Bridie Raban

Multiple Perspectives: Acknowledging the virtue of complexity in measuring quality

During recent years, the various theoretical perspectives that have been presented to preschool professionals can be perceived as giving conflicting advice for practice. Indeed, there may appear to be confusion, misinterpretation and little depth to the actions of teachers who might feel at a loss in driving the practice agenda forward. This paper reviews five major theoretical perspectives and places their relevance next to styles of practice that are seen here as complementary to each other and providing the preschool professional with an increasing repertoire for action, thus identifying a powerful role across a number of domains of childrens development. Issues of quality are explored within a descriptive framework, giving a powerful matrix for evaluating assumptions that lie beneath paths of action.

Constructing cultural‐historical tools for supporting young children's concept formation in early literacy and numeracy

Over the past 10 years, early childhood professionals have been increasingly influenced by cultural‐historical theory. In order to support professionals evolving their practice, the Australian government commissioned a set of cultural‐historical resources specifically designed to build literacy and numeracy experiences for children from birth to the age of five years. This paper reports on an investigation of how teachers and families used the tools for supporting concept formation in literacy and numeracy and how they came to understand cultural‐historical theory. A sample of 349 people (families, and qualified and unqualified early childhood professionals) were either surveyed online or interviewed in relation to the resources. The findings indicate that teachers focused more explicitly on cognitive outcomes for children as a result of using the resources, and most families interacted differently with their children in everyday situations after having piloted the resources.

The effect of an area-based intervention on breastfeeding rates in Victoria, Australia

OBJECTIVES Best Start is an area-based early childhood intervention where projects are developed and implemented through a community partnership. A core tenet of the initiative is that implementing projects through a partnership generates greater value than would be expected if projects were undertaken independently by partner members. In this study we examine whether: (1) Best Start is effective in increasing the proportion of infants being fully breastfed at 3 months and 6 months. (2) The quality of community partnerships is a potential mechanism for change. METHODS Best Start was implemented in Victoria, Australia. The study examined breastfeeding rates before and after Best Start in sites with Best Start breastfeeding projects compared to the rest of state. The relationship between partnership quality scores and breastfeeding percentages was also examined. Both analyses controlled for socioeconomic and demographic differences and clustering by area. RESULTS Best Start targeted some of the most socially disadvantaged communities in Victoria. In the 3 years of its operation, the rates of fully breastfeeding at 3 months (OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.14-1.47) and 6 months (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.1-1.61) increased in Best Start sites compared to the rest of the state. Quality of partnership scores was positively associated with increased percentages of fully breastfeeding (3 months=OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.06; 6 months=OR 1.03, 95% CI 0.98-1.08). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that area-based interventions are effective in increasing percentages of fully breastfeeding. The study also supported the idea that developing quality community partnerships had a positive influence on their success.

Evaluating a strategic approach to professional development through guided reflection

Research on quality in early childhood has consistently shown that staff are the cornerstone of excellence, and that staff training makes a difference to services provided to children and families. There is also a growing awareness of the importance of adopting a planned approach to career development and that this begins with self‐assessment, and can be enhanced through the use of guided reflection with a mentor. The Early Childhood Consortium Victoria (ECCV) at The University of Melbourne, has developed a self‐assessment manual (SAM) designed as a tool for early childhood practitioners to explore their work in a strategic way. It serves the dual purposes of assisting practitioners to address issues of service quality, as well as promoting individual professional development through reflective practice. SAM has now been piloted in a number of early childhood settings in Australia and this paper presents a formative evaluation of this work and discusses its potential for professional development planning.

A cultural-historical analysis of concept formation in early education settings: Conceptual consciousness for the child or only the adult?

SUMMARY The work of Vygotsky (1987) on everyday and scientific concept formation has provided a useful theoretical framework for considering the nature and connectedness of learning between the home and the early childhood centre. This paper will present the findings of an investigation which sought to examine the potential connections made between home and centres. Teacher narratives from eight experienced early childhood teachers were documented during professional learning about concept formation. Hedegaards (2002) theorisation on the double move in teaching informed the analysis. In particular, the study sought to determine the active engagement of staff in relation to the conscious interlacing of both everyday and scientific thinking. The findings suggest that the participants of this study could not realise Vygotskys important theoretical work on concept formation, and tended to take an inactive role in childrens cognition.

Literacy in three languages: A challenge for Singapore preschools

RésuméCet article introduit la situation en Singapour et celle de l’éducation préscolaire dans ce pays. La pratique et la politie, surtout concernant l’apprentissage à lire et à écrire pendant les années préscolaires sont décrites. En Singapour, les besoins de l’école primaire, donnés par le Ministre d’Education, demandent que l’école maternelle travaille primaire, donnés par le Ministre d’Education, demandent que l’école maternelle travaille en trois langues. D’abord, l’anglais est utilisé dans les écoles. Les chercheurs font des entretiens avec les instituteurs/ institutrices et des observations dans les classes. Ici on présente des comparaisons entre ce pays ‘multilingue’ et des pays monolingues, et on considère dans quelle mesure les contextes de vie des tous petits sont opportunes.ResumenEste artículo va a evaluar la investigación que se llevó a cabo en cuarenta escuelas prescolares en Victoria, Australia. En la primera fase del proyecto, se examinó a los profesores de preescolar y se les cuestionó a cerca de sus inquietudes sobre los conocimientos de los niños pequeños, inquietudes adquiridas bien a través de sus estudios o en cualquier desarrollo profesional posterior. Sus creencias y manera de comprender el desarrollo de la primera alfabetización no reflejaban la evidencia obtenida en investigaciones recientes, por lo que se veían incapaces de reflejar en sus programaciones las necesidades de este aspecto del desarrollo. En la segunda fase del proyecto, se incluyó a estos profesores en un ciclo de desarrollo profesional que les ayudó y puso al corriente para que pudieran evaluar y cambiar su modo de hacer las cosas. La tercera fase les siguió la pista a los alumnos de estos profesores hasta los primeros años de la escuela primaria.La hipótesis subyacente de este Proyecto de Alfabetización Preescolar era que los niños que experimentaron las formas y funciones de la alfabetización durante los años de preescolar respondieron con mayor rapidez al programa de estudios escolar, basado en la alfabetización, por lo que aprendieron a leer y a escribir más rapidamente. El enfoque del proyecto era poner en marcha ‘la experimentación de las formas y funciones de la alfabetización’ en la educación preescolar. En Victoria, Australia, las escuelas preescolares se centran en el niño, con relación al desarrollo buscan entornos apropiados, y los profesores mantienen una postura sumamente no intervencionista, con la creencia de que a los niños ya se les enseñará a leer y a escribir cuanda vayan al colegio. Dentro de este contexto, los profesores en cuestión realizaron un progreso notable en su manera de pensar, con lo que también progresó el desarrollo de la alfabetizazión de sus alumnos.

Young learners: Aspects of home literacy environments supporting hypotheses about the structure of printed words:

This study investigated the relationships between children’s home literacy environments and their early hypotheses about printed words in the year prior to entering school. There were 147 children (70 girls and 77 boys: mean age 57 months, range = 47–66 months, standard deviation = 4.5 months) in the study. Results showed that the children had varying degrees of knowledge about printed words. Significant associations between age of the child and the application of hypotheses about printed words were found. In relation to the home literacy environments, parents with stronger literacy profiles and habits, whether to do with traditional forms of print or new techno-literacies, were more likely to read to their children on a daily basis, and these children were more likely to have developed hypotheses about the structure of printed words. The implications for understanding children’s early literacy knowledge and relevance for educators of young children are discussed.

Young learners: teachers' conceptualisation and practice of literacy in Australian preschool contexts

Abstract This paper examines how literacy is defined and enacted by teachers in early childhood programmes pointing to the differing ways views of early literacy impact practice. It is argued here that early literacy development during the years before school is dependent on childrens experiences of having literacy activities modelled around them and the ways in which adults include them in their everyday literacy interactions. Early childhood teachers reveal differing understandings of early literacy during the years before formal school and this impacts their decisions concerning literacy activities and practice within their preschool rooms. Three early childhood teachers are presented here, through video clips and video-stimulated interviews around their literacy activities with preschool children. They demonstrate a range of practice which is shown to depend on their views of young childrens literacy development. These vignettes have implications for further professional discussion and learning.

Reading practices experienced by preschool children in areas of disadvantage

The purpose of this survey investigation was to gain insight into the different home literacy practices of preschool children in some disadvantaged areas across the state of Victoria, Australia. Findings indicate that parents read to their children regularly from a young age, found libraries easy to access and use, and have children who enjoy books and paper and pencil activities. However, more than half of them found there was not enough information available to support them in their childs literacy development. It is argued here that such information should be made available as a matter of some urgency and be distributed through libraries.

Early Literacy ‐‐ A Government Concern?

Abstract Progress in literacy during the early years of schooling is an increasing concern for governments across the world. Successful literacy learning is seen as the key to later school success and positive economic well‐being, both for individuals and their communities. This paper reviews the research evidence on emerging literacy and how this can be supported during the prior to school period. Government responses to their policy of developing an early years literacy strategy in primary schools is compared between England and one Australian state. This comparison begs questions of the arbitrary nature of expectations and the impact of these on the curriculum for our youngest children.