A pedagogy of passion: Working with infants in early childhood education

The Ministry of Education statistics show that, between 2000 and 2015 in Aotearoa/New Zealand, the rise in under two year olds participating in early childhood services grew by 53% (Education Review Office, 2015). This is a significant growth and, as this area of early childhood education is still developing and changing, it is an area where research needs to be considered to ensure that we are providing quality care and education for infants. This article reports on research undertaken in regard to teachers implementing the RIE (Resources for Infant Educarers) philosophy developed by Magda Gerber in two early childhood settings in New Zealand. As a major finding from this research, teacher identity is considered in the way in which identity is formed through the influence of both personal and professional identity, and the importance of this identity formation for ensuring quality practices in ECE is discussed.