Weaving in data knowledge about sustained shared thinking enhances early childhood education practice

Weaving is a significant metaphor for kaiako in Aotearoa New Zealand. Te Whāriki is central to their professional lives. At Daisies Early Education and Care Centre (hereafter Daisies), the strands in Te Whāriki shape the curriculum and its principles guide pedagogy and relationships. In January 2019, the Daisies team decided to investigate how to weave more sustained shared thinking through our pedagogy. Daisies’ leaders obtained copies of the Assessing Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care, Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-being (SSTEW) Scale. A Teacher-Led Innovation Fund (TLIF) grant supported a trial of the scale tool as a professional learning and development (PLD) resource at Daisies and at Te Puna Reo o Ngā Kākano. Trial processes, PLD processes, and findings pertaining only to Daisies are described in this article.