Rate My Professor Roberta Carvalho

Roberta Carvalho holds the position of Senior Professional Practice Fellow – Early Childhood Education and serves as the Programme Coordinator for Early Childhood Education within the University of Otago College of Education, part of the Humanities Division, located on the Dunedin campus. Her responsibilities encompass teaching and coordinating a range of essential papers tailored to early childhood education students. As paper coordinator for EDCR201 Weaving Curriculum, which is restricted to Early Childhood Education students, she oversees curriculum integration and development. Similarly, she coordinates EDCR301 Living Curriculum, emphasizing dynamic, responsive teaching practices. In EDUC311 Contemporary Understandings of Young Children as Citizens, for students with prerequisites in education or sociology papers from the Arts and Music schedule, Roberta Carvalho acts as the primary contact and teaching staff member, fostering discussions on children's rights and societal roles. She also contributes to EDPR302 Professional Inquiry in(to) Practice 4 and EDUC475 Professional Experience (Early Childhood) as teaching staff, supporting students in reflective practice and field placements.

Roberta Carvalho's research interests lie in professional learning and culturally responsive practices in early childhood education (ECE). She has published peer-reviewed articles addressing pressing issues in the sector. Her co-authored paper with Alexandra C. Gunn, "Upholding children's rights to bicultural ECE curriculum: A developmental work research study into teachers' professional learning," appeared in the New Zealand Journal of Teachers' Work (2025), highlighting the importance of biculturalism in teacher professional development. Additionally, "Refocusing care as central to teaching within ECE" was published in Early Childhood Folio (2024, Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 13-17), advocating for care as a core element of ECE pedagogy. Transitioning from her role as an early childhood kaiako with over twenty years' experience in Aotearoa New Zealand, she now imparts her knowledge in initial teacher education (ITE) and postgraduate Masters programmes.