Extending the classroom walls: using academic blogging as an intervention strategy to improve critical literacy skills with elementary students

‘Academic blogging’ is a way of extending the primary classroom walls and enhancing learning through collaborative reflective responses to open-ended questions from prescribed text. Students learn from each other, develop critical literacy skills, voice their opinions and ask questions through blogging. This pedagogical approach broaches the areas of social media etiquette, cognitive dissonance, Information Communication Technologies, collaborative learning and utilises virtual conversations to deepen student's understanding of text. Through the methodology of Action Research with the spiral steps of; Plan, Act, Observe and Reflect an intervention strategy is devised to improve the critical literacy skills of Year 5 students in the comprehension skills of metacognition and reflection. A strategy was devised that involved the creation of a class blogosphere to share reflective insights on a class novel. While the children's results were positive using this intervention strategy the teacher's own learning as an educator and researcher is evident through this action research project.     

Researchers and teachers learning together and from each other using video‐based multimodal analysis

This paper discusses a year‐long technology integration project during which teachers and researchers joined forces to explore children's collaborative activities through the use of touch screens. In the research project discussed in this paper, 16 touch screens were integrated into teaching and learning activities in two separate classrooms; the learning and collaborative processes were captured by using a video, collecting over 150 hours of footage. By using digital research technologies and a longitudinal design, the authors of the research project studied how teachers and children gradually integrated touch screens into their teaching and learning. This paper examines the methodological usefulness of video‐based multimodal analysis. Through reflection on the research project, we discuss how, by using video‐based multimodal analysis, researchers and teachers can study children's touch‐screen supported collaboration and how researchers and teachers can learn together.     

Autonomy,beliefs and the learning of elementary mathematics teachers

Seven elementary teachers participated in a project designed to help them learn to teach mathematics according to reform recommendations. Teachers were provided opportunities to learn through both private reflection and public inquiry about their teaching and children's learning. The teachers’ instruction, reflection, and beliefs were studied. All of the teachers adopted some reform-based procedures including having children report problem-solving strategies. However, only three of them developed more complex practice in which children were involved in inquiry into one another's strategies. The groups had different beliefs about the autonomy of children to construct mathematics and their own autonomy to make instructional decisions.     

Play and Literacy: A Collaborative Action Research Project in Preschool

The article describes a collaborative action research in a preschool in Reykjavik. The participants were two preschool teachers who collaborated with researchers at the University of Iceland. The project was set up as a professional development course for the teachers. Emphasis was placed on continuity in children's education, integration of play and learning, and the connection between play and emerging literacy. Data were gathered using video recordings, photos, interviews, observations, notes from meetings, documents, and diaries. The findings indicate that participation in this action research empowered the preschool teachers and influenced their practices and ideas. They became more aware of the value of play in children's learning. They did not, however, change their former practices in which they worked on literacy during specific, well-defined periods: their beliefs and practices in this regard seemed to be constrained by traditions in which play and learning are separate entities.     

Methodological considerations in child-centered research about social difference and children experiencing difficulties at school

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ethical and methodological significance for children and university researchers to participate together in data collection and research interpretation. We examine this process in the context of a three-year study with the aim of understanding how children become identified as having difficulties in a diverse, semi-urban minority French-speaking Catholic elementary school in Ontario (Canada). First, we review the literature on child informed consent. Then, we describe the setting and the process of how children in this study became informed participants. We describe how the children became active in exercising their discretionary consent to be observed during the data collection process, then how they progressively became engaged in observing their social context in terms of their own sense-making of the research project. We discuss how the children gave a new direction to the original project proposed by the university research team investigating on identification and special needs children. Lastly, we revisit the ways in which we addressed the various subject positions that became possible for us and for the children as co-researchers within the social relations of the classroom-based research team in a French minority language school. It became apparent throughout the research that informing consent was more than an act on the part of researchers to explain and thus establish a research framework in which collecting data from children would take place. Rather, we found that our research with children involved children's active participation as co-researchers informing the project from its design to its data analysis.     

5×5×5 = Creativity in the Early Years

5×5×5 ? Creativity in the Early Years has involved five early years' settings, five artists and five cultural centres working in partnership to support young children (3–6 years) in their exploration, communication and expression of creative ideas. This year‐long research project has been inspired by the approach to education and the creative arts in early years' settings in Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy. The three aims have been evaluated; they were: to demonstrate ways in which creativity and innovation can be fostered in and with young children; to influence early years' educational practice by establishing creativity as an essential foundation of early learning; and to share findings as widely as possible, creating a legacy for the future. This article examines the collaborative processes between artists, educators and cultural centres as they worked with young children using a creative and reflective cycle. The underpinning principles and the role of professional development have been essential to the success of the project. Findings show that careful observations and documentation of children's words will provide insight into their ideas and understandings. As adults it is our role to facilitate and support children's depth of learning. By respecting children and taking time to make observations and connections with the children's thinking, we can refine our own efforts in supporting their learning more effectively.     

Playful reflection: an investigation into the kindergarten project ‘Play in physiotherapy with children’

This article investigates adult learning in an action research (AR) project called ‘Play in physiotherapy with children’, conducted in Tromsoe Municipality, Norway, in 2010–2011. The project's objective was to explore how a play-based intervention approach would affect professional collaboration and child development. It was designed as a small-scale project, organized around two children with motor delay and their professional teams of teachers, physiotherapists and special pedagogue in two different kindergartens. It was situated in the kindergartens, and lasted for 16 weeks. The professional participants were invited into a process of action–reflection cycles as co-researchers. Video was a core tool in the design. Treatment sessions with the children were filmed during the action phases, and were the focus of attention in the reflection meetings. The two professional teams evaluated the video-reflection meetings as crucial to their learning and change. The focus in the article is on the learning in the reflection meetings during the AR process. We discuss two aspects of the space of reflection that was created during the project. First, we look into the role of video in reflection, and discuss how this can be understood with the help of concepts from Bourdieu's ‘theory of practice’. Second, we reflect on the role of play and playfulness in reflection and change among grown-ups. To do this, we use perspectives from phenomenological theory on play and playfulness from Buytendijk and Gadamer. We conclude that the use of video-reflection is a potent tool in AR processes. Concepts from Bourdieu's ‘theory of practice’ illuminate why, and also contribute to the understanding of the experienced change. Further, we argue that theory on play can help AR practitioners to understand the mechanisms of engagement and involvement that are crucial in AR processes.     

The transfer of reflective engagement from social work education into the workplace: a study of the value of scaffolded reflection

The focal concern of this article is the investigation of the transfer and sustainability of the reflective process into the work environment. Specifically, the identification of the variables which support or challenge practitioners to continue the ongoing process of reflection in practice contexts is addressed. The article describes a study carried out over a seven-year period with students/graduates from a master's in social work (MSW) professional qualification programme in Ireland. The research involved gathering data on participants’ experiences of reflective teaching and learning while on the course and in the initial years of their work as practitioners. In the early phases of the data collection, participants referred to developing epistemological awareness through the reflective process while on the course. This was in the context of a scaffold for reflection through journal writing and mentored portfolio inquiry. The outcomes of the study offer considerable insight into the challenges and value of developing a reflective teaching and learning environment in professional education. In particular, the work highlights how it impacts positively on professional practice.     

Children as citizens: literacies for social participation

The last decade has seen, in the policy arena, a broad global push for children to be treated as active participants in society rather than as the passive recipients of adult decisions and interventions. The topic of literacy learning and teaching has, however, been absent from much of the policy and literature on children's social participation. This paper is an exploratory foray into possible connections between literacy and citizenship from the perspective of young children and those responsible for their education. Drawing from both sociocultural and semiotic perspectives on literacy, this analysis crosses between institutional texts, ethnographic accounts and children's own representations of their places in the world. A hierarchical model of literacy development, which emphasises the teaching of basic decoding skills in the early years, is associated with a view of young children as future citizens rather than as active social participants. Recognising children's agency, and supporting their meaningful participation, requires literacies of social participation.     

Working collaboratively with teachers to promote effective learning

The work of educational psychologists (EPs) is often focused on those children identified as having special educational needs. This focus may restrict opportunities for EPs to become involved in the wider application of psychology within education. This article explores ways in which EPs can make an effective contribution to the enhancement of learning opportunities for all children by working collaboratively with teachers. As a group of EPs working in the same local education authority (LEA), we undertook a small‐scale action research project with teachers in order to explore ways to promote children's thinking and learning skills. The study involved us working with Year 5 class teachers in three mainstream primary schools over a six‐week period, with the aim of developing materials which helped pupils develop an awareness of their own learning techniques (metacognition) and a positive and confident approach to learning (self‐efficacy). Some of the benefits of and barriers to joint research are considered, as well as implications for future collaborative work between teachers and EPs.     

The Nottingham Apprenticeship Model: Schools in partnership with artists and creative practitioners

This article documents the collaborative research and development of an apprenticeship model of learning for the arts. It focuses on teachers working in partnership with artists and other creative practitioners. The model is rooted in theories of social learning and cognitive apprenticeship. It was developed and tested through collaborative research, some of it action research. The aim was to explore and test the model for appropriateness and for its impact on the learning of all participants (children, teachers, creative practitioners). The model was found to be useful as a guide to the organisation of children's learning in the arts. Moreover, using the model had a positive effect on the inclusion of children on the margins into wider school learning. The model was also useful in facilitating the professional development of the adults concerned: teachers, artists and others.     

Conceptualization of readiness and the content of early learning standards: The intersection of policy and research?

A content analysis of 46 early learning standards documents developed by state-level organizations and available for review in January 2005 was conducted to determine the specific areas of development addressed within the standards documents. The authors contend that this type of analysis is important because early learning standards that define expectations for children's learning and development prior to kindergarten entry are, in essence, a reflection of how states are conceptualizing children's readiness for school. Results suggest that early learning standards have emphasized the language and cognitive domains, and that specific areas within domains of learning and development, such as physical fitness, relationships and reading comprehension have been addressed relatively less often. Standards developed under the leadership of the state departments of education emphasized social–emotional and approaches toward learning domains less than standards developed under the leadership of other agencies. The authors suggest that the content of the early learning standards reflects a number of different factors, such as the views of persons involved in developing the standards, and in some cases may not be consistent with the research literature on children's early learning and development. Implications for the standards development process and for future research are discussed.     

Comparative research on young children's perceptions of play—an approach to observing the effects of kindergarten educational reform

Kindergarten children's perception of play is a reflection of their life and experiences, which can be used as an index of the quality of pre‐school provision and the influence of kindergarten education reform that began in the 1980s in mainland China. Therefore, based on this hypothesis, the current authors argue that to examine young children's perceptions of play is to examine the experiences of their life in kindergarten and, indirectly, the effects of kindergarten education reform. Using photo classification and on‐site interviews, the current research explored 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children's perceptions of play. This article reports on research comparable to previous research which aimed to examine the effect of the 15‐year kindergarten education reform. One of the principles which the reform advocated was that kindergartens and early years practitioners should respect young children's rights to play, emphasizing and providing play over group lessons as the basic activity in kindergarten settings. Similar to the results of previous research, the current research showed that group lessons remained the main reference used by young children to judge the nature and meaning of activities in kindergartens. However, the activity in the interest corners/areas, which has been a main method of organizing children's activities in kindergartens advocated by the top‐down approach to kindergarten educational reform since 1989, was found to be a new criterion in young children's judgements. The current research revealed that kindergarten education reform had achieved some positive effects as expected.     

Making Meaningful: Intention in Children's Art Making

Children's art work has often been the subject of study by researchers seeking to gain insight into the role of art making in children's learning and development. However, rarely are children's own explanations of their art making used to inform these studies. Children's perceptions of their own art making are important for research and practice in art education, because their artistic experiences and motivations determine how they will engage in and respond to art making activities. This study used ethnographic methods to learn about the art making that took place over the course of one year in an elementary school art room, and to gain insight into the students' experiences and perceptions of art‐making activity. Data were analysed using a socio‐cultural framework. By asking children why they made art and exploring children's own explanations of their art making, this study reveals some of the important intentions that children bring to their artistic activity, and some of the ways that children make meaning through art making.     

School,Home and Community: an examination of their impact on children's resource‐based learning

Abstract

The Centre for Information and Research at the University of Central England in Birmingham is carrying out research investigating the relationship between different learning cultures and resource‐based learning in children. The research examines the ways in which children's access to learning resources and support in using them affects their learning. The aim is to produce recommendations for local agencies on how they can work together more effectively to create better learning opportunities for children across a community. The article outlines the aims and methodology of the research and identifies the factors said to affect learning, based on a review of existing literature. This research is timely as there is a national government focus on lifelong learning and widening participation; the focus has been mainly on adult education and there is a need for an examination of the ways in which children are equipped with the skills to become lifelong learners. It takes place in a context in which learning in schools has moved towards project work, requiring children to find their own information through using research and information searching skills. The research also reflects current government concerns about narrowing the existing gap between families and individuals who have access to a broad range of learning support tools and those without this support. The article highlights the value of an interagency approach to identify gaps and to ensure community‐wide support for children's learning within specific localities.     

How African American Parents Understand Their and Teachers' Roles in Children's Schooling and What this Means for Preparing Preservice Teachers

Preservice teachers are socialized by their own raced, classed, and gendered experiences to expect “caring parents” to behave and contribute in certain ways to their children's schooling. Preservice teachers who come from widely divergent backgrounds from the communities in which they serve can sometimes be skeptical of parents who are not involved in children's schooling in ways that are familiar from their own upbringing. Moreover, much of the existing scholarship on parent involvement and the transition to school takes a top-down approach that discounts the important knowledge parents bring to the table. This is a study of African American parents of young children who were preparing to transition to kindergarten or first grade that proposes an alternate conversation about what we can learn from parents when we examine their ways of framing and enacting “involvement” in their children's school lives. African American parents and caregivers (N?=?25) participated in qualitative interviews. Thematic analyses of the interviews revealed that participants constructed preparation for the transition to school broadly, as preparation for the “real world.” I will discuss the implications of the study for teaching, teacher education, and future research, so that preservice teachers and teacher educators can begin to build a greater imagination for parent involvement.     

Kids’ Time: childhood,television and the regulation of time

This article is concerned with the relationships between children's understanding of the organisation of television time and their sense of what it means to be a child. It is based on qualitative data gathered in one inner city primary school, as part of a broader research project investigating the changing nature of children's media cultures. The article suggests that the notion of time is a crucial aspect of the ways in which children define their relationship with television. It analyses three related aspects of this phenomenon: firstly, children's perceptions of the institutional definitions embodied in the practice of television scheduling; secondly, their notions of psychological development, based partly on the structure of the schedule and partly on their own ‘reading histories'; and thirdly, the place of their television viewing in the scheduling and organisation of family life.     

Exploring the role of father development workers in supporting early years learning

This qualitative study presents findings from initial exploratory work that examined how father development workers (FDWs) supported fathers to become involved in their children's learning, within the context of father groups. The study found that there were two main purposes behind the father groups and the subsequent role of FDWs in supporting father involvement. First, its purpose was to raise confidence and responsibility amongst fathers; and second, it was to improve and influence children's learning. As part of raising confidence and responsibility, FDWs supported fathers to ‘be themselves’, to interact with the group, to develop a father–child relationship and to make decisions. FDWs used both indirect and direct learning approaches with fathers in order to improve and influence children's learning. The study calls for further research into the area of father groups and supporting father involvement in children's learning, as this is an important area that is currently under‐researched in the UK.     

‘It's just more in the real world really': how can a local project support early years practitioners from different settings in working and learning together?

This article describes how early years practitioners working in different settings, with different experiences and qualifications, can work and learn together. It is a small-scale case study of an eight-month project, with a grass-roots approach, involving early years settings within the reach area of an inner-London Children's Centre. The data collected are primarily from interviews, questionnaires and meeting minutes and the methods aim to replicate the democratic ethos of the project. The findings show that participants found this way of working empowering, drawing on their own and each other's knowledge and developing links for ongoing collaboration. However, the practical issues of staffing, costs and the structures of different types of settings remained significant barriers throughout the project. Further, the range of roles held by the participants, including the participant researcher, allowed power imbalances to operate. The study highlights the issues and opportunities that more local, ongoing forms of professional learning present.     

Parents' representations of their children's mathematics learning in multiethnic primary schools

There is a growing concern that governmental calls for parental involvement in children's school mathematics learning have not been underpinned by research. In this article the authors aim to offer a contribution to this debate. Links between children's home and school mathematical practices have been researched in sociocultural studies, but the origins of differences within the same cultural group are not well understood. The authors have explored the notion that parents' representations of school mathematics and associated practices at home may play a part in the development of these differences. This article reports an analysis of interviews with parents of 24 children of Pakistani and White origin enrolled in primary schools in England, including high and low achievers in school mathematics. The extent to which the parents represented their own school mathematics and their child's school mathematics as the ‘same’ or ‘different’ are examined. In addition, ways in which these representations influenced how they tried to support their children's learning of school mathematics are examined. The article concludes with reflections on the implications of the study for education policy.