Fleur Harris

I have had 30 years experience in the New Zealand education sector, before joining the Institute of Early Childhood in May 2009. I have worked as a Speech-Language Therapist in special education contexts with children and have taught at the Tertiary level, first as a Clinical Supervisor and then as a lecturer in childhood language, speech and literacy - in the Communication Disorders Department, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. More recently I lectured in the Early Childhood Department of the School of Māori, Social and Cultural Studies, College of Education, University of Canterbury. My teaching role included courses such as Cultural Studies (with a focus on creating linguistically and culturally appropriate early childhood settings for children from diverse environments), Comparative Early Childhood Theories, Professional Practice and Professional Contexts.

Research Interests

My research interests include: oral language and literacy learning for children in monolingual English, bilingual and multilingual home environments; children’s learning of oral narratives and phonological awareness; culturally and linguistically appropriate education for Indigenous children; postcolonial studies; qualitative research methodologies including critical, socio-cultural, indigenous, phenomenology and action-research theories; and the developing cultural/linguistic identities of pre-service Early Childhood educators.