See the whole child
To learn how to see the whole child, we engage you with the wider community.
The whole child
Children bring their whānau (families) with them when they enter the classroom. Which is why we teach you to build a holistic view of an individual child, to understand the distinct and complex lives of tamariki and their whānau. We will give you tools from diverse subjects such as health sciences, languages, and child and family psychology to do so.
Learn in the community
One of the ways that we help you to connect with the students you’ll teach, and the whanau that they come from, is through the new TEPI 230 Informing Teaching and Learning through Community Engagement course. You will undertake 25 hours of community service and engage with people from vastly different backgrounds to your own. This new perspective will allow you to gain a better understanding of diversity and reflect on your own teaching philosophies.
Previous students have completed their community service in a variety of organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand, including:
- the Special Olympics
- Riding for the Disabled
- Ronald McDonald House
- Hohepa
- IDEA Services
- PILLARS.
Gemma Hussey
Bachelor of Teaching and Learning (Early Childhood)
"It’s really important in teaching to have a relationship with a child’s whānau. Ideally you’re forming a partnership where everyone’s working together for a child’s best outcome. It goes beyond education to their overall wellbeing. We set up environments that stimulate all the different domains of learning, and it’s fun for teachers as well!"