About

Professor Helen Hedges is in the School of Curriculum and Pedagogy in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

My research programme explores children’s and teachers’ interests, knowledge (both formal and intuitive) and learning in the contexts of early childhood education and teacher education. Driving this is curiosity about the nature of a co-constructed interests-based curriculum in early childhood education, particularly the decisions that teachers make about which children’s interests are chosen to create curriculum with.

In various projects, I have explored the place of subject content knowledge in an early childhood curriculum, teachers’ interpretations and understandings of key curricular concepts and the nature of children’s interests and inquiries. My research and teaching are located in sociocultural theories and participatory methodologies and methods.

I have contributed to theorising about children’s and teachers’ knowledge and interests through frameworks such as funds of knowledge, inquiry and identity theories. Recently I have extended that work to include funds of identity  I have also published (and teach) about teacher research and inquiry, and research ethics.

I am currently writing a book on children’s interests connected with curriculum, pedagogy, learning, and outcomes. Working theories will be the outcome illustrated of children’s interests and inquiries.

I have been working on conceptualising and exemplifying “working theories”, one of two major outcomes of the early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki., for some time. This blog contributes to sharing my own working theories about working theories and related concepts.

My website: https://unidirectory.auckland.ac.nz/people/h-hedges