Art in Primary Education: Aspects of Generalist Art Teaching

This paper considers the practice of generalist teaching in primary schools, but with specific regard to the teaching of art. It argues that, despite recent criticism of such methods, there is very little reason to suppose that primary schools will move to a pattern of wholesale specialist delivery of the curriculum within the foreseeable future. As a result, it suggests that the phenomenon of generalist art teaching is likely to remain a widespread aspect of primary education, and that art educators would therefore do well to consider whether the approach might not have something positive to offer the teaching of the subject. Accordingly, the paper provides an account of three significant advantages which it believes this method of teaching can offer to the teaching of art within the primary school. These are set against a range of evidence which both identifies the problematical nature of much past practice, but which also demonstrates the possibility of achieving quality in generalist art teaching. Finally, the relationship between previous problems in this area and the structure of teacher education is explored, and it is suggested that recent new requirements for such courses may offer the prospect of liberating the potential that has been identified.     

Mixed messages: the role and value of drawing in early education

Current English curriculum documents, namely the Practice Guidance for the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 of the National Curriculum, contain mixed messages about the role and value of drawing in early education. The documents state that children should be encouraged to explore their ideas, feelings and experiences through a range of means, including drawing, but drawing as a form of communication is predominantly seen as a pre‐writing skill. In the National Curriculum drawing exists as an element of the programme of study for art and design. However, it is argued here that presenting drawing as ‘art’ in the early years conveys a limited view of its place in children’s learning. Young children have many motivations for drawing for different purposes and in different contexts. These different purposes and contexts need recognition in both policy and practice.     

‘Certified to make a difference’: the motivation and perceptions of newly qualified early years teachers in England

The last 20 years have brought numerous workforce reforms to the early years sector, enacted in the name of professionalisation, including the recent introduction of a new postgraduate qualification, the Early Years Teacher Status. This article features data from interviews with 22 participants who had just completed this award and situates their views in the relevant policy context and alongside a discussion of what it means to professionalise the early years sector and create a graduate led workforce. The data support findings from similar studies of Early Years Professionals, namely that the interviewees are passionate about working with young children. They view the sector as in need of change, and themselves as potential leaders and agents of change. The participants endorse the view that up-skilling the workforce is essential to the professionalisation of the sector and improving the quality of early years education.     

Signature Pedagogy in Early Years Education: A Role for COTS Game-Based Learning

In this article we look at the links between early years pedagogy and the use of digital game-based learning. Early years education is a distinctive phase of the education system in many countries, generally covering the age range from 3–6 or 7 years. In the United Kingdom, it tends to bridge preschool and the first two years in primary school. Early years education is based on characteristic values, beliefs, and practices which distinguish it from later phases of mainstream educational provision. Based on an analysis of these characteristics, we argue that it is an example of a signature pedagogy. We look at the role of information and communication technologies in such pedagogy, specifically the use of digital games, illustrating the case with reference to a recent empirical study which looked at the use of a commercial off-the-shelf game with 5- and 6-year old children. We conclude by reaffirming the congruence between such games and a signature pedagogy of early years education. The role of the teacher, and in particular his/her pedagogical skill, is central to the educational use of commercial games.     

Preparing Primary Teachers to Teach Art & Design Effectively

This paper is an account of an action research project funded by the Teacher Training Agency and co‐ordinated by the Institute of Education, University of London. It critically considers the features, methodology and main findings of an enquiry into the nature of art and design components of courses of primary initial teacher education in nine institutions of higher education in the U.K. The project provides evidence to support ways in which primary teachers can effectively transform their subject knowledge in art and design into subject‐specific pedagogical knowledge. The value — for the participants — of a collective case study approach to research, along with some wider implications for art and design courses in initial teacher education are also identified.     

An Analysis of the Presentation of Art in the British Primary School Curriculum and its Implications for Teaching

This article presents an analysis of the way art is conceptualised in the British primary school curriculum and provides an historical framework that maps an evolution of ideas that have shaped the way art is presented in the modern day primary curriculum. In order to achieve this a Foucauldian style genealogical analysis is utilised to trace the discourses (systems of meaning) surrounding the nature of children's artistic development and how these discourses are used in the present day British primary curriculum to construe art in different ways. The analysis in this article is threefold. It explores the presentation of art in the curriculum as (1) an expressive subject, (2) a skills based subject, (3) a subject which focuses on art history and art appreciation. Second, the teaching positions associated with each approach are identified as follows (a) the facilitator, (b) the expert and (c) the philosopher; as well as the issues teachers face when adopting these positions. Third, attention is given to how these theoretical principles might be linked to practice. In so doing this article contributes to the debate surrounding the value of art in the primary curriculum and the way in which the curriculum serves to shape teaching practice.     

Early years practitioners’ views on early personal,social and emotional development

Current policy guidance stresses the need for early identification of obstacles to learning and appropriate intervention. New standards for learning (Early Years Foundation Stage) place personal, social and emotional development (PSED) as central to learning and development. This paper reports a survey and follow-up interviews with early years practitioners on early identification and intervention of young children with difficulties in PSED. As previous research with primary and secondary colleagues has shown, practitioners find low-level disturbance occurring most frequently. Although aggressive behaviour (hurting others, kicking, hitting and biting) is a concern, not attending or listening and immature social skills (lack of sharing and turn-taking, and inability to relate to other children) is a bigger challenge. Practitioners report a range of strategies for formally teaching relevant skills but point to the greater challenge of supporting recent immigrants where different cultural and social norms need to be understood.     

Attitudes to Making Art in the Primary School

Recent research suggests that the majority of primary school teachers in the UK believe that the purpose of teaching art and design is to develop skills associated with creativity, communication and expression. This article is based on research into the attitudes held by primary school pupils towards making art. The reflective nature of many of the responses to the survey provides persuasive evidence of young children's capacity for absorbing relatively complex ideas, which in turn has implications for teacher expectations of pupil learning in art and design.     

(Re)affirming identities: implementing a play-based approach to learning in the early years of schooling

Learning through play has traditionally been a central tenet in early childhood education, however, in recent times primary schools have begun to consider the benefits of introducing a play-based approach into early years classrooms to support young children’s learning, especially in the areas of language and literacy. This study focuses on the introduction of a play-based approach to a Foundation classroom (first year of formal schooling) in one Catholic primary school in Victoria, Australia. Taking a qualitative approach, drawing on interpretivist theory, data collection methods included group interviews with two Foundation teachers and their Early Years Coordinator at different points during the year, and two classroom observation sessions. This paper considers some of the challenges these teachers experienced and how they interpret and make sense of their work and the consequences this has for their identities as teachers. The data highlight tensions for these teachers that relate to issues of accountability and legitimisation.     

Early childhood mathematics teaching: challenges,difficulties and priorities of teachers of young children in primary schools in Ireland

Issues of pedagogy are critical in all aspects of early childhood education. Early childhood mathematics is no exception. There is now a great deal of guidance available to teachers in terms of high‐quality early childhood mathematics teaching. Consequently, the characteristics of high‐quality early childhood mathematics education are clearly identifiable. Issues such as building on young children’s prior‐to‐school knowledge; engaging children in general mathematical processes; and assessing and documenting children’s learning are some of the key aspects of high‐quality early childhood mathematics education. The extent to which teachers of four‐ and five‐year‐old children in primary schools in Ireland incorporate current pedagogical guidance in early childhood mathematics education was explored in 2007 in a nationally representative questionnaire survey of teachers of four‐ and five‐year‐old children attending primary schools. This paper presents some of the findings of the study in relation to teachers’ self‐reported challenges, difficulties and priorities in teaching early childhood mathematics. Implications are drawn for professional development, curriculum guidance and educational policy.     

高职教育教学质量存在问题的成因与思考

上世纪90年代以来，我国高职教育在教育教学质量方面面临着不少困难和存在着一些问题，这在很大程度上制约着高职教育的健康发展。文章从分析当前影响高职教育教学质量的因素入手，探讨提高高职教育教学质量的途径。     

Principles under pressure: student teachers' perspectives on final teaching practice in early childhood classrooms

Global concerns about what constitutes an appropriate curriculum and pedagogy for young children inevitably raises questions for teacher educators and the content of teacher education programmes. These concerns have been particularly visible in England following recent policy initiatives and the resultant ‘academic shovedown’ and ‘high stakes’ performativity culture in schools. Against this background, this article reports on a qualitative study of student teachers' experiences of their final teaching practice, identifying pressure from a range of sources to deliver a more formalised curriculum than they were prepared for in their university-based courses. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner among others, we consider the socio-political and -cultural sources of pressure linked through human agency, and the implications of these for teacher educators. The study argues that student teachers of young children may be faced with cognitive and emotional dissonance between the content of university-based training on the one hand, which promotes a developmentally appropriate, play-based approach in keeping with the Early Years Foundation Stage (the statutory curricular framework in England), and the reality of pedagogical practice in early years settings on the other.     

A tool to record and support the early development of children including those with special educational needs or disabilities

Early intervention is key for children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND), and therefore early assessment is crucial. Information from parents about children's current ability and their developmental history can make valid and useful contributions to developmental assessments. Parental input is also important in early education for children with and without SEND. In England, recent changes to statutory guidance for early education highlight partnership working with parents, progress checks and continuous observation. The Early Years Developmental Journal (EYDJ), an Early Support tool primarily aimed at families, aims to support early identification and assessment for children with SEND and early education for all children. The article describes Early Support to provide a backdrop and then outlines the purpose, structure and rigorous development process of the EYDJ. Use of the EYDJ to support parents, early years education practitioners, health visitors, developmental assessments and the forthcoming English special educational needs (SEN) reforms is also described.     

小班教学在小学校外美术教学中的运用

小学校内美术教学中，一般采用大班化教学，存在不少弊端。许多小学生在接受小学义务教育校内美术课的同时，参加小学校外美术教育活动，小学校外美术教学大量运用小班教学的模式。小班教学不是学生数量的简单变化，而是教学观念和思想、教学方式和方法的变化。     

对早期教育教师专业化成长的思考——以兰州部分早教机构师资调查报告为例

近年来,在世界范围内,幼儿早期教育受到了人们的广泛关注,欧美15年来脑科学的研究发现,早教是必须的。目前,国内的早期教育主要以早教机构教育为主,因此早教机构教师的专业化发展程度直接影响着早期教育的质量提升,重视早期教育必须关注早期教育教师的成长和发展。以兰州市早教机构教师调查报告为个案对于目前早教教师面临的发展困难与成因进行分析,并就如何促进早期教育教师专业化成长给出几点意见与建议。     

充分优化农村小学美术课程资源的研究

教师是一种最大的资源,美术课程资源需要美术教师去组织、去开发、去利用。在农村小学美术教育教学过程中,经常会遇到家庭教育环境和学校教学设备等因素给学生学习美术课程带来困扰。首先要提高认识,取得家长对学生学习关术课程的支持;其次要克服困难,不断充实农村小学美术教育教学设备。只有解决好阻扰学生学习美术课程的矛盾,才能使美术课程教学资源从真正意义上得到调控和优化。     

An Exploration of Children's Experiences of Art in the Classroom

Despite the numerous benefits art has for children, research suggests that there is a lull in the development of expression in children's drawings during the primary school years and that many children give up on art between the ages of 10 and 12. Research investigating this phenomenon has taken an educational focus and aimed to identify potential shortcomings in the primary education system which could impact negatively on children's artistic development and interest in art. This article builds on previous educational research by exploring children's perceptions of the art education they receive. In this small exploratory study semi‐structured interviews were conducted with six children in each of the Key Stages of English compulsory education: Key Stage 1 (5–6 year olds); Key Stage 2 (7–8 year olds); Key Stage 3 (11–12 year olds) and Key Stage 4 (14–15 year olds). A qualitative thematic analysis is used to explore children's experiences of art in the classroom, the kinds of support they receive in art lessons and how art lessons can be improved. It is hoped that the exploration of children's experiences of art in the classroom will enable movement towards an engaging and relevant approach to art education.     

Using Lesson Study to Support the Teaching of Early Number Concepts: Examining the Development of Prospective Teachers’ Specialized Content Knowledge

Growing awareness of the importance of education in the early years has led professional organizations and policy makers to consider the effectiveness of mathematics education for young children. Factors such as educational environments, early years curricula and teacher education are some of the many aspects that have been examined. This paper describes the types of mathematical content knowledge that 25 prospective primary teachers developed as they designed, taught and reflected upon early number lessons. This Lesson Study approach involved two mathematics educators and 25 prospective primary teachers designing, teaching and re-teaching five early number lessons in two elementary classrooms with 4–5 year old children. The results suggest that effective teaching of early number concepts draws on mathematical knowledge that is specialized and unique to teachers; in other words Specialized Content Knowledge (SCK). The study found that engaging in Lesson Study promoted mathematics SCK development in two primary ways, notable by: (1) raising awareness of the complex relationships between early number concepts that contribute to developing robust early number understandings and (2) developing expertise in identifying the nature and source of children’s mathematical errors. The development of participants’ early number SCK is described and recommendations are made for the design of experiences in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) to support teachers in the provision of high quality mathematics experiences to young learners.     

幼儿园美术教学活动中的误区与有效性策略

美术活动在幼儿素质教育中占有重要地位,是促进其全面发展的重要方式。幼儿园中美术活动的实施在很大程度上取决于教师的有效教学。然而,当前幼儿园美术活动中的教学存在着目标制定不合理、内容选择单一、忽视个别化教学、活动过程偏于模式化、师幼间缺乏互动、评价脱离艺术本质等问题。为提高教学的有效性,教师应做到科学制定教学目标、丰富美术活动内容、改善美术教学形式、抓住教学契机、增强师幼互动、改善评价方法,从而激发幼儿的绘画兴趣,鼓励幼儿探究学习,促进其全面和谐发展。