Ruslan Slutsky

The rocky road of teachers becoming action researchers

Abstract This paper describes an action research project conducted in the course of teaching about action research. Eight doctoral students and a professor co-taught the course. We organized it to demonstrate aspects of action research and conducted our research as an example of action research methodology. We shared our proposal, data collection strategies, and beginning data analyses with our students. Our action research project thus served two purposes: (1) it helped us to study our own teaching and the emerging understandings of our students, and (2) it demonstrated action research for our students while they designed their own research proposals.

How technology is transforming the ways in which children play

ABSTRACT Technology is a prominent way that young children choose to play. With new advents in technology, children are finding it easier to gain access to technology through parents’ cell phones and tablets. The influx of technology in the daily lives of children is putting into question whether or not children are spending too much time engaging in such play. In the current study, data were collected on how 3–5-year-old children played on a typical weekday and weekend. Of the weekday activities, parents (n = 31) reported 53.00 hours of technology play for an average of 1.71 hours per child per day. There was an increased amount of time spent on non-technology activities listed by parents for a total of 59.25 hours and an average of 1.91 hours per child. A smaller number of parents (n = 14) recorded outdoor play, totalling 17.50 hours with an average of 1.25 hours per child.

Conducting Action Research While Teaching about it

Abstract In this article we describe a self-study research project. As one professor and six doctoral students, we co-taught a course on action research while doing a self-study of our teaching. We studied ourselves, and our students, as we taught this course. We report on what we learned from this co-teaching and co-researching. We analyze how we worked together, how we conducted the research, and the process used to integrate our individual and collective reflections into a collaborative text. There were common themes in our learning but at times we speak in individual voices because our experiences were not all the same. The co-teaching, the collaborative analysis of our data, and writing about our research were separate aspects of our self-study yet each of these fed our relationships, our thinking about teacher education and action research within it, and our future, and present, lives as university professors in teacher education.

Contemplating and probing issues of conceptualization, measurement and policy of ECEC quality in Europe and in the USA

The economic recession of recent years highlights the need for reorganizing education and health systems, as well as welfare and public domains (Rentzou, 2015). As Taguma, Litjens, and Makowiecki (2012) maintain that ‘in recent years, the underpinning principles for policy intervention are shifting from a current-income, social-welfare model to a life-cycle, human capital development model’ (p. 14). Of special interest in this context is the sector of early childhood education and care (ECEC), since investment in ECEC has been proven to have shortand long-term effects both on children’s overall development (Melhuish et al., 2015; OECD, 2017) and on societies’ social and economic development (OECD, 2012, 2017). With the current changing demographic landscapes and family structures as well as research results indicating the importance of investing in high-quality education, ECEC has become the focal point of policy and research as never before. European (Lisbon Strategy, Europe 2020 and Barcelona Summit) and international (Sustainable Development Goals) strategies set various targets and objectives regarding ECEC. The underlying assumption behind all policy and research initiatives is that access to ECEC alone is insufficient and that the benefits of ECEC are conditional on quality (Melhuish et al., 2015; OECD, 2012, 2017). Despite extensive research in the field of ECEC quality, this field remains blurry. Starting from the relativeness and multidimensionality of the concept of ECEC quality, continuing with the elusiveness of quality measurement (Rentzou, 2017a) and culminating in the fact that countries have adopted different strategies for policy development in family support and ECEC provision, ECEC policy, research and practice is at a helter-skelter state internationally. Central key issues to the blurring picture characterizing ECEC is not only the fact that the definition and monitoring of ECEC quality is as diverse as ECEC provision (OECD, 2015) and organization, but also the fact that increasingly ECEC use and provision involves multiple dimensions and factors (Janta, 2014; Melhuish, 2015), and is closely linked to welfare and family support policies such as labour market and parental leave policies. Other important issues surrounding ECEC policy, research and practice include but are not limited to the lack of timely, reliable and comparable international information (OECD, 2017), our failure to inform our nomenclature of central to ECEC theory and practice concepts (Rentzou, 2017b) and the conceptual and structural dichotomy between care and education. Additionally, key issues include the uncertainty about what constitutes ‘proper’ early childhood practice (Macfarlane & Lewis, 2004, p. 51) and the lack of consensus on what constitutes a high-quality initial professional preparation program (Whitebook et al., 2012) and on an accepted and agreed – upon qualifications profile and pedagogical framework for the whole early childhood age span. This Special Issue has a twofold aim. On the one hand, it aims at presenting main findings and challenges for improving the ECEC sector. On the other hand, the aim is to highlight intertemporal problems (Rentzou, 2017b), the field of ECEC faces and focal issues in various countries. The need for a Special Issue with this context stems from the fact that ECEC systems are shaped by social-cultural values, as well as national, economic and political contexts in which early childhood services are provided (Rentzou, 2017a). With this said, the Special Issue captures information about ECEC policies and practices in different countries and aims at helping to establish a systemic and integrated

Teacher–child relationships make all the difference: constructing quality interactions in early childhood settings

ABSTRACT High-quality teacher–child relationships provide protective and supportive environments that provide social support for children to engage in curriculum and take risks that result in overall school success (Buyse, Verschueren, & Doumen, 2011; Pianta & Stuhlman, 2004). Teachers have the potential to use their relationship as a tool for helping children succeed in school (Birch & Ladd, 1997). Through training and awareness of specific beliefs, teachers would be more informed about what to focus on as they attempt to establish relationships with young children that support cognitive and emotional development, self-regulation, and school adjustment and social skills. Children, especially those at risk for developing poor-quality relationships with teachers, could benefit as teachers become more aware of the important connection between positive emotional climate and academic success.

Key elements of the Reggio Emilia approach and how they are interconnected to create the highly regarded system of early childhood education

ABSTRACT Reggio Emilia is a small city in Italy that has emerged as an exemplary model of early childhood education. The first schools were started and run by parents who wanted their children to experience an education that was different from their own. From that humble desire rose a system of infant/toddler preschools and now early elementary classes that use artistic expression, long- and short-term projects, and engaging environments to establish learning communities that embody democracy and freedom. Within this system is a series of fundamental principles that are intimately connected and dependent on each other. The combination of history and fundamental principles is supported by a deep civic commitment to children. The Reggio Emilia approach has inspired many educators around the world, not only because of its beautiful schools and intriguing artefacts but because they face adversity with resolve and imagination.

Empowering Pre-service Teachers to Design a Classroom Environment that Serves as a Third Teacher

Creating a multimodal nurturing environment that promotes learning is one of the most important considerations for teachers when planning a curriculum. This chapter focuses on ways to empower preservice teachers to design a quality learning environment for young children. Carefully prepared environments nurture critical thinking skills. They are designed in a provocative kind of way to encourage a child to learn and can entice a child to look and ponder and become engaged in discovery, problem solving, and creative thinking. Two approaches of preparing preservice teachers to think about the learning environment as the third teacher are shared with implications for teacher preparation programs. One approach was to provide a theoretical foundation along with a hands-on experience where students had the opportunity to design an environment as a third teacher. The second approach involved students in discussions to form a theoretical foundation, similar to the first approach, but they did not have an opportunity to design an environment.

There is still nothing better than quality play experiences for young children's learning and development: building the foundation for inquiry in our educational practices

ABSTRACT Teachers face a growing call for implementing inquiry-based teaching and learning in a current pedagogical environment that contradicts this through educational practices that silo content, disseminate knowledge, and produce classrooms of passive learners. We address a hot topic in the United States on how a push for more “academics” is changing the landscape of education and driving play and inquiry away from the typical experiences of children in schools, resulting in an educational system disconnected from the needs of the 21st century learner. The authors suggest that when we provide young learners with quality opportunities for success in their earliest learning experiences that support play, a natural form of inquiry where children engage in the process of constructing meaning of their world, children will naturally develop inquiry skills for future learning upon which all teachers can build.

A time for change: Implementation of a community of learners model

Abstract Although the concept of learning communities is not new, many colleges and universities use learning communities differently. This study examines how using a community of learners at the end of undergraduate education programs, rather than at the onset, is an effective way to organize undergraduate education. A comparison of students who did not experience a community of learners model with students who did is provided. The data reveal that students in the community of learners configuration fared better in several areas, including feeling a sense of belonging, feeling comfortable sharing perspectives, and having a broader understanding of different pedagogies. Also discussed is the process utilized by our university in implementing the community of learners model.