Early childhood education in India: History,trends, issues,and achievements

The changes in the social and economic structure of India have intensified the need for universal early childhood education. The formidable challenges before the Indian Government are: to provide high quality early childhood education programs; to preserve indigenous practices such as multilinguality, family/community involvement, participation of older children as caretakers of their younger siblings; and to provide early childhood education to all children despite serious financial constraints. This article presents a brief overview of the traditional childrearing practices in India, chronicles government initiatives in early childhood education, describes the range of programs available in India, and identifies goals that will shape the future of early childhood programs in India. Portions of this article will appear in Isenberg, J.P., & Jalongo, M.R. (Eds.). (1997, in press).Trends and issues in early childhood: Challenges, controversies, and insights. New York: Teachers College Press.     

美国幼儿教师教育标准及启示

制定幼儿教师教育标准是幼儿教师教育的基础性工作。美国全国幼儿教育协会制定了幼儿职业准备标准,提出了“促进幼儿发展与学习”、“构建同家庭、社区的关系”、“对支持幼儿及其家庭的措施进行观察、建立档案、开展评估”、“开展教与学的活动的知识和能力”、“成为一名专业人士”等五项幼儿教师教育的核心标准,还提出了范围广泛的普通知识教育标准。为了适应我国幼儿教育发展的需要,我国应尽快制定专门的幼儿教师教育标准,美国幼儿教师教育标准为我们提供了镜鉴。     

晚清幼儿师资培育及其职业化历程

晚清幼儿师资职业化经历了立足于本土、不断积累、逐步获得突破的演进历程。本文梳理了晚清幼儿师资的来源,整理了清政府主动采取本土改造、＂引进来、走出去＂等措施培养幼儿师资的政策,描述了晚清有识之士从＂女子无才便是德＂到＂兴女学＂培育幼儿师资的立场转变,并介绍了晚清幼儿师资职业化发展的历程。     

Impacts of Pre-Service Training and Coaching on Kindergarten Quality and Student Learning Outcomes in Ghana

Using a randomized-control trial, this study evaluates a program designed to support Ghanaian kindergarten student-teachers during pre-service training through mentorship and in-classroom training. Several potential barriers to improved teaching quality and learning outcomes are examined. Findings show that the program improved knowledge and implementation of the national curriculum for individuals both when they were student-teachers and, the following year, when they became newly qualified teachers (NQTs). There were mixed impacts on professional well-being, increasing personal accomplishment and motivation but decreasing job satisfaction for NQTs. There were mixed impacts on teaching quality, with increases in child-led learning but decreases in some other aspects of quality. There were no impacts on NQTs’ student learning outcomes. The findings highlight system level challenges with both the posting of NQTs and the absence of support in their first teaching year. Implications for global early childhood education policy and teacher education are discussed.     

Profile and status of untrained teachers: experiences in basic schools in rural Ghana

Untrained teachers are deployed in basic schools in many developing countries as a measure to address enrolment escalation; minimising the financial burden on the government, much of whose education budget is already a recurrent cost. However, there has been little research into untrained teachers. Employing a mixed-methods approach, this article suggests that in Ghana untrained teachers – who form the majority at basic (primary and junior secondary) school level, especially in rural areas – are themselves heterogeneous, with differing qualifications and affiliations. Moreover, they appear to be unrecognised and unvalued by the authorities. On the other hand, trained head teachers in particular tend to experience powerlessness in the management of their untrained staff. This article therefore examines the complex environment in which teachers work and the important role of the authorities in influencing their working conditions.     

‘Baby teachers’: how pre‐service early childhood students transform their conceptions of teaching and learning through an infant practicum

This qualitative study explores how working with infants changed pre‐service early childhood students’ thinking about important aspects of early childhood education. Through a qualitative analysis of four pre‐service early childhood students’ weekly dialogue journals during a required, one‐semester infant practicum, the authors discovered how the course provided a context for challenging students’ previously held notions about early childhood teaching and learning. Their findings showed that infants’ ways of being were a powerful influence on pre‐service early childhood students’ sense of themselves as teachers and emphasized the value of hands‐on experiences with infants as an important component of early childhood professional preparation.     

中国教师教育的发展走向

教师教育的改革与发展是当今世界各国教育面临的重要课题。本围绕着教师教育理念、模式、目标、结构、课程、评价、资格以及投资等关涉中国教师教育发展走向的八个主要问题进行探索,以期为当前中国教师教育的改革与发展提供参考。     

全美幼教协会“幼儿教育从业者系统行动计划”及其启示

全美幼教协会（NAEYC）是美国影响力最大的民间幼儿教育组织,其在制定幼儿教育从业者专业标准、保证美国幼儿师资水平方面发挥着重要作用。NAEYC发起的＂幼儿教育从业者系统行动计划＂（ECWSI）明确提出了美国幼儿教育从业者专业发展系统的政策领域、基本原则及一系列支撑措施,为帮助各州建立专业、稳定、高效的幼儿教育师资队伍,保证幼儿教育质量做出了积极贡献,对我国加强幼儿教师队伍建设具有重要启示。     

What does it take to be a “successful teacher”? Universities’ role in preparing the future early-years workforce

Within the knowledge era, Early Childhood Education has been attracting continued interest from scholars globally. In this regard, several studies have been conducted, with results identifying the multifarious attributes which members of the early years workforce should possess. But what does this imply for Early Childhood Teacher Education Departments? An exploratory quantitative study was conducted with a random sample of first-year and graduate students of the Department of Early Childhood Education of the Democritus University of Thrace, Greece, with the aim of recording students’ perceived views on the skills, knowledge and attitudes required for working in early years and their expectations of their studies. Results have identified some divergence between freshmen’s and graduates’ perceptions on required attributes, as well as on the role of their studies in preparing them to enter the early childhood teacher profession, with significant implications for improving university curricula, as well as for undertaking further research in the field.     

Preschool/Kindergarten teachers’ conceptions of standardised testing

ABSTRACT

Standardised tests play an important role in early childhood (EC) education in many countries. Although teachers’ conceptions largely determine whether and how these instruments are used, research on this topic is scarce. As a result, factors that influence conceptions of standardised testing have remained largely unexplored. To examine teachers’ conceptions of standardised testing and aspects that may influence these conceptions, Brown’s CoA-III-A questionnaire was distributed to 97 EC educators. Based on their responses, a selection of six preschool/kindergarten teachers participated in a series of semi-structured interviews. Analyses of the questionnaire and the interviews indicated that the teachers did not see these tests solely as instruments for accountability or improvement. While some perceived the test as pleasant confirmation, others perceived the results as negative opposition to their own observations. The teachers’ conceptions were influenced by classroom population, management team, and the ascribed purpose of the test.     

论青年教师的培养及发展策略

青年教师的发展要经过四个阶段:适应阶段、定型阶段、突破阶段、成熟阶段.而对青年教师的培养,则需组织培养和自我发展相结合.     

Problematic placement: pathways pre-service teachers’ perspectives on their infant/toddler placement

The inclusion of an infant/toddler placement in a ‘pathways’ early childhood teaching degree, where students already have qualifications and experience in working with young children, can be problematic. This pilot study investigated student teachers’ views on their infant/toddler (birth-to-two-years) placement. Sixty-six students completing their early childhood education degree at an Australian university responded to a survey seeking their perspectives on the effectiveness of the placement in developing teacher confidence, knowledge and skills, and the quality of the supervision they received. The participants had entered their degree with a two-year Diploma of Children’s Services. Responses indicated significant dissatisfaction with the quality of supervision, the absence of teacher-mentors, and the lack of opportunities to practise new approaches. Participants commented that they ‘already knew’ how to work with this age group, and that they aspired to work with older children. The results align with other findings on factors associated with positive placements, and raise questions about the effectiveness of the infant/toddler placement in its current form.     

美国幼儿教师培养的价值取向流变

自美国幼儿教师培养伊始,其价值取向经历了四种不同的价值取向流变:其一,"福禄培尔主义"技能取向,主张在"福禄培尔主义"影响下,幼儿教师培养需侧重技能;其二,科学主义实证取向,认为在科学主义思潮下,幼儿教师培养需建立在心理学基础上学习多种知识,并懂得实证研究方法 ;其三,人文主义人本取向,关注在人文主义主题下,幼儿教师培养之根本在于成人的过程,关怀幼儿教师个体价值;其四,二元价值观融合的专业取向,强调科学主义与人文主义融合趋势下,幼儿教师培养需符合专业要求,并能促进儿童的学习与发展。