2015 NZRECE Journal Articles

FULL REFERENCE: Murphy, Caterina, & Butcher, Jenny (2015). “It made me argue more confidently and I can stand by my words”: Beginning teachers’ perspectives about mentoring, goal setting, and leadership during teacher registration. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 1 – 19.

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ABSTRACT: Mentoring and leadership are complex issues for early childhood education concerning growing as a teacher-leader professional. The period of provisional teacher registration is an important time for ongoing professional learning. This qualitative report focuses on the perspectives of five beginning teachers concerning their mentoring relationships and experiences during their journey of gaining full teacher registration. It reports on phase three of a larger multiyear study interested in teaching practice experiences (2008-2013). The research themes for phase three of the research were the effectiveness of mentoring relationships and goal-setting and teacher awareness of the Registered Teacher Criteria (RTC) (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2010) in everyday practice. One focus group interview was conducted. The results illuminate how beginning teachers use the RTC to support the attainment of registration and develop as teacher-leaders. Key themes of how their mentoring experiences as student teachers still affect their confidence as beginning teacher-leaders, their leadership aspirations and their ongoing journey of goal setting as professionals, were evident.

Key words: Beginning teachers; mentoring; registered teacher criteria; goal setting; leadership; appraisal.  

INTRODUCTION

Beginning early childhood teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand are required to complete a minimum of two years provisional registration, guided by fully registered mentoring teachers during their programme of induction and mentoring (New Zealand Teachers Council (NZTC), 2010; 2011). This paper, (phase three of a multiyear qualitative study (Butcher & Murphy, 2012; Murphy & Butcher, 2009, 2011, 2013), reports on beginning teacher experiences.  Research questions focused on the effectiveness of mentoring relationships, goal setting practices, and the use of the Registered Teacher Criteria (RTC) (NZTC, 2010) to support their teaching practice and professional learning.

FULL REFERENCE: Knaus, M. & Warren, J. (2015). A supported playgroup located on school grounds: Developing family relationships within a school environment to support children’s transition to school. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 20- 36.

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ABSTRACT: Children in the early years of life face many changes and transitions and the provision of a supported playgroup on a school site enables the continuity of early childhood programmes and offers a pathway for a smooth transition to the school environment. Research has shown that when children from disadvantaged families participate in playgroups, better social and emotional outcomes are realised. The findings of this research offer insights into the importance of the formation of relationships between parents, children and the school community when transitioning children to school.

Key words: Playgroup; transition to school; disadvantaged children.

Introduction

In the early years of life, children are participants in the social and cultural world around them. As children interact between home environments and community settings they are exposed to multiple contexts that change over time (Bowes, Grace & Hayes, 2009). More than any other phase, early childhood is characterised by a series of transitions into new environments (Bernard Leer Foundation, 2007). One major life event for children and families is the transition to school. Such an event can often be a social or biological turning point that includes expectations and responsibilities (Bernard Leer Foundation 2007). Transition to school presents many new challenges for children as they learn to adapt to physical and social environments and routines (Berlin, 2010).

Parent-led community playgroups have a long tradition in Australian contexts and are generally identified as an organised gathering of parents and children who meet regularly to play and socialise. A supported playgroup differs in that it is operated by an organisation, and is usually facilitated by early childhood educators or community workers. Research has demonstrated that positive experiences and quality programmes have a favourable impact on later school success (Pianta & Kraft-Sayer, 2003; Dockett & Perry, 2008). Programs that involve families, educators, and support professionals working in partnership have potential to incorporate smooth transitions into the compulsory years of school (Jackson, 2011).  A supported playgroup within a school setting is one type of transitional programme.

FULL REFERENCE: Plows, J  (2015). Three-year-old children’s visual art experiences. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 37 – 51.

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ABSTRACT: This art-based study investigated the verbal and non-verbal communication of five children, three boys and two girls. Previous New Zealand research about visual art learning in the early childhood education field focused mainly on the practices of teachers. In this study, participant observations and audio-recordings were complemented by visual data collected through video recordings and photographs for the purpose of understanding how young children speak, use gesture and action, relate to other people and interact with resources while making art. The children’s existing knowledge and cognitive processes were evident through the multiple ways they expressed themselves. Children’s communication processes during these visual art events were complex and dynamic. The main threads revealed in the data analysis were: children making art alongside peers and adults, interactions with art tools, links between the home and the early childhood setting and the way that children set their own goals. The findings suggest that teachers’ evaluations of three-year-olds’ visual art experiences are likely to be accurate when children’s actions and narratives are considered.

Key words: Visual art; arts; communication; intrapersonal; interpersonal; listening; visual art-based research; video; making meaning.

Introduction

This study looks at the visual art making of three-year-old children. It investigated how children talk to others, speak out loud to themselves, use body language, and interact with visual art equipment.

An increasing amount of literature about young children’s talk during visual art experiences links with the widely advocated pedagogy of listening (Edwards, Gandini & Forman, 1993; Rinaldi, 2001; Stephenson, 2009). Not only do children express ideas verbally during art making processes but the artifacts that they create are also seen as a mode through which they communicate cognitive processes (Ring, 2006).

FULL REFERENCE: Grey, A. (2015). “It is a risk, but it is a risk worth taking”: Early childhood teachers’ reflections on review of practice using an approach of practical philosophy. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 52 – 66.

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ABSTRACT: This article discusses an approach to self-review where an early childhood teaching team reviewed the values that underpin teaching practice, rather than the behaviour demonstrated in teaching practice. This approach takes the form of practical philosophy or inquiry with others in order to critically examine teaching practice (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 2007). A small qualitative study was undertaken by one teaching team to reflect on their personal philosophy of teaching, and to negotiate, as a team, the values they wanted to underpin their teaching.  

The teachers valued participating in reflection and personal dialogue, but experienced some challenges. It was found that this approach can be a valuable method of self-review to heighten teachers’ individual self-awareness, to promote professional dialogue and greater understanding amongst the teaching team and to provoke teachers to reflect more critically on their teaching.

Key words: Self-review; practical philosophy; reflection; teaching inquiry. 

Introduction

Self-review is a common expectation within the early childhood education sector.  This expectation is outlined in the Registered Teacher Criteria 12 (New Zealand Teachers Council, 2010) that states: “teachers use critical inquiry to reflect on and refine values and practice, and respond to feedback from their colleagues”. Early childhood education documents have been published by the Ministry of Education that support the implementation of self-review, namely The quality journey: He Haerenga whai hua (Ministry of Education, 1999) and Nga Arohaehae whai hua: Self-review guidelines for early childhood education (Ministry of Education, 2006). This article takes the view that although these documents are useful as guidelines, alternative approaches to self-review and critical inquiry should also be instigated and trialled. It is argued that practical philosophy is one such approach to self-review and evaluation of teaching practice for early childhood education in Aotearoa New Zealand, and elsewhere.

FULL REFERENCE: Zhang, Q. (2015). Advocating for a comprehensive approach to assessment in New Zealand early childhood education. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 67 – 79.

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ABSTRACT: The Learning Story approach to assessing and reporting children’s learning is the dominant approach to assessment in New Zealand early childhood education largely due to endorsement by the Ministry Education and advocacy by academics and educational authorities. This article argues that regardless of the appeal of Learning Stories this approach should not be promoted as the only or best assessment practice. Educators, parents and children should be provided with choices, and a more multi-method or comprehensive approach taken to assessment. Two key rationales for a comprehensive approach presented in this paper are: (1) assessment has multiple purposes that require multiple tools rather than a one-size-fits-all approach; and (2) the effectiveness of assessment tools is contextually determined.

Key words: Assessment; Learning Stories; multi-method; comprehensive approach.

Introduction

Assessment in early childhood education is important for raising children’s learning outcomes. Internationally, there is debate and no consensus on what assessment practices constitute ‘best practices’; but in NZ over the past ten years, Learning Stories has gained dominancy largely due to endorsement by the Ministry of Education and advocacy by academics and educational authorities. The publication and circulation of Assessment for Learning: Early Childhood Exemplars, a series of books featuring sample Learning Stories (Ministry of Education, 2004, 2007, 2009), along with funded nation-wide professional development for teachers, helped to secure the place of Learning Story methodology in NZ early childhood education.  Assessment in early childhood education is generally seen to mean Learning Stories and the possibility is not considered that there exist other methods that could be used instead of or in conjunction with Learning Stories. This article argues that, regardless of the appeal of Learning Story methodology, this approach should not dominate or monopolise the early childhood education assessment practices, as is the case currently in New Zealand. 

Conceptualising assessment in early childhood settings

FULL REFERENCE: Clark, J.A. (2015). Early childhood education: Fracture lines of social context and neural development. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 18, 80 – 86.

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ABSTRACT: The debate between academics in the Listener about early childhood education raises issues which warrant further critical examination. One issue concerns the weight to be given to families over schools/ centres when it comes to children’s learning. Too often the matter is considered in terms of within school and beyond school dualism of factors but there are significant problems with this way of seeing things. A better way is to adopt a proximal/distal continuum whereby all factors are taken into account, regardless of their importance. A second issue centres on what is required to maximise the learning of young children. Given the centrality of their neural development and the links to family circumstances, it is essential that teachers and parents have a sound grasp of the underlying neural structure of learning to underpin successful learning by all children.

Key words: Learning; home-school factors; curriculum, Te Whariki, brain development.

Introduction

A Listener article (Woulfe, 2014) would not usually elicit an academic response, but when it involves the likes of Professors John Hattie (Auckland/Melbourne), Helen May (Otago) and Richie Poulson (Otago) as well as Dr Sarah Alexander and Dr Ken Blaiklock (Unitec) then you know something is afoot. There are two aspects of the academic disagreement which warrant additional comment.

Beyond the family: Proximal and distal causes

Woulfe (2014) remarks: “Always in education, family factors such as socio-economics, the parents’ education levels and the interest parents take in their child’s learning trump whatever a school can do” (p. 16). A strong case can be made that beyond school/centre factors outweigh the impact of within school/centre ones on student achievement. And the most significant within school/centre influence on student achievement is not the teacher.  The single greatest factor having a direct and immediate impact on student achievement is what children have in their brains at the time which can be retrieved and brought to bear on school performances which are assessed. Teachers are, causally, one removed from student achievement, being only one of many influences on what goes on in a child’s head where learning occurs (Clark, 2014). Even in the classroom it is plausible to conjecture that other factors are at work which have greater effect on the learning which goes on in a child’s brain, such as interaction with other children, digital sources of information of various sorts and so on. By comparison, the direct influence of the teacher on learning itself may be less than conjectured.

The stance presented by Woulfe must be significantly revised in two crucial respects. First, the factors beyond the school must be enlarged to sheet home a wider causal set. Certainly, family conditions cannot be ignored for they play a pivotal role in shaping the experiences from which children learn. Plenty of money provides new opportunities for travel, sports and hobbies, books and digital technology and the like. A dire shortage of money invariably leads to poverty, inability to pay for doctor’s visits and pharmacy prescriptions, and so on. However, family life, whether it be rich or poor, does not exist in a social/political/economic vacuum. Rather, family circumstances are very much shaped by forces beyond the control of families, such as government decisions on policy which are translated into things like budget allocations to health, welfare, employment and education and business decisions which increase or decrease commercial activity and concomitantly raise wages or make workers redundant.