Exploring partnerships in early childhood teacher education through scenario-based learning

Belonging to "a family, a cultural group, a neighbourhood and a wider community" (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009, p. 7) is integral to children's early development and learning. Acknowledging families as "children's first and most influential educators" (DEEWR, 2009, p. 7), DEEWR notes that, "as children participate in everyday life, they develop interests and construct their own identities and understandings of the world" (Ibid). So, when children transition from the family context to participate in early education, establishing and maintaining partnerships with families and community members is essential to early childhood pedagogy. The Early Years Learning Framework acknowledges, "Belonging is central to being and becoming in that it shapes who children are and who they can become" (Ibid). While an important component of education, professional topics such as partnerships can be given less priority in university subjects that focus on curriculum components. To "bridge perceived gaps between subject theory and professional practice" (Errington, 2010, p. 17) professional topics can be explored through scenario-based learning. This paper presents findings about the understanding and implementation of partnerships through scenario-based learning in a third year, online early childhood education subject, "Early Childhood Education and Care 2". The research question was, "How can scenario-based learning be implemented to increase students’ understanding and practice of partnerships?

Investigating practice in responding to fear in early childhood contexts

This presentation is based on my research into children's emotions, which focused on the emotion of fear. Fear is named by nearly all theorists as a basic or innate emotion. While it motivates us to defend ourselves and avoid dangerous situations (Izard, 1977; Ledoux, 1998), it can also limit memory (Darke, 1988), perception and problem-solving abilities (Izard, 1977, 1991), impair social interactions (Dodge, 1991) and threaten the sense of self (Lazarus, 1991) Young children are expected to learn to understand and to exhibit fear and other emotions in socially appropriate ways. Forms of "emotional literacy", these skills effect success or failure in learning and in life in general (Goleman, 1995). The concept of multiple intelligences recognises interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, and early childhood guidelines include emotional and social learning, yet curricula mainly address the cognitive domain. This presentation examines teachers' understandings of young children's fears and their practices that facilitate understanding and expression of this and other emotions. It challenges practitioners to reflect upon their own awareness and responses to affective situations and to determine how they can best implement an affective curriculum

Exposed

Stranger to the Tropics: I was not born here - I am a stranger to these tropical colours, both above ground and in the depths of the Great Barrier Reef. The cold, crisp whites of prairie winters are unseen here. Instead, exotic blooms thrive, then wither and compost into t he rainforest floor. Torn leaves, misshapen branches and pods carrying the seeds of new life appear and disappear into this murky carpet as nature recycles itself, between the wet and dry of tropical seasons. I find beauty in this imperfection, but remain a stranger, looking for home. Exposed: With every piece of work, with every footprint in the sand or snow, a little more of us is exposed - to others and ultimately to ourselves

Reconceptualising fear in young children

This paper is based on research with preschool-aged children, their parents and their caregivers about the fears they experience and how these fears are addressed, both in the home and in the preschool. Participants were asked to identify the fears experienced by the children in the study, based on Ollendick's Fear Survey Schedule for Children and Spence's Measure of Anxiety Symptoms in Preschoolers. From their responses and the researcher's observations, current fear categories are challenged. Early childhood fear has been reconceptualised into the following categories: Fear of Separation from the Attachment Figure; Fear of the Unknown; Fear of Being Harmed; Fear of Failure; Criticism and Embarrassment; Fear of Insects or Animals; and Fear of the Intangible

Home and beyond, but inside not outside: Australian and Singaporean children's depictions of their environment

With a growing disconnect between children and nature, researchers and educators are looking for ways to (re)establish bonds with the environment, and through those bonds to help children to learn about and act sustainably. This article discusses findings of a postcards project between children in Australia and Singapore, where children created drawings and stories of their environments to share with their peers overseas. Through this largely arts-based, multimedia approach, children's understanding of "environment" increased and their depictions moved beyond their homes to locations further afield. However, for one group, the preference for the indoor environment increased, indicating, as Louv suggests, the need for children to reconnect with nature

Showing what we can do: assessment of primary school dance

In Australia, dance is one subject in the National Arts Curriculum for early childhood and primary education. In many schools, dance is taught for the minimum time necessary to satisfy the system requirements of a summative grade that can be included in mid-year or yearly reports. A qualitative study of the nature of dance education in two primary schools; collected data from video, observation, and interviews with teachers; and focus group discussions with children showed evidence of holistic learning achieved through dance. In this article, data were researched to look for evidence of the meanings that teachers and children attach to assessment in the context of dance education. Following an examination of various definitions of assessment, this article examines the relationship between pedagogy and assessment in general and in relation to dance education. Pedagogy and assessment in dance education will be unpacked using a socio-kinaesthetic perspective and, drawing on literature and findings from this qualitative study, "re-packaged" to present an approach to assessing dance intended to be useful to generalist classroom teachers

Building a solid foundation for school: a communities approach

There is more to a successful start to school than the characteristics of an individual child, according to this paper. Readiness for learning and development in the school years depends on a partnership comprising the child, their family, the school, the community and the services provided by and in the community forming a solid foundation. To build a solid foundation ongoing, integrated programs from a variety of providers that address cognitive, physical, social, emotional and behavioural issues need to be accessible to young children, their families, schools and communities. The Communities for Children Initiative (CfC) is one such program. The CfC Initiative is one of four strands in the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2004–2009 that came about as a result of Australia’s National Agenda for Early Childhood. Forty-five communities have been targeted by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, to achieve better outcomes for children from birth to five years and their families. Targets include better school readiness, through a collaborative approach to early child and maternal health; early learning and care; child-friendly communities; supporting families and parents; and working together in partnerships

Not just playing with clay: symbol mastery for spelling and word comprehension

A number of students experience difficulty with the retention and recognition of basic spelling words. These students, who are often dyslexic and/or three-dimensional visual thinkers (3DVT), are usually taught spelling through mainstream pedagogical practices, such as phonics and rote learning—practices that are generally unsuccessful with this group. Symbol mastery is a process where students work with clay to create a visual interpretation of a word's meaning and then connect it to the word’s spelling and pronunciation. Davis proposed that the process of discovering what a word means and creating an image of the word three-dimensionally, would not only give ownership of the process to students, but would also be a vehicle through which they could master spelling words. This article is based on a small qualitative case study research project where the symbol mastery program was trialed with four dyslexic students in one-to-one tutorial sessions after completing a specialized program. Data were gathered through pre- and post-program interviews with students and parents, researcher observations, artifact collection, as well as pre- and post-tutoring spelling tests. The results showed that the program helped with improving spelling scores and increased confidence and willingness to attempt to spell words

Showing what we can do: assessment of primary school dance

In Australia, dance is one subject in the National Arts Curriculum for early childhood and primary education. In many schools, dance is taught for the minimum time necessary to satisfy the system requirements of a summative grade that can be included in mid-year or yearly reports. A qualitative study of the nature of dance education in two primary schools; collected data from video, observation, and interviews with teachers; and focus group discussions with children showed evidence of holistic learning achieved through dance. In this article, data were researched to look for evidence of the meanings that teachers and children attach to assessment in the context of dance education. Following an examination of various definitions of assessment, this article examines the relationship between pedagogy and assessment in general and in relation to dance education. Pedagogy and assessment in dance education will be unpacked using a socio-kinaesthetic perspective and, drawing on literature and findings from this qualitative study, "re-packaged" to present an approach to assessing dance intended to be useful to generalist classroom teachers

A pilot study evaluation of the Delta Classroom Canines program's impact on reading and social/emotional skills of selected primary school students at Woree State School, July 2013 to November 2013

The Delta Society Australia Ltd. (Delta) Classroom CaninesTM program provides assistance to children who have difficulty with reading and writing, through a Delta dog and handler working with children (students) in a classroom setting. This research investigated the impact of the Classroom CaninesTM program on the reading and social/emotional skills of selected students at Woree State School, Cairns, from July 2013 to November 2013. It utilised both quantitative and qualitative data, including reading scores, attendance records, classroom observations, artefacts (work samples), interviews with teachers and students, and researcher journals