Tania's Professional Learning Blog

MIT 2026 It is such a privilege to be part of this amazing opportunity.  My focus for this year is a "Moonshot" for literacy. The goal isn’t just a small step forward; it’s a bold shift toward true fluency and empowerment. I want to see our students move past just "getting through" a text to a place where they genuinely love reading and can naturally use those skills as a toolkit for every other subject they dive into.  I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the design thinking process—taking a hard look at the hurdles our learners face, working through the "why," and eventually building a prototype that actually makes a difference. To get this proposal off the ground, I’ve been looking closely at the students who are struggling most and gathering the evidence to show exactly where the disconnect is happening. I’ve come up with two different ways we might tackle this—including how we can lean on technology to bridge the gap—rather than just stick...

1. Strengthening ECE–Primary Partnerships Over the past year, we’ve seen a real shift in the way our school and local ECEs work together. What started as a few transition meetings has grown into genuine partnerships built on trust, shared goals, and regular communication. Everyone, from ECE kaiako to new entrant teachers, now feels part of one connected team, working towards smoother and more successful transitions for our tamariki. The transition checklist has been a game changer. It’s given both sectors a shared understanding of what “school readiness” actually looks like in today’s context. ECE teachers say it’s helped them plan with more purpose, they now know what primary schools value, what children will be expected to do, and how they can prepare them for that next step. Many kaiako have said things like, “It’s helped us align with the new English and Maths curriculum — we can see how what we do links to what comes next.” Because of this, teacher practice within the ECE centres ...

As part of my ongoing teaching inquiry into how we support early literacy—especially for those tamariki who need a bit more time—I came across this really helpful article from All About Learning Press that offers clear, simple strategies to help children who confuse b and d. Let’s be honest—this is super common and very normal for our 5- and 6-year-olds. But for some, it sticks around longer and can start to impact confidence, writing fluency, and reading accuracy. What’s in the Article? The blog post outlines: Why letter reversals are a developmental stage, not a sign of dyslexia on their own. Fun, hands-on strategies to help children lock in correct b/d formation. Practical tools that both ECE and NE teachers can easily integrate into their day. One of my favourites from the list is the “bed” trick—using both hands to form the shape of a bed (with thumbs up) to remind kids that b comes before d. It's kinaesthetic, memorable, and easy to teach. Another great one is using visual m...

Oral Language, Literacy, and Numeracy Readiness Through ECE Partnerships As Junior School kaiako, we understand that successful transitions to school aren’t just about knowing letters or numbers—they’re about being able to talk about them, think critically, and engage with confidence. That’s why I've built a strong, ongoing relationship with local early childhood centres and kindergartens to support tamariki turning four between September and December. Together, we’re working to ensure every child has a strong start in oral language, literacy, and numeracy, laying the foundations for learning success. Why Does This Matter? Oral language is now a core focus in the New Zealand Curriculum refresh, and for good reason. The ability to communicate thoughts, ask questions, and use topic-specific vocabulary is directly linked to later achievement in reading, writing, and mathematics. When tamariki can confidently use words like grapheme, phoneme, most, least, and estimate, they are not jus...

  A Reflection on Play, Policy, and School Readiness What We Count, Counts. Why the Debate is About Ideology, Not Curriculum. Sarah Aiono Jun 28 Kia ora whānau, This week I came across a thought-provoking presentation by Dr. Sarah Aiono, shared at the IPA Asia Pacific Conference in Melbourne, and it honestly stopped me in my tracks. It spoke directly to the heart of something many of us working in ECE, New Entrants, and Kāhui Ako spaces have been feeling for a while: Are we so focused on curriculum and data that we’re forgetting our tamariki aren’t always ready to learn when they walk through the school gate? Dr. Aiono’s presentation—titled “What We Count Counts: Why the Play Debate is About Ideology, Not Just Curriculum”—really pushed me to think about how our systems are shaped not just by what we teach, but by what we value. You can read the full transcript here on Dr. Aiono’s LinkedIn . What Stood Out to Me The main message?  It’s not just the curriculum that needs changi...

I stumbled upon this super cool document called " Multisensory Writing: Handwriting Supports " from a pediatric occupational therapist, and it's packed with awesome ideas to help our kids with their handwriting! For all you kindergarten and new entrant teachers here in New Zealand, here's what's super important to keep in mind: Spotting Handwriting Hiccups: We're talking about all those common struggles tamariki have, like pressing too lightly or too hard with their pencil, writing huge letters or totally missing the lines, squishing words together or leaving huge gaps, and not quite getting the hang of tall vs. short letters. Easy, Hands-On Tricks: The document is full of practical tips, and a lot of them use different senses, which is brilliant! Think things like using carbon paper, sandpaper, those bendy Wikki Stix (not the same as pipe cleaners, by the way – Wikki Stix are wax-coated yarn, super safe and sticky!), or even just cool visual cues. Gettin...