Live arts/arts alive : starcatchers research report 2011

Starcatchers is an innovative project which works in partnership with artists, arts venues child-care settings and families to experiment artistically with audiences of very young children, to encourage their participation and to develop exciting, inspiring performing arts experiences for children aged 0-4. Four artists in residence have worked for a year in a theatre venue in Scotland to engage children and families in a range of arts related performance experiences. Four accompanying researchers were each attached to one venue and have collaborated with the artists to observe children’s engagement, provide feedback, discuss ongoing work, and record the processes of project development. This report presents the findings from the analysis of the wide range of data collected and it suggests a number of conclusions and recommendations about developing the arts with very young children

Changing pedagogy in Scottish primary schools:Insights from the exploring pedagogy in Primary 1 (EPP1) project

This paper reports on the Exploring Pedagogy in Primary 1 (EPP1) project conducted by the School of Education, University of Strathclyde (2017-2018). EPP1 was commissioned by Renfrewshire Council as part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge to support the improvement of children’s educational outcomes through a targeted professional development programme exploring pedagogy and theory to inform practice in primary one. 90 teachers from 30 primary schools in Renfrewshire participated in the 8-week programme and evaluation activities. The evaluation research strand aimed to assess the programme’s impact on teachers, schools and children’s learning experiences. Data was collected using interviews, semi-structured classroom observations and questionnaires. Research findings showed improvements in teachers’ reflexive practice, confidence and knowledge and understanding of young children’s learning. The training led to teachers designing more enabling environments with a wide range of play-based learning opportunities resulting in an increase in independent and child-led learning

A Bronze Age hilltop cemetery complex: Ballon Hill, Co. Carlow

Situated towards the middle of the relatively flat expanse between the Blackstairs and Wicklow mountains to the east and the Castlecomer plateau to the west, Ballon Hill is a conical-shaped hill aligned northwest-southeast in otherwise unremarkable topography. Rising to only 130m above sea-level, the surrounding countryside elevates the hill into a topographical focal point. This low yet prominent hill appears to have attracted considerable attention in the Early Bronze Age from possibly as early as 2200 BC when it was chosen as a burial place. In the 1850s and 1860s, ' diggings 'were carried out on the hill by the then landowners to try to recover so-called ' pans ' or ' crocks ' that were reportedly being found following tree-planting and quarrying works. Three publications on these ' diggings 'appeared in the 1850s and 1860s describing the uncovering of numerous artefacts. The Ballon Hill Archaeology Project was established to bring together all this disparate information and to try to understand the place of Ballon Hill in the burial record of the Irish Bronze Age. It appears at least three burial monuments, including a burial mound and two barrow monuments, were constructed during the Early Bronze Age with numerous other burials placed over much of the hill. There is an absolute minimum of 23 pottery vessels and arguably a minimum of 38 vessels from Ballon Hill with all extant vessels dating to the Early Bronze Age

Pushing play in primary : findings from three case study classes

This paper explores the practicalities of implementing play-based pedagogy in early primary. Using a practitioner enquiry paradigm, data were collected during M.Ed research projects in three primary schools and presented via case study methodology. A multi-method approach was adopted, including interviews with practitioners, observations and pedagogically-designed consultation with children. The paper presents four findings: 1 Play in primary was heterogenous and context specific; 2.Teachers had considerable sway over the place of play in the classroom; 3. Children appeared engaged when they were leading their learning and playing, making the need for more play-based opportunities fundamental. 4. Lack of confidence, training, resourcing and the need to 'cover' the curriculum were apparent barriers to play pedagogy in Primary

Realising the Ambition - Being Me : National Practice Guidance for Early Years in Scotland

Since 2013 there has been a determined focus by the Scottish Government to work towards realising the ambition for Scotland to be the best place for children to grow up in and learn. Changes to the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, have resulted in our youngest children, particularly those from birth to starting school, being at the heart of significant new developments. In 2014 Scottish Government started to increase the number of hours of funded provision to 600 hours for 3 and 4 year olds and some two year olds. The national practice guidance, “Building the Ambition” was commissioned at this time to complement the new policy developments and to support practitioners. The further expansion of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) to 1140 hours per year for all 3 and 4 year olds, and for around a quarter of 2 year olds will be available from August 2020. This expansion to 1140 hours seeks not only to extend funded places, but to also improve the quality of our ELC provision across Scotland. We know that the earliest years of life are crucial for every child. Evidence tells us that, if our early learning and childcare offer is to help children fulfil their potential and contribute to closing the poverty related gap in children’s outcomes, it has to be high quality. To support the expansion it was decided to refresh the original Building the Ambition, incorporating and updating relevant aspects of the Pre-Birth to Three guidance and extending across the child’s learning journey into the early years of primary school. This new guidance, Realising the Ambition: Being Me, reflects the original principles and philosophy of Building the Ambition and complements the current policy direction of ELC and early primary education. It aspires to support practitioners in delivering what babies and young children need most and how we can most effectively deliver this in Scotland to give children the best start in life. The practice guidance aims to support anyone who works with and for babies and young children across all areas of Scotland. It has been designed to: build confidence and capability of those who work with children and families from pre-birth to starting school and beyond; make links between practice, theory and policy guidance to reinforce aspects of high quality provision and the critical role practitioners play; clarify some aspects of current practice and provide a reference which practitioners can easily use; support improvement and quality by encouraging discussion, self reflection and questioning about relevant practice in each setting, and; provide advice on achieving the highest quality of ELC and early primary provision that will enable young children to experience and to play their own part in Scotland being the best place in the world to grow up

Mycorrhizas and biomass crops: opportunities for future sustainable development

Central to soil health and plant productivity in natural ecosystems are in situ soil microbial communities, of which mycorrhizal fungi are an integral component, regulating nutrient transfer between plants and the surrounding soil via extensive mycelial networks. Such networks are supported by plant-derived carbon and are likely to be enhanced under coppiced biomass plantations, a forestry practice that has been highlighted recently as a viable means of providing an alternative source of energy to fossil fuels, with potentially favourable consequences for carbon mitigation. Here, we explore ways in which biomass forestry, in conjunction with mycorrhizal fungi, can offer a more holistic approach to addressing several topical environmental issues, including ‘carbon-neutral’ energy, ecologically sustainable land management and CO2 sequestration

Lessons from using iPads to understand young children's creativity

This paper explores how iPads can be used as part of a child-centred data collection approach to understanding young children’s creativity. Evidence is presented from a pilot study about 3- to 5-year-old children’s creative play. Researchers’ reflective accounts of children’s engagement with iPad video diaries and free to use apps were logged across two early educational settings over a three-month period. Findings suggest that iPads offer a mechanism to allow children to express their creative play and to encourage involvement in the research process. However, bespoke research software to use with early years children is required to improve this process

Exploring creative environments through the child's lens

There is strong governmental support within the UK to develop creativity and emphasise the importance of its role in learning and teaching, Sharp (2003) identified issues, gaps and priorities for further research that looked at the impact on children of working with professional artists in terms of their creativity. This paper explores the initial findings of an evaluation report conducted by a university research team, exploring the creative performances designed by Starcatchers, an organisation developing performing arts experiences for children aged birth to 4 years. The research team consisted of four action researchers who were each attached to an artist in residence working in four theatre venues across Scotland. The artists involved represented four different art domains: puppetry, visual arts, artistic experiences informed by play therapy and installation work. The researchers collaborated with the artists to observe children’s engagement, provide feedback, discuss projects, and record the processes of project development. This paper seeks to explore the artists' experience of designing and implementing participative performance events and the nature and processes of working with young children in performing arts. It focuses on an exploration of the creative learning processes which were developed by the artists in residence to promote children's creativity and involvement in the visual arts. The role of the artist is examined and key aspects are suggested with a view to enhancing the creative learning experiences provided for children within educational contexts, indicating points for consideration by adults charged with the responsibility of planning and developing environments which support young children's creativity

Early schooling

This chapter looks at early schoolin