bicultural practice.
This presentation will introduce key ideas from the research, including what children’s inquiry can look like in practice, how kaiako position themselves as co-researchers alongside children, and how inquiry can support children’s agency, collaboration, creativity and connection to place. It will also consider how inquiries that are situated in local places hold rich potential for kaiako to develop and foster bicultural habits of mind, as children and adults engage with the histories, stories, relationships and responsibilities of their place.
Finally, the presentation will consider the pedagogical conditions that enable inquiry to unfold, including time, documentation, teacher noticing, and a willingness to remain open to uncertainty, complexity and children’s evolving ideas.
Presenters:
Dr Sarah Probine (AUT), Dr Yo Heta-Lensen (AUT), Dr Rachael Burke (University of Waikato) and Joanne Alderson (Open Polytechnic), on behalf of the Children’s Inquiry Research Team.
Research Team: Dr Sarah Probine (AUT), Joanne Alderson (Open Polytecnic), Dr Rachael S. Burke (University of Waikato), Dr Yo Heta-Lensen (AUT), Dr Fi McAlevey (Open Polytechnic), Jo Perry (MIT) and the late Dr Helen Wrightson (Unitec)