Reconceptualising the First Year of Primary School: Considerations of Pedagogy and Purpose

Author(s):

Robert William PerrySusan Betty Dockett

Conference:

ECER 2008

Network:

3. Curriculum Innovation by Schools and Teachers

Format:

Paper

Session Information

03 SES 01B, Learning Spaces

Paper Session

Time:

2008-09-10

09:15-10:45

Room:

B2 232

Chair:

Mats Ekholm

Contribution

Research Aims and Purpose During 2007, the South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services commenced a three-year project aimed at changing pedagogy in the first year of school so that it better matches the characteristics and dispositions of young children and their learning as they make the transition to school from earlier prior-to-school experiences. In particular, the overall Reconceptualising Reception* program aims to: • provide models of changed pedagogy, practice and environments to provide more equitable outcomes for children living in socio-economic disadvantage, during their first year of school; • improve children’s literacy and numeracy learning and outcomes through engagement and wellbeing; and • improve the professional competence and practice of teachers working with children in the first year of school. This paper reports on a situational analysis of current understandings and issues related to pedagogy in the first year of school. This analysis was undertaken by the authors in 2007 with the assistance of educators and children from preschools and the first years of school, educational leaders in these settings and parents of the children involved. Value of Study The effectiveness of children’s transition from prior-to-school settings to the first year of school is critical for the children’s future schooling. An important component of this effectiveness is what happens in the first year of school. In particular, issues around continuity and change in pedagogies as children make the transition can influence children’s, families’ and educators' images of the children as learners within the school context. If these images are positive, the children will have a much better chance of succeeding in school and later life than if they are negative. The South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services wants to ensure that the experiences of the children in Reception are as effective as possible. Hence, determining what the literature concludes about this, along with listening to the voices of the stakeholders in the first year of school, is critical for future planning and program implementation. Theoretical Framework Worldwide focus on early childhood education has increased significantly in the past decades (Dahlberg & Moss, 2005; OECD, 2006). The social, political and economic contexts of particular countries, communities and organisations impact on the nature of early childhood education provided and the nature of experiences regarded as important for young children. Perceptions of young children also have ramifications for the nature of early childhood education. Stephen (2006) notes that “the kinds of educational experiences offered to children reflect the expectations held by society in general and practitioners and policy makers in particular about appropriate outcomes and goals” (p. 5). Contemporary perspectives of children’s learning reflect recognition that the social and cultural contexts of children, families and communities contribute significantly to children’s learning (Berk, 2001; Rogoff, 2003) and a greater appreciation of the variability of individual development and learning. There are efforts to understand early childhood settings and schools as communities of practice (Wenger, 1998) and to consider children in context, rather than as individuals existing in isolation (Rogoff, 2003). There is also recognition of the significance of children’s neurological development and awareness that the nature of early childhood environments impacts on both what is learned and how it is learned. Overall, there is awareness that approaches to learning and teaching are embedded within specific contexts. Effective pedagogy and appropriate curriculum also exist within these contexts. _______________________________________________________________ * Reception is the nomenclature used for the first year of school in South Australia.

Method

The first phase of this study was an extensive literature review of national and international literature. From this review, interview schedules were devised for use in the situational analysis phase of the study. Research sites were nominated by the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services. In each of 6 sites, the research team visited the local school and associated prior-to-school service/s. Focus group interviews were conducted in these settings with: • educators in prior-to-school settings (for example, preschools, play centres, Child Parent Centre); • teachers of the first years of school; • school principals; and • parents of children who had recently started Reception, or who were about to start Reception. As well, the research team held conversations with children who had either already started school, or who were about to start school. All interviews and conversations were, with the consent of the participants, audiorecorded and transcribed. Data analysis of the transcripts followed the principles of grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). These principles involve utilising systematic approaches to the ongoing examination of data, particularly using techniques of analytic induction and constant comparison. To achieve this, the research team immersed themselves in those data, explored many potential categorisations of meaning suggested by the data, and then revisited the processes to ensure the validity of categorisation (Hatch, 2002).

Expected Outcomes

There were four major categories of outcomes in this study: • The nature of early childhood education; • Perspectives of children as learners; • Pedagogy and curriculum in early childhood education; and • Transition to school. Perspectives on these can be drawn from data from both adults and children. In this paper, we consider only outcomes concerned with pedagogy and curriculum in early childhood education. In particular, perspectives on the following will be discussed: • definitions of effective early childhood pedagogy; • continuity of curriculum and pedagogy from prior-to-school to school; • the role of play in effective pedagogy; • family engagement; and • teacher qualities. These perspectives provide the basis for the future direction of the project, in the move towards Reconceptualising Reception.

References

Ackerman, D. J., & Barnett, W. S. (2005). Prepared for Kindergarten: What does “readiness” mean? National Institute for Early Education Research Policy Report. Available on-line: http://nieer.org/resources/policyreports/report5.pdf Arnold, C., Bartlett, K., Gowani, S., & Merali, R. (2007). Is everybody ready? Readiness, transition and continuity: Reflections and moving forward. The Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation. Berk, L. (2001). Awakening children’s minds: How parents and teachers can make a difference. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Bogard, K., & Takanishi, R. (2005). PK-3: An aligned and coordinated approach to education for children 3 to 8 years old. Social Policy Reports, 19, 3-21. British Educational Research Association Early Years Special Interest Group (BERA-SIG). (2003). Early years research: Pedagogy, curriculum and adult roles, training and professionalism. Available on-line: http://www.bera.ac.uk/publications/acreviews/php Broström, S. (2002). Communication and continuity in the transition from kindergarten to school. In H. Fabian, & A-W Dunlop (Eds.), Transition in the early years: Debating continuity and progression for young children in early education (pp. 52-63). London: Routledge Falmer. Dahlberg, G., & Moss, P. (2005). Ethics and politics in early childhood education. London: RoutledgeFalmer. Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2004). Starting school: Perspectives of Australian children, parents and educators. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 2(2), 171-189. Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2005). Children’s drawings: Experiences and expectations of school. International Journal of Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood, 3(2), 77-89. Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2006). Starting school: A handbook for educators. Sydney: Pademelon Press. Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2007). Transitions to school: Perceptions, expectations, experiences. Sydney: University of NSW Press. Fabian, H., & Dunlop, A-W. (2007). Outcomes of good practice in transition processes for children entering primary school. The Hague: Bernard van Leer Foundation. Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press. Hatch, J. A. (2002). Doing qualitative research in education settings. Albany, NY: SUNY Press. Kirk-Downey, T., & Perry. B. (2006). Making transition to school a community event: The Wollongong experience. Journal of Transitions in Childhood, 2, 40-49. Ludwig, J., & Sawhill, I., (2006). Success by ten: Intervening early, often, and effectively in the education of young children. Policy Innovation Initiative. The Brookings Institution. Available on-line: http://www.brookings.edu/views/papers/200702ludwig-sawhill.htm Moyles, J., Adams, S., & Musgrove, A. (2006). Early years practitioners’ understanding of pedagogical effectiveness: Defining and managing effective pedagogy. In R. Parker-Rees & J. Willan (Eds.), Early years education – Major themes in education, Vol 3, Policy and Practice in Early Education and Care (pp. 306-322). London: Routledge. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2006). Starting Strong II: Early childhood education and care. Available on-line: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/30/8/37519079.pdf Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sanders, D., White, G., Burge, B., Sharp, C., Eames, A., McCune, R., & Grayson, H. (2005). A study of the transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1. Sure Start. Available online: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/SSU2005FRO13.pdf Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Sylva, K. (2004). Researching pedagogy in English preschools. British Educational Research Journal, 30(5), 713-730. Siraj-Blatchford, I., Sylva, K., Muttock, S., Gilden, R., & Bell, D. (2006). Review of the literature on effective pedagogy. In R. Parker-Rees & J. Willan (Eds.), Policy and practice in early education and care (pp. 283-305). London: Routledge. Stephen, C. (2006). Early years education: Perspectives from a review of the international literature. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Education Department. Available on-line: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/02/06145130/0 Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2004). The effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE) project: Final report. London: Institute of Education. Tymms, P., Merrell, C., & Henderson, B. (2000). Baseline assessment and progress during the first three years at school. Educational Research and Evaluation, 6(2), 105-129. Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Author Information

Robert William Perry

Charles Sturt University

Murray School of Education

ALBURY

Susan Betty Dockett

Charles Sturt University, Australia

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