Convention, 8-13 September: Dunedin interventions where an adult mediates between a child’s experiences and the surrounding environment). interaction. More aware of reasons for own behaviour, recognised role as teachers/educators. Changed opinions about needs for education of toddlers. beneficial – wider view. Independent coding: Greater involvement of children in interaction with staff at end of project. Increase for all groups in transcendence (expanding or going beyond the here and now). Work with toddlers requires staff to understand children who are not able to communicate verbally – requires knowledge and ability. Some structural (smaller groups of children). Pramling Samuelsson, I., Johansson, E., Davidsson, B. & Fors, B. (2000) Student teachers’ children’s questions about life – a phenomenographic approach to learning. European Early Childhood Education Research, 8(2), pp. 7-32. 46 pre-service students. Comparison group of 19 students. Focus on child’s life questions. Opportunities for reflection and metacognitive aspects emphasised. Interviews, keeping a diary, working with ethical dilemmas, researchers asking provocative questions were methods used to encourage reflection. Comparison group had traditional university course. Students in intervention group emphasised importance of finding out child’s view and tackling child’s questions together. Students in this group aware their roles and questions are a tool to help children develop thinking and understand the world around them. Timperley, & Robinson, V. (2001). Achieving school improvement through challenging and changing teachers’ schema. Journal Primary school teachers in 4 primary schools in Mangere and Otara. New entrants followed over 1st year of school. Analysis of data to test assumptions – School 1) skill level assessment, School 2) parent education meetings, School 3) data on letter identification, School Shifts in deficit assumptions for schools 1, 2, and 3. School 4 failed to test alternative pedagogy – Required discrepant data, presence of external agent to assist with data collection and interpretation, availability
resource as a reflective tool. New Zealand Association for Research in Education Annual Conference, December, Dunedin. together, enhanced problem-solving. Some changes to structures identified through data gathering. Blenkin, G. and Hutchin, V. (1998). Action research, child observations and professional development: some evidence from a research project. Early years, 19 (1), pp. 62–75. Blenkin, G. M. and Kelly, A. V. (1997). Principles into practice in early childhood education. London: Paul Chapman Publishing Ltd. Teachers/educators in 67 UK early childhood settings. 18 months and 30 months. Action research involving practitioner and researcher partnership. Focus found, evidence collected, reflection and evaluation, more evidence etc. Practitioners making observations and journals of thought processes for analysis. Case studies. Need to use observation as a diagnostic tool and to be analytic in assessing quality of what children do. Observations used to develop thinking and practice. Motivation necessary. Trained staff in most successful settings. Teachers/educators in control. Hard to work with groups of practitioners with different needs. Langley, J. (1997). The development of an training programme to enable kindergarten teachers to better manage the behaviour of young children with behaviour disorders. Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. University of Canterbury. Christchurch. Teachers in 4 Christchurch kindergartens. 2 children with severe behaviour problems from each kindergarten. 4 ½ weeks. Screening of children, training to record positive responses to appropriate child behaviour and negative responses to inappropriate child behaviour in workshops in which theoretical and practical activities undertaken. Practice and support package – teachers required to set goals, monitor and respond to target children’s behaviour. Feedback given. Interviews with teachers, observation of target children’s behaviour. In kindergartens where a criterion of acceptable behaviour was set, and teachers were given feedback, higher positive teacher responses to appropriate behaviour was found. 5 out of 8 children’s behaviour moved from disruptive to within the normal range for children of that age.
Stage 1. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 2(2), 157-168. Day conference for all teachers. Neuman, S. B. (1999). make a difference: A study of access to literacy. Reading Research Quarterly, 34(3), 286-311. Staff in 50 childcare centres in Pennsylvania. 35 treatment and 31 control 3 and 4 year olds in 50 centres in economically disadvantaged communities, who were followed into school after 6 months. 1st programme - 5 books per child given to centres. Monthly workshops in local libraries by pre-school specialists and some with the centre. 2nd programme - More context-specific training and support model of workshops in centres, on developmentally appropriate practice, read aloud techniques, stretching ideas to make meaning, ways to enhance access to books. Standardised assessments before programme and after programme in language and literacy measures. Photographic accounts of areas in each centre where there were books, observations of child: teacher interactions, collection schedules, teacher survey. Children in programme scored higher on 4 of 6 assessment measures. Environments and low training levels fall below NZ standards. McNaughton, S., Wolfgramm, E., & Afeaki, V. (1996). Reading strategies for Tongan Auckland: Auckland Uniservices Ltd. 7 Tongan families and children from Tongan early childhood centre. Shared ideas about types of reading, showed demonstration and commentary, discussed practical ideas. Parents to respond to children’s initiations. Child observation. Children’s engagement in non-immediate talk. Parents to their styles. Some new story books in Tongan supplied and limited help given for transport and telephone communication. Programmes need adequate resourcing. Sauvao, L. (1995). Parents' involvement in A'oga Amata: actions speak louder than words. Paper presented at the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Conference, 7-10 Samoan and Tokelauan parents in playgroup. Action of lesson demonstrations on shared reading, story telling and song teaching, parents undertaking tasks and being observed, researcher feedback. Written and verbal evaluations. Fear of parents and teachers hindered participation.
study. Hamilton: University of Waikato. greater focus to mathematics in everyday routines and activities and explore mathematical opportunities, constructed resources and worked with children. Teachers in fourth kindergarten continued the usual programme. 3rd kindergarten teachers regarded mathematics as planned activity rather than ongoing. Watters, J. J., Diezmann, C. M., Grieshaber, S. J., & Davis, J. M. (2001). Enhancing science education for young children: a contemporary initiative. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 26(2), 1-7. 700 early childhood teachers in Queensland. Orientation phase – background , curriculum policy and science initiatives discussed. Resource kit video and manual displayed. Engagement – Group exploration and discussion on science topics (45 minutes on each topic). Explored resources related to topic and suggested ways to extend children’s thinking. Reflection phase – strategies reviewed and concerns discussed. Survey completed by 192 participants. Teachers adopted approach in beliefs about teaching science, personal understanding enhanced and aligned with pedagogic understanding, understanding of learning in science developed, gained knowledge of classroom strategies to teach science, valued investigative methods, developed strategies to organise and manage resources. Need for background information on topics, information on implementing, planning and assessing lessons sought, information on how to teach science in sought, need to integrate science with other areas. Fleer, M. (1996b). Fusing the boundaries between home and child care to support children’s scientific learning. Research in Science Education, 26(2), 143-154. Teachers in an Australian childcare centre 10 children and families. Children aged 2.8 – 4.10 years. 5 units with scientific focus on solids, liquids and gases; materials and their properties; evaporation and condensation; dissolving; and decay, rusting and burning. Implementation of programme videotaped. Parents interviewed before and programme. Children ask more scientific questions at home than prior to study, but not at centre. Parents appreciated communication with teachers. Parents’ view of science changed from elitist view to everyday perspective. View Need to examine teaching context since children did not ask scientific questions at home.
Constructivist approach – find out understandings, children asking questions and investigating answers. Teachers encouraged shared understanding through newsletter to parents, activity book with home-based activities, direct sharing. of own role also changed – parents could be active in development of scientific thinking. Ball, J. (Undated). First Nations Partnership Programs Generative Curriculum Model. Victoria, British Columbia: University of Victoria. Ball, J., Leo, C., & Pierre, M. (2001). From the inside out. A profile of Mount Currie First Nation Aboriginal Child and Youth Care Programh. CCCF, Spring, 25-27. Ball, J., & Pence, A. (2001). Training in First Nations communities: Five "secrets" of success. CCCF, Spring, 19-23. Seven First Nations community groups, including instructors, elders, resource people working with teacher trainees in collaboration with University of Victoria. Ongoing. Locally recruited instructors, elders, resource people met weekly with trainees to discuss and traditional customs, language and values related to children’s stages of development. Theoretical and curriculum approaches examined. Focus on strengths not deficits. 2 year evaluation – Questions from partner communities, data from collaborators, examination of impact of programme Good fit between attitudes and skills of trainees and goals needs and circumstances of children. Wellbeing of families strengthened. Higher rate of qualifications and career development teacher trainees. Early Childhood Development. (2001). Berhampore Kindergarten. Developing appropriate teaching practices to meet the needs of diverse ethnic communities attending early childhood services. Teachers at Berhampore Kindergarten. Many children from NESB homes. Action research – data collection, needs analysis in relation to meeting needs of culturally diverse group of children, development of action plan, reflective evaluation and discussion, Staff evaluations. Changed opportunities for children’s learning: Staff developed vocabulary lists in Somali, Syrrian and other languages, more use was made of lists, staff divided groups to make smaller more intensive Groups restructured to enable more intensive work.