A ‘region’ under siege? Singularisation,regionalisation and genericism in Early Childhood Studies in England

This paper draws on Bernstein’s sociology of knowledge to examine the academic study of early childhood in England, involving scrutiny of how knowledge is recontextualised from contributory disciplines to take account of early childhood practice and professionalism, and of governmental influence on what counts as disciplinary and curriculum knowledge. The relatively fragmented disciplinary structure of Early Childhood Studies suggests vulnerability to attempts to control its purpose. However, this is mitigated by commitments within the academic community to traditions of early childhood practice, and a sense of advocacy and shared values. The analysis draws upon a recent investigative project undertaken at English higher education institutions.     

More than ‘just play’: picking out three dimensions of a balanced early years pedagogy

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the incompletely resolved tension between play-based and direct teaching approaches to early years pedagogy and practitioners’ resultant difficulties in understanding and delivering high-quality practice. Previously, we argued for the importance of infusing playfulness into all classroom interactions and activities in order to assist practitioners in forming a useful mental model of early years practice. Here, we extend the playful image to present a new, coherent framework for early years practice, based on three dimensions: the degree of playfulness in the activity taking place, the locus of control of the action during the activity and the nature of the learning taking place. We lay out the framework and describe its relation to free play as a prelude to discussing how it applies to classroom play and other types of early years classroom activity, illustrated by cameos. It is argued that the full range of each dimension should be well sampled through choosing a variety of activities and that such an approach will preserve high levels of child engagement. The framework provides a useful tool to prompt reflective practice and professional development.     

《幼儿园教师专业标准(试行)》的复杂性透视

以复杂性视域看我国即将颁布的《幼儿园教师专业标准(试行)》有非常重要的意义。我国的幼儿园教师专业标准不同于国外一般的幼儿园教师专业标准,研制时是以复杂性思维为指导思想的。幼儿园教师专业标准是一个标准体系,是一个完整的幼儿园教师专业化制度体系。体系中各标准之间的关系具有复杂性;本《专业标准》中的维度与领域、基本要求之间的关系具有复杂性,功能指向具有复杂性,责任分担具有复杂性,本《专业标准》的发展、完善也具有复杂性。幼儿园教师专业标准的研制不是简单、线性的过程。幼儿园教师的专业发展也是一个需要不断追求和超越的过程。     

‘Someone had to have faith in them as professionals’: an evaluation of an action research project to develop educational leadership across the early years

This article reports on an evaluation of three action research projects developed by a group of teachers working across the early years in three independent schools. The article examines the role of action research in developing educational leadership capabilities. Drawing on the educational leadership literature, concepts and ideas of action and activism, influence and change, and capacity to develop a vision are used to describe and analyse the data from qualitative pre-project and post-project individual interviews. The article argues that the empirical findings suggest action research was a powerful tool in developing educational leadership capabilities. This article concludes by suggesting that further research is needed to better understand how action research can be utilised to develop sustainable forms of educational leadership in the early years.     

课程改革、教师赋权增能与教师专业学习共同体——上海市四所小学的个案研究

基于对上海地区四所小学的田野调查,考察教师在“赋权增能”政策条件下,如何处理课程改革中所面临的问题,及其所处教师共同体的影响。研究发现：课程改革给教师造成的压力客观上推进了教师发展和教师专业学习共同体的构建;课程改革在赋权增能的同时赋予教师高度问责,造成教师不愿承担赋权,而教师专业学习共同体以群体分责来支持教师的赋权增能;未来课程改革应当寻求赋权、增能和问责的平衡,并推进教师专业学习共同体的建设,从而支持教师真正成为课程改革的“代理人”。     

Strengthening early childhood and school sector continuities in producing the lifelong learner in Aotearoa New Zealand

Recent education policy analysis has revealed the standardisation of education systems and an intensified focus on learners and learning to meet the requirements of the global economy and neo-liberalism. In this paper we analyse the way that early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand has become increasingly entangled with school sector priorities and international discourses of lifelong learning as it has encountered these requirements. We trace the shift from an explict rejecting and countering of school sector pedagogy to the promoting of increasing continuity with school sector priorities. We draw attention to dynamic, contrasting and competing interests and entities that have shaped the construction of learning and learners and curriculum and assessment priorities. We argue the need to attend to the complex mix of constitutive forces at work in the formulation and enactment of early childhood sector priorities, in particular to these crucial entanglements with school sector priorities, international discourses of lifelong learning and neo-liberal economic rationalities.     

Developing Timorese early years teachers’ pedagogy through an Australian mentoring programme

This paper explores the successful mentoring of Timor-Leste early years teachers by Australian teachers to expand their knowledge and practice of child-centred play-based pedagogy. The mentoring programme for the Timorese teachers occurred through an extended visit to a school in Victoria, Australia, for eight weeks to work with mentor teachers in their early years classrooms. Data were collected to explore the effectiveness of the programme through classroom observations and participant interviews. Observations were conducted in the classrooms of the mentees before the programme to provide context for the interviews and after the programme for indications of pedagogical change. The mentoring programme supported the Timorese teachers to reflect and review early years pedagogy. It led to changes in their teaching philosophy, design of learning activities and the inclusion of assessment practices. After two years the Timor-Leste teachers were using a child-centred play-based model of teaching and learning to guide the development, organisation and facilitation of learning activities at their kindergarten. The foundation of the mentor programme’s success was the trusted and equitable relationships between the teachers and the organisations involved. Understanding of cultural differences was acknowledged and supported the robust discussions and reflections that empowered teachers to take action.     

学习领域课程开发实例——生化技术类专业定岗实习课程

以生化技术类专业定岗实习课程为例,对其进行学习领域课程开发。通过岗位典型工作任务分析,得出"工艺操作"岗位职业能力要求,结合职业能力要求确定学习领域目标,继而依据工作元素设计教学内容,最后结合实习岗位创设教学情境。     

Teacher professional learning in Early Childhood education: insights from a mentoring program

In Australia, as is the case in other countries around the world, the Early Childhood workforce is in the process of ‘skilling up’ to meet government demands related to quality service provision. This paper sets out to identify what constitutes effective teacher professional learning through mentoring. Guided by critical realism and social practice as theoretical perspectives, the paper uses data drawn from the State-wide Professional Mentoring Program for Early Childhood Teachers (2011–2014), Victoria, Australia. The findings identify four C’s essential to effective professional learning – Context: the association between individual aspirations and systemic requirements; Collegiality: the positioning and importance of collegial relationships; Criticality: critical deliberation in ‘safe’ learning environments; and Change: recognition that teacher learning takes place in the domains of professional dispositions, pedagogical knowledge and social capital. These findings point to the need to consider teachers’ contexts of practice in the design of professional development programs such as mentoring, and to conceptualise learning as a socially situated practice rather than a detached pedagogic event.     

加快推进《学前教育法》立法进程

学前教育是人生发展的奠基性教育,是基础教育的基础,对义务教育质量、国民素质提高和社会发展具有重要的奠基性作用。随着我国社会发展,特别是发展观的转变,学前教育的公益性及其重要的基础性作用日益为人们所认识。加快推进《学前教育法》立法进程,不仅是解决我国当前学前教育事业发展中诸多根本性问题的现实选择,而且是保障其健康、有序、可持续发展的迫切需要。建议突破思路,抓住核心问题,明确学前教育性质和政府职责,创新体制机制,争取在近年内制定出台《学前教育法》。     

校本课程开发中教师增权之探

在我国新一轮基础教育课程改革中,校本课程的开发是一个薄弱环节,处于探索阶段,既没有强有力的理论基础支持,而且教师在课程开发中的专业自主权也没有得到相应支持与保障,因此教师增权之问题在校本课程开发中就显得非常重要。教师是校本课程开发的主体,教师增权在教师主体作用的发挥中起着重要作用。教师增权主要是专业自主权的增长,它涉及外部力量为教师专业发展提供足够的空间和教师自我增权两方面。