Carrie Cable

Professionalization, leadership and management in the early years

The Changing Face of Professionalism in the Early Years - Linda Miller and Carrie Cable PART ONE: LEADING, MANAGING AND NEW PROFESSIONAL IDENTITIES Leading and Managing in the Early Years - Mary E. Whalley Challenging Identities: A Case for Leadership - Christine Woodrow Early Years Professionalism: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities - Dorothy McMillan and Glenda Walsh Child Care Practitioners and the Process of Professionalization - Jan Peeters and Michel Vandenbroeck Working in Multidisciplinary Teams - Sue Greenfield PART TWO: TOWARDS A NEW PROFESSIONALISM IN THE EARLY YEARS Constructions of Professional Identity - Gill McGillivray Contested Constructions of Professionalism within the Nursery - Jayne Osgood Where Are the Men? A Critical Discussion of Male Absence in the Early Years - Guy Roberts-Holmes and Simon Brownhill Towards Professionalism/s - Iris Duhn A New Professionalism - Carrie Cable and Linda Miller

‘Whoops, I forgot David’: children's perceptions of the adults who work in their classrooms

This article reports on the findings of a small‐scale study into the perceptions of 78 primary school children regarding the adults in their classrooms. The data show that children easily differentiate between their own class teacher and other adults, but report a substantial overlap between the activities of teachers and teaching assistants. Some express the difference in terms of status rather than role. Accounts call into question the notion that teaching assistants ‘help’ rather than teach and that there is a clear division of labour between them and teachers. Teachers and assistants are seen as working in an interdependent way, with each making a significant contribution to childrens learning. The difficulties of using childrens language as evidence are considered and it is concluded that the notion of a ‘remodelled’ primary school workforce needs to take into account the ways in which teachers and assistants maintain fluid working relationships.

They Call Me Wonder Woman: The Job Jurisdictions and Work-Related Learning of Higher Level Teaching Assistants.

This paper reports on an in‐depth interview study of the roles, job jurisdictions and associated learning of higher level teaching assistants (HLTAs). This role has the core purpose of covering classes to enable teacher release for planning, preparation and assessment. HLTAs’ individual job jurisdictions are described and discussed as are implications for their knowledge and practice. The HLTAs are found to have wide‐ranging job domains and, sometimes, unexpected involvements which mean they have to improvise practice. The study acknowledges that these HLTAs are being creatively managed and deployed by head teachers for the sake of teachers and schools. However, they are, at times, required to take on planning and cover duties which are beyond their knowledge and training with a likely impact on children’s learning. Given their training and experience it is asked if covering classes to release teachers is the most effective use of their abilities and time.

'I'm going to bring my sense of identity to this': the role and contribution of bilingual teaching assistants

In recent years there has been a considerable growth in the number of teaching assistants (teacher aides in the USA) in UK schools and in the diversity and range of their roles and responsibilities. Although these roles vary in different parts of the UK, an increasing number of assistants now work alongside teachers to support childrens learning. Some teaching assistants and instructors are bilingual in the languages spoken by children in their schools and draw on their knowledge of other languages in providing support for childrens cognitive and language development. Many bilingual teaching assistants carry out similar roles to their monolingual colleagues but, in addition, are involved in facilitating communication and mediating interaction between home, school and local communities. However, their roles and contribution to childrens learning are often not clearly defined and are certainly under‐researched.

Leading and Managing in an Early Years Setting in England

This chapter focuses on Julie, an early years practitioner in England. Starting with a brief description of recent developments in early years services and policy in England, we discuss different perspectives on professionalism and the professional roles of early years practitioners to position Julie’s work within its broader context. Julie’s day is then described through a series of situations on which she reflects during a follow-up interview with us. We conclude that professionalism for early years practitioners can be difficult to define in the context of a country which retains wide and disparate public and private provision and a widely stratified workforce in terms of qualifications. This is not aided by the introduction in 2006 of a centrally defined Early Years Professional role.

Language learning at Key Stage 2: findings from a longitudinal study

This paper discusses some of the findings from a 3-year longitudinal study of language learning in the upper stage of English primary schools, i.e. at Key Stage 2. This largely qualitative study (commissioned by the then Department for Children, Schools and Families) was designed to explore and document developing provision and practice in a sample of primary schools that had chosen to introduce language teaching ahead of the proposal that it should become part of statutory requirements. The research team examined the approaches and mechanisms these schools were using to develop and maintain language learning and teaching, teachers’ and childrens attitudes towards language learning and childrens achievement in oracy and literacy, as well as considering the possible broader cross-curricular impact of language learning. This paper goes on to consider some of the implications for embedding language learning and teaching in English primary schools.

Transitions in Professional Identity: Women in the Early Years Workforce

This chapter explores the impact of Foundation degree study on the changing professional identities of women, who comprise the majority of workers in the early years workforce. Historically, the care of young children has been seen as the (natural) preserve of women and as one that needs little knowledge and few, if any, formal qualifications save those gained through the experience of motherhood. The professionalisation of the early years workforce is seen as a key element in the English government ’s reform agenda for the early years and we consider some of the challenges early years students face in becoming reflective and reflexive practitioners within a strongly regulated environment.

Primary Teaching Assistants Curriculum in Context

Teaching assistants are uniquely placed to support childrens involvement with learning through the curriculum. This book explores those issues that are central to that process. Specifically it examines: strategies for supporting learning and assessment in English, maths and science; inclusive and imaginative practices in all areas of learning; home and community contexts for learning; and working practices which support professional development. This book is written primarily for learning support staff, their teaching colleagues and those responsible for professional development and training.