Reesa Sorin

Constructs of childhood: constructs of self.

Notions of childhood have been debated through time and place. This paper works from the understanding of childhood as an adult imposed, socially constructed and culturally transmitted concept. This paper provides a typology of ten ways in which adults construct children and childhood. The authors assert that in the process of defining children, adults necessarily and simultaneously define their own position/s in relation to children. Thus for each of the ten constructs of childhood, the authors present ten types of relationship adults consciously or unconsciously impose upon themsleves when they work from these constructions. The authors intend that the typology presented creates a beginning tool for conscious, critical reflection of how we are perceiving children and how this perception may drive our work and relationships with them. It may also provide a reflective tool for imagining working differently with children in ways which better serve them (and us!).

Moving schools: antecedents, impact on students and interventions

Mobility in education can be caused by families moving from city to city or state to state as employment and housing changes for them; however, it can also be the result of families moving their children from one school to another within the same area, for other, more personal reasons. As the student mobility rate rises, concerns about its impact on the young learner increase (Wright, 1999). This research investigated student mobility in a regional area in northern Queensland where the mobility rate increases each year. Through interviews with school personnel and some parents, a number of issues surrounding student mobility were examined. These included antecedents to mobility, perceived impact of mobility on students and strategies to address issues of mobility.

A Case Study of an Australian University Embedding EfS in a Pre-service Teaching Program

As part of a whole-of-program approach to embedding sustainability in a pre-service, 4-year Bachelor of Education program, academic staff at an Australian university engaged in collaborative projects to design dedicated sustainability subjects and embed science and sustainability principles, concepts, and issues across early childhood and primary subjects. This chapter examines aspects of learning, teaching, and assessment in a first-year core sustainability and science education subject, Foundations of Sustainability in Education; an embedded component in a third-year core professional studies subject, Early Childhood Education and Care; and a final-year elective, Environmental and Climate Change Education for the Tropics. The intent of these subjects is for pre-service teachers to develop understanding of the underlying science and complexity of key socio-ecological challenges, as well as the capacity to plan and implement sustainability and climate change learning experiences and actions in diverse school and community contexts. In order to promote pre-service teacher engagement and learning across multiple cohorts—including community-based Indigenous students and early childhood majors in online modes—the focus is on active and collaborative inquiry-based, technology-enabled, and praxis-oriented learning and assessment experiences.

Building a solid foundation for school: a communities approach

This paper argues that there is more to a successful start to school than the characteristics of an individual child. Readiness for learning and development in the school years depends on a partnership comprising the child, their family, the school, the community and the services provided by and in the community forming a solid foundation. To build a solid foundation ongoing, integrated programs from a variety of providers that address cognitive, physical, social, emotional and behavioural issues need to be accessible to young children, their families, schools and communities. The Communities for Children Initiative (CfC) is one such program. The CfC Initiative is one of four strands in the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy 2004 – 2009 that came about as a result of Australias National Agenda for Early Childhood. Forty-five communities have been targeted by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA), to achieve better outcomes for children from birth to five years and their families. Targets include better school readiness, through a collaborative approach to early child and maternal health; early learning and care; child-friendly communities; supporting families and parents; and working together in partnerships. Partners in these collaborations include: three tiers of government; non-government organizations; service providers; and most importantly, families and children. Supported by researchers and academics, partners work and interact collaboratively to ensure school readiness. Other initiatives of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy that are directed at children are Invest to Grow, Local Answers and Choice and Flexibility in Child Care. In addition FaHCSIA supports a number of other programs some of which are specifically for indigenous children and families e.g. Responding Early Assisting Children (REACh), Child Care Links and Indigenous Childrens Programs.

To teach and how to teach the Holocaust: that is the question

Although facts about the Holocaust are generally known, many adults find it difficult to convey this information to children, as it is often considered too disturbing for them. Teachers, in particular, need alternate ways to introduce students to the Holocaust and other disasters. Based on a document study of childrens drawings from the Terezin concentration camp and research about the Holocaust and pedagogy for presenting difficult issues to children, this article presents a strategy for teachers to introduce the Holocaust to students in grades 6–10. We begin with a discussion about how to introduce sensitive historical material, such as the Holocaust, to young children. Current teaching models about the Holocaust are based on factual texts or fictional writings. This is followed by a poem, developed from Harings research, introducing the Holocaust while conferring facts about the life of a fictitious child in the Terezin concentration camp. Teacher notes elaborate on how to implement this poem in class. We found that art, such as poetry, can be utilized to teach children about sensitive issues like the disaster of the Holocaust. Furthermore, this poem is written from the perspective of a child interned in Terezin, who may or may not have survived.

Opportunity to learn to see the world from a new angle: the impact of international art study tours on creative arts students' learning

Over the past four years, Creative Arts students in an Australian University have had the opportunity to participate in an International Art Study Tour. During the tour, the undergraduate students study Photography and European History and Culture at a University in Germany, attend major international art biennales and view exhibitions in cities in Europe and/or United States. Following the tour, students undertake a Creative Arts subject with assessment tasks that involve reflection of the study abroad experience. This paper investigates students’ perceptions of the impact of the International Art Study Tour on their learning. Literature regarding participation in study abroad suggests benefits for student learning including educational merit, increased confidence and a greater awareness of global citizenship. Participants in this study reported the benefits highlighted in the literature, and in addition, this study finds that a greater commitment to a career in the arts resulted from participation in the study tour. This finding may be useful for the design of Creative Arts degrees, particularly, in countries that are long distances from the major cities of Europe and North America; where costs and travelling time prohibit many students from viewing a range of art.

Not just playing with clay: symbol mastery for spelling and word comprehension

A number of students experience difficulty with the retention and recognition of basic spelling words. These students, who are often dyslexic and/or three-dimensional visual thinkers (3DVT), are usually taught spelling through mainstream pedagogical practices, such as phonics and rote learning—practices that are generally unsuccessful with this group. Symbol mastery is a process where students work with clay to create a visual interpretation of a words meaning and then connect it to the word’s spelling and pronunciation. Davis proposed that the process of discovering what a word means and creating an image of the word three-dimensionally, would not only give ownership of the process to students, but would also be a vehicle through which they could master spelling words. This article is based on a small qualitative case study research project where the symbol mastery program was trialed with four dyslexic students in one-to-one tutorial sessions after completing a specialized program. Data were gathered through pre- and post-program interviews with students and parents, researcher observations, artifact collection, as well as pre- and post-tutoring spelling tests. The results showed that the program helped with improving spelling scores and increased confidence and willingness to attempt to spell words.