Christine Ure

Reforming teacher education through a professionally applied study of teaching

This paper presents a review of research of teacher education and the formulation of a model of teacher development that encompasses five domains of knowledge. The model provides a curriculum and pedagogical framework for initial teacher education that links together the theoretical, practical and professional elements of teaching and learning. Cohorts of approximately 25 teacher candidates are placed individually with supervisory classroom teachers. Teaching fellows and clinical specialists consult with teacher candidates and their supervisors and conduct seminars for their cohort in the neighbouring schools. This multidimensional curriculum model for teacher development and the supporting clinical pedagogy presents a new professional learning framework for initial teacher development.

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.

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.

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.

Empowering Practitioners to Critically Examine Their Current Practice

The intersection between Early Childhood Development (ECD), peacebuilding, and sustainable development is a complex and newly emerging area of research in the cross-disciplinary field of early childhood and international development. This paper is important for its contribution to the developing knowledge-base in its conceptualizations of the role of young children in the promotion of social cohesion and peaceful societies. It begins by discussing the increasingly high profile of ECD in the global advocacy for building sustainable development. The discussion presents a multidimensional conceptualization of early childhood that is rooted in a wider social justice and human rights agenda and encapsulated in an ecological framework that depicts the intrinsic relationship between the child, family, community, and wider society. The findings reveal the potential linkages between ECD and young children’s role in fostering peace as conceptualized in three interrelated paradigms – a rights-based, participatory, and pedagogical approach. The paper argues for the importance of advancing further research to foster greater understanding of the connections between children and peacebuilding especially in the context of fragile and conflictaffected countries.