ITI Articles

Representatives from the New Zealand Tertiary College were among the many delegates who attended the World Forum on Early Care and Education in Kuala Lumpur last month.

With over 750 participants from 75 countries, this was the 7th year that the forum has been held with the aim of improving the quality of services for young children in diverse settings.

While critical issues such as AIDS, poverty and violence were the focus of the forum, speakers from the New Zealand Tertiary College contributed to discussion through a symposium and presentations on the issues affecting educators in New Zealand and around the world. NZTC Chief Executive Selena Fox and Chip Donohue led the Early Childhood eTeaching Symposium 2007.

The World Forum Foundation launched the EC eTeaching Symposiums in 2002 to foster the effective use of technology to improve the availability, quality and effectiveness of education and professional development to the world’s early childhood profession. The foundational objective of the EC eTeaching Symposiums is to enhance care and education programmes through teacher training and education resulting in improved outcomes for young children and families. At the EC eTeaching Symposium Selena and Chip brought together leaders in early childhood distance education from each continent.

In Extending Early Childhood Teacher Education with Technology, Selena Fox and Lisa Walker reinforced how childcare and education can be greatly improved through the use of technology. With teachers now able to access a wealth of information, resources and a network of worldwide colleagues through technology, the potential to share advice and learn from others presents a host of opportunities.

Angel Chan provided insight into migration and how this affects children and their parents in her presentation, Refugee and Immigrant Families: The Impact of Movement on Young Children. This discussion had particular relevance for many English-speaking countries such as New Zealand, which is a popular destination for migrant families.

Trish Tucker shared with delegates the historical cultural issues that have shaped New Zealand communities and what is being done to regenerate the Maori language in early childhood education in New Zealand. Trish’s presentation, Respecting and Responding to Culture in Teacher Education also gave representatives an insight into her own experience as an educator in a bicultural learning environment.

The World Forum for Teacher Educators will be hosted by the New Zealand Tertiary College in April 2008.