Session Information
14 SES 02 A, Parental Involvement in Early Years Education
Paper Session
Contribution
The first year of school in South Australia – Reception – was originally intended as a transitional year to help children, and families, make a smooth transition between the curriculum, approach and pedagogy of preschools and those of schools. Pressures associated with school curriculum and national assessment have resulted in increasingly structured early childhood environments and reduced focus on play-based pedagogies. The potential for changes such as these to impact on the educational engagement and success of diverse groups of children provided impetus to examine the nature and role of Reception.
In 2007/2008, the Department of Education and Children’s Services in South Australia implemented the Reconceptualising Reception project which aimed to:
· promote changes to pedagogy, practice and environments that provide equitable outcomes for all children, particularly those living in socio-economic disadvantage, during their first year of school; and
· improve the professional competence and practice of teachers working with children in the first year of school.
There were three linked data generation elements in this project: literature review; situational analysis; and a process of practitioner inquiry. The first two elements together provided an overview of existing practices and provided a platform for the practitioner inquiry element. This presentation will consider only the first two of these elements.
The literature review (Dockett et al., 2007) identified four key areas to be considered when reconceptualising the role and purposes of Reception:
1. Current expectations of education during the preschool and early school years include opportunities for play and exploration; preparation for later education; economic imperatives related to producing a competitive workforce; investments linked to future savings on special education and rehabilitation services; and services to facilitate parental workforce participation.
2. The wide range of different philosophies and approaches to children, childhood and learning that are reflected in the many different forms of early childhood services and programs available for children and families.
3. Effective pedagogy and curriculum in the early years including,
· high quality learning outcomes that are influenced by staff interactions with children, staff qualifications and experiences offered in the program
and
a) pedagogical approaches that:
· provide a balance of child-initiated and teacher-initiated activities;
· regard play as a potentially instructive activity;
· demonstrate a complementary focus on social and cognitive outcomes;
· require educators to have a good understanding of curriculum areas and content;
· have a strong focus on educators planning and initiating group work;
· involve educators providing feedback to learners;
· expect educators to draw on a repertoire of pedagogical practices as appropriate; and
· implement social and behaviour policies focused on conflict resolution.
(Sylva, Melhuish, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford, & Taggart, 2004).
4. Effective transition to school programs that engage children, families and communities in positive ways with schools. Starting school is an important time when children establish identities of themselves as learners within the context of school (Siraj-Blatchford & Clarke, 2000). A positive start to school is a key factor in promoting children’s positive adjustment to school (Dockett & Perry, 2007).
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Alexander, R. (Ed.) (2010). Children, their world, their education. London: Routledge. Dockett, S., & Perry, B. (2007). Transitions to school: Perceptions, expectations, experiences. Sydney: University of NSW Press. Dockett, S., Perry, B., Campbell, H., Hard, L., Kearney, E., Taffe, R., & Greenhill, J. (2007). Early years curriculum continuity for learning project: Final report. Adelaide: Department of Education and Children’s Services. Retrieved February 14, 2009 from: http://www.earlyyears.sa.edu.au/files/links/final_lit_review.pdf Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Clarke, P. (2000). Supporting identity, diversity, and language in the early years. Buckingham, UK: Open University Press. 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.
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