Showing papers in "Early Years in 2011"
TL;DR: Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has a legitimate aspiration to be a "caring profession" like others such as nursing or social work, defined by a moral purpose as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This paper argues that early childhood education and care (ECEC) has a legitimate aspiration to be a ‘caring profession’ like others such as nursing or social work, defined by a moral purpose. For example, practitioners often draw on an ethic of care as evidence of their professionalism. However, the discourse of professionalism in England completely excludes the ethical vocabulary of care. Nevertheless, it necessarily depends on gendered dispositions towards emotional labour, often promoted by training programmes as ‘professional’ demeanours. Taking control of the professionalisation agenda therefore requires practitioners to demonstrate a critical understanding of their practice as ‘emotion work’. At the same time, reconceptualising practice within a political ethic of care may allow the workforce, and new trainees in particular, to champion ‘caring’ as a sustainable element of professional work, expressed not only in maternal, dyadic key‐working but in advocacy for care as a social principle.
168 citations
TL;DR: Frost et al. as mentioned in this paper present a short book on children, families, and the State, which highlights the complexity and movement in the contemporary conceptualisation of childhood and children's relation to parents and to the State.
Abstract: and required knowledge. I envisage readers choosing tasks according to prior knowledge and personal interest. The book clearly fosters curiosity and interest in studies on children, families and the State. It shows the many facets this topic offers and highlights some of the complex relationships. At times Nick Frost appears to condense existing knowledge, but perhaps too much to be digestible for the reader new to the field, for example, the table on theories on families (34). Unfortunately, the book appears to be put together in haste. Spelling and referencing mistakes are irritating as is the unreadable table on distribution of household types and structures (81). Readers would benefit from updated further reading lists and using data as close to publication date as possible when the focus is on contemporary practice or policy-making. Nevertheless, this short book succeeds in highlighting complexity and movement in the contemporary conceptualisation of childhood and children’s relation to parents and to the State and in demonstrating how currently hot debates can be informed by empirical research and theory development.
120 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an exploration of moves towards creating an active play-based learning environment in six primary 1 classrooms in Scotland is reported. But the role of the teacher varies between what could be considered as teacher-intensive and teacher-initiated activities.
Abstract: In Scotland in recent years there has been growing interest in a more play‐based pedagogy commonly described as Active Learning. The research reported in this article is an exploration of moves towards creating an active play‐based learning environment in six Primary 1 classrooms in Scotland and is concerned with (i) the children’s experiences in such a play‐based active learning environment in school and (ii) their teachers’ perspectives on this pedagogical innovation and their roles in supporting the learners. This study examined experiences and perspectives within and across each of the six child‐centred and play‐focused classes. The main findings suggest that the role of the teacher varies between what could be considered as teacher‐intensive and teacher‐initiated activities. ‘Active’ or ‘play‐based’ learning was interpreted differently by teachers; play in some classrooms was peripheral rather than integral to the learning process and curriculum‐embedded.
87 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a two-year research project with teachers in nine different early childhood centres was designed to explore and extend opportunities for young children to reflect on their learning, which was described as children becoming "wise" about their learning journeys; the aim was to find ways to assist them to articulate their understanding of what they learned and how they had learned it.
Abstract: A two-year research project with teachers in nine different early childhood centres was designed to explore and extend opportunities for young children to reflect on their learning. This was described as children becoming ‘wise’ about their learning journeys; the aim was to find ways to assist them to articulate their understanding of what they had learned and how they had learned it. The location for extending these abilities and dispositions was children and teachers talking together as they revisited and reviewed documented learning events. This paper highlights the strategies that worked well for thoughtful conversations, and comments on those strategies that did not. It argues for the value of children as co-authors in conversations about their learning; these conversations can contribute to their developing views about how they learn and assist them to construct continuities of the learning that is valued in this place.
56 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored children's working theories in action in a number of Playcentre settings and found that children's problem-seeking and solving, theorising, acting and interactions as they engaged in everyday inquiries and conversations with others provided new insights into pedagogy.
Abstract: Working theories and learning dispositions are key learning outcomes in the early childhood curriculum in New Zealand. However, while there has been a focus on learning dispositions in recent years, less is known about the development of children’s working theories or the pedagogy to support this. The aim of this study was to explore children’s working theories in action in a number of Playcentre settings. The authors were interested in children’s problem‐seeking and ‐solving, theorising, acting and interactions as they engaged in everyday inquiries and conversations with others. This paper discusses some of the dilemmas for educators, including defining and recognising working theories, and deciding what to respond to, and how to respond. When attention was paid to the subtle nuances of moment‐to‐moment interactions it provided new insights into pedagogy. The findings have implications for early childhood educators as they seek to develop episodes of sustained shared thinking and support the development ...
51 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe the efforts of teachers in one English local authority to develop practice in their classrooms which was less formal and teacher-led and which responded more to the needs and interests of individual children.
Abstract: The Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum and the independent Cambridge Primary Review both highlight the need to re‐think children's educational experiences in English classrooms between the ages of five and seven. Recent government initiatives have led to experiences in these early primary years being adult‐directed and often in whole‐class groups, with little place for the play and self‐initiated learning familiar in the Early Years Foundation Stage, which regulates education from birth to five years. This discontinuity in pedagogy has led to concerns at national and local levels. This article describes the efforts of teachers in one English local authority to develop practice in their classrooms which was less formal and teacher‐led and which responded more to the needs and interests of individual children. It describes the reasons for teacher participation in the project, the barriers that they faced and the outcomes for both teachers and children.
33 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a study employing the use of 159 teacher and 161 paraprofessional surveys and classroom observations in 23 randomly selected kindergarten and four-year-old classrooms.
Abstract: Millions of dollars are expended, in the USA and elsewhere, to provide paraprofessionals or ‘teaching assistants’ for regular early childhood classrooms. However, little consistent information exists related to best practice in the use of paraprofessionals in these early childhood settings. This article describes a study employing the use of 159 teacher and 161 paraprofessional surveys and classroom observations in 23 randomly selected kindergarten and four-year-old classrooms. Paraprofessionals delivered large amounts of group instruction and frequently managed student behavior. Furthermore, it was found that a lack of understanding of specific duties and expectations related to the roles of paraprofessionals was characteristic of both teachers and the paraprofessionals themselves.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined Greek parents' perceptions of barriers to men entering the early childhood education and care profession and their recommendations for recruiting more males into the field, and found that the participating parents were in favour of recruiting more male early childhood educators, but at the same time they recognized the difficulties men encounter when choosing to become educators.
Abstract: The study reported here examined Greek parents’ perceptions of barriers to men entering the early childhood education and care profession and their recommendations for recruiting more males into the field. Parents were asked to respond on a Likert scale to statements regarding males’ decision to enter the profession, possible benefits for male early childhood educators, and perceived societal attitudes towards male early childhood educators. The findings indicate that the participating parents were in favour of recruiting more males into the early childhood education and care profession but at the same time they recognize the difficulties men encounter when choosing to become early childhood educators. Recommendations for future research designs are formulated.
24 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors analyse the nature of assessment understandings and practices that reflect traditional Māori values and highlight culturally relevant assessment that makes sense to MAs, that reflects "being MAs", and that supports MAs ideals and aspirations for children.
Abstract: Concern has been raised about the under-achievement of Māori children in education. The problem has tended to be located with Māori children rather than with assessments. Clearly if one takes a sociocultural perspective achievement is situated. Although studies in early childhood education have examined and developed assessment tools and frameworks there has been little attention given to early childhood assessment methods that are congruent with Māori worldviews, ideas of valued learning and aspirations for children. This paper illustrates and provides insight into assessment by and for Māori. The paper analyses the nature of assessment understandings and practices that reflect traditional Māori values. It highlights culturally relevant assessment that makes sense to Māori, that reflects ‘being Māori’ and that supports Māori ideals and aspirations for children.
24 citations
TL;DR: This article investigated the reflective comments of 55 first grade children regarding their experiences in kindergarten and first grade, finding that children seem to find some things empowering: the newness of the experience; the challenging and hard work; the independence they have in a spacious school playground; the access to a canteen and separate bathroom areas and the opportunity to make more friends.
Abstract: This study was designed to investigate the reflective comments of 55 first grade children regarding their experiences in kindergarten and first grade. Data collection involved a conversational interview during which children voiced their reflections and comparisons on specific issues (e.g. friends, teacher, learning) they had encountered during kindergarten and were currently experiencing in first grade. The data was analyzed through Foucault’s tenets of power. The aspects of the transition that empowered children were noted and further discussed, as well as aspects that were perceived as limiting. Specifically, children seem to find some things empowering: the newness of the experience; the challenging and hard work; the independence they have in a spacious school playground; the access to a canteen and separate bathroom areas and the opportunity to make more friends. On the other hand, children noted several limiting elements: the structure of the day and specifically the constant lesson‐work model; the...
24 citations
TL;DR: This article conducted a qualitative study to explore teachers' understandings of working theories and found that teachers initially demonstrated intuitive knowledge of the concept as children's snippets of knowledge and children making connections between different information, experiences and concepts.
Abstract: New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki, has two learning outcomes, dispositions and working theories. While a sociocultural perspective of dispositions has received significant attention in research and teaching, ‘working theories’ as a concept has remained somewhat nebulous. This paper describes ways teachers in two settings interpreted this construct during a qualitative study designed to explore teachers’ understandings of working theories. During group interviews, teachers initially demonstrated intuitive knowledge of the concept as children’s snippets of knowledge and children making connections between different information, experiences and concepts. As a result of the increased focus on the concept stimulated by the research, some teachers’ pedagogic practices shifted in richness and depth. However, the realities of daily teaching practices thwarted theoretical understandings from developing within the timeframe of the project and remain a work-in-progress in collaborative attempts to...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors highlight ways in which policy initiatives interacted to support the process of democratic participation and responsive pedagogy in early childhood education and highlight the benefits of policies that were universally available and coherently organized around an understanding of children, families and communities as participants.
Abstract: Considerable interest has emerged in policy frameworks to sustain and encourage democratic participation and responsive pedagogy in early childhood education. Using findings from an evaluation of New Zealand’s strategic plan for early childhood education, this article highlights ways in which policy initiatives interacted to support such processes. Universal funding for free early childhood education made access to early childhood education possible for many children who might not otherwise have attended. A further range of initiatives aimed at improving teacher qualifications and professional capabilities supported the development of communities of learners and contributed to enhanced quality and democratic practice. A key argument is that benefits came from policies that were universally available and coherently organised around an understanding of children, families and communities as participants.
TL;DR: Thematic analysis of a continuous video record of a day in the life of a New Zealand kindergarten teacher, and of a narrative reconstruction of the day during a follow-up interview, yielded a view of early childhood professional practice as focused on a "curriculum of open possibilities".
Abstract: Thematic analysis of a continuous video record of a day in the life of a New Zealand kindergarten teacher, and of a narrative reconstruction of the day during a follow-up interview, yielded a view of early childhood professional practice as focused on a ‘curriculum of open possibilities’. This paper discusses elements of the teacher’s professional practice that contributed to her curriculum: her understanding that curriculum planning required relational involvement and being part of the children’s life within the kindergarten community; that professional practice required teamwork and attunement to one’s colleagues; and that acting professionally was about being fully present and ‘bringing everything together’. It argues that behind the apparent ‘trivia’ of the teacher’s day there were layers of activity that maintained a fabric of connections that sustained the open possibilities. In this way, the teacher’s role as a curriculum planner emerges as a finely balanced role that is creative and agentic rather...
TL;DR: The authors explored how two experienced teachers interacted with children in classes of three and five-year-olds and found that their practice was based around valuing children's ideas, effort, space and work, and maintaining enthusiasm towards children's and their own learning.
Abstract: This phenomenological study explored how two experienced teachers interacted with children in classes of three‐ and five‐year‐olds. The aim was to further understand the nature of practice that promotes communicative teacher–child relationships. The study took place in a private preschool programme in the United States. Through once‐a‐week participant observations from September to December 2009 and interviews with the teachers, the study illustrated how their practice was based around valuing children’s ideas, effort, space and work, and around maintaining enthusiasm towards children’s and their own learning. In these processes, the study showed the importance of (1) teachers’ firm understanding of the context of children’s development, and their awareness of the role which they play in creating this, and (2) an environment that promotes ‘flow’ of their practice. As the study builds on developmental systems theory, the findings highlight the ways in which contexts that support teachers’ professional auto...
TL;DR: Oberhuemer, Schreyer and Neuman as mentioned in this paper, 2010, 525 pp, ₤4695 (paperback), ISBN 978-3-96649-249-3 Not to ha
Abstract: by Pamela Oberhuemer, Inge Schreyer and Michelle J Neuman, Opladen Germany and Farmington Hills, MI, Barbara Budrich Publishers, 2010, 525 pp, ₤4695 (paperback), ISBN 978-3-96649-249-3 Not to ha
TL;DR: This article examined the relationship between pedagogical continuity in literacy education and early literacy development by comparing Chinese children in Hong Kong and Shenzhen and found that Hong Kong students outperformed their Shenzhen counterparts in Chinese literacy attainment, at both preschool and primary levels, concurrently and longitudinally.
Abstract: This longitudinal study examined the relationship between pedagogical continuity in literacy education and early literacy development by comparing Chinese children in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Stratified random sampling was used to select 24 preschool and Primary 1 classes in four communities catering to middle‐class families in each city. The 24 teachers were interviewed about their teaching methods and views on pedagogical continuity in individual sessions. Further, their teaching activities were videotaped over a period of a week. Their students (n = 758) completed a Chinese literacy attainment test at the beginning and at the end of the same academic year. Analyses indicated that Hong Kong students outperformed their Shenzhen counterparts in Chinese literacy attainment, at both preschool and primary levels, concurrently and longitudinally. This suggests that the holistic approach followed in Hong Kong might have a more positive impact on children's literacy development than the approach followed in Shen...
TL;DR: Byr Byrne and Barbara A. Wasik as mentioned in this paper made a thorough and challenging contribution to developing edu..., and made a substantial contribution to the development of edu studies.
Abstract: by James P. Byrne and Barbara A. Wasik, New York, Guilford Press, 2009, 432 pp., £26.84 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-59385-990-9 This book makes a thorough and challenging contribution to developing edu...
TL;DR: In contrast to a focus on vertical learning experiences where the emphasis is on progression up a scale of complexity, the authors explores the value of horizontal learning experiences, which aim to provide learners with a variety of opportunities and spaces to participate, thereby expanding the entry points for them into school science.
Abstract: In contrast to a focus on vertical learning experiences where the emphasis is on progression up a scale of complexity, this article explores the value of horizontal learning experiences. These aim to provide learners with a variety of opportunities and spaces to participate, thereby expanding the entry points for them into school science. The process of horizontal learning is illustrated using data generated within a new-entrant (children aged five) classroom. The findings show that young children can engage with and develop proficiency with sophisticated science ideas when teachers provide a variety of multimodal learning opportunities that expand on their existing and developing ideas and experiences. It is argued that the provision of horizontal learning experiences is worthy of consideration in science education where student interest in science is known to decline over the school years.
TL;DR: Miller and Pound as mentioned in this paper discuss critical issues in the early years in the Early Childhood Studies (Early Childhood Studies) series, 2010, 177 + xiii pp., £22.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1849205788
Abstract: by Linda Miller and Linda Pound (Critical Issues in the Early Years series), London, Sage Publications, 2010, 177 + xiii pp., £22.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1849205788 As ‘Early Childhood Studies’ es...
TL;DR: The fourth book in the series New Childhoods as discussed by the authorsrost, London, Continuum, 2011, 122 pp., £19.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-84706-080-8
Abstract: by Nick Frost, London, Continuum, 2011, 122 pp., £19.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-84706-080-8 This is the fourth book in the series New Childhoods. It aims at a broad audience including students, pra...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore democratic values in higher education pedagogies, as related to an Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degree course in an English university, and find that although students make links between different disciplinary discourses, tutors feel that their professional identity and knowledge can be constrained by the course structure.
Abstract: This paper aims to explore democratic values in higher education pedagogies, as related to an Early Childhood Studies (ECS) degree course in an English university. It seeks to find out what constitutes a multi-disciplinary course from both student and tutor perspectives. It is contextualised by the concepts of participation embedded in the idea of multi-professional team work, in order to establish how these ideas could contribute a strong ethical focus to the concept of multidisciplinary study. The study was designed within the paradigm of participatory action research and findings suggest that, although students make links between different disciplinary discourses, tutors feel that their professional identity and knowledge can be constrained by the course structure. The paper suggests that more work needs to be done on the validation of early childhood courses to allow opportunities for multi-professional working to be modelled.
TL;DR: Baldock as mentioned in this paper discusses the issue of cultural diversity in the context of race, race, and culture. But, as he states, "Cultural diversity is a well-trodden yet notoriously enigmatic issue as notions of culture, race and race."
Abstract: by Peter Baldock London, Sage Publications, 2010, 141 pp., £19.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-84860-987-7 Cultural diversity is a well-trodden yet notoriously enigmatic issue as notions of culture, rac...
TL;DR: Tina Bruce has edited this volume with the intention of introducing educators to c... as mentioned in this paper, with the aim of introducing them to a new set of skills and techniques.edited by Tina Bruce, London, Sage Publications, 2nd ed, 2010, 440 pp., £21.99 (paperback), ISBN 978•1•84860•224•3
Abstract: edited by Tina Bruce, London, Sage Publications, 2nd ed, 2010, 440 pp., £21.99 (paperback), ISBN 978‐1‐84860‐224‐3 Tina Bruce has edited this volume with the intention of introducing educators to c...
TL;DR: The Steiner schools in the UK have been pr... by Mary Jane Drummond and Sally Jenkins, Plymouth and East Sussex, University of Plymouth and The Steiner Academy, 2009, 58 pp., £4.50, ISBN 978•1−84102•235•2
Abstract: by Mary Jane Drummond and Sally Jenkins, Plymouth and East Sussex, University of Plymouth and The Steiner Academy, 2009, 58 pp., £4.50, ISBN 978‐1‐84102‐235‐2 Steiner schools in the UK have been pr...
TL;DR: There have been a plethora of texts related to children's play published in recent years as discussed by the authors, and this reflects the state of the art in the field of playwriting and playwriting.
Abstract: by Sandra Smidt, London, Routledge, 2011, 141 pp., £19.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-0415-55882-2 There have been a plethora of texts related to children’s play published in recent years. This reflects ...
TL;DR: Van Zandvoort et al. as mentioned in this paper addressed the importance of physical activity in the prevention and reduction of childhood overweight and obesity in particular, and emphasized the need to be physically active in early childhood.
Abstract: To the Editors of Early Years: Van Zandvoort et al’s (2010) paper addresses the importance of physical activity in the prevention and reduction of childhood overweight and obesity In particular,
TL;DR: Kellett as mentioned in this paper describes the changing and adapting nature of childhood as a concept and how it is with research about, and with children's development and development in the real world.
Abstract: by Mary Kellett, London, Continuum, 2010, 161 pp., £19.99 (paperback), ISBN 978-1-84706-323-6 Childhood as a concept seems to be changing and adapting all the time; so it is with research about, wi...