Partnerships in Learning: linking early childhood services, families and schools for optimal development

1. Partnerships in Learning: linking early childhood services, families and schools for optimal development Dr Jean Ashton with Ass Prof Christine Woodrow, Ass Prof Christine Johnston, Ass Prof June Wangmann, Ms Tanya James & Ms Lin Singh University of Western Sydney - Australia

2. Focus of the study • Our study identifies and explores the relationship between families, E/C and school teachers in children’s first year of school. • It is based on the premise that collaboration and dialogue between all involved in supporting young children’s developing cognition are necessary to provide a secure, relevant learning environment.

3. Vygotsky understood learning as… • cooperative, • communicative, • collaborative, • interactive (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence, 1999), • providing or being provided with tools and resources for exploring, problem solving and making meaning

4. Individual understanding… • or “individual consciousness is built from outside through relations with others” (Vygotsky, 1997, p. xxiv) as a product of mediated activity. • mediators use a range of psychological tools and interpersonal communications to help the learner achieve understanding.

5. Supporting cognition • Jerome Bruner’s metaphor of “scaffolding”, encapsulates the idea of mediation in cognition through the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). • Scaffolding provides “consciousness for two” (Bruner, 1986, p. 75), until such time as cognitive mastery is achieved.

6. “consciousness for two” • Describes the interactions between • parents and children, • educators and students • It is the kind of mediation or scaffolding of cognitive activity which • fosters learning from earliest years • sets pattern of self regulation or meta-cognition for the years ahead

7. Optimal conditions for supporting cognition in school… • are likely when the “vicarious consciousness” (Bruner, 1986), scaffolding or cognitive supports and the base for understanding are congruent with those already familiar to the learner. • occur when there is congruence between home and school.

8. Congruence… • between home and school practices are highly correlated with student success (Rossi & Montgomery, 1994).

9. Lack of congruence or dissonance.. • attributed to family and school differences can affect children’s and families’ values, skills, and learning styles.

10. Educational values amongst families attributed to… • educational history • socioeconomic status • culture and ethnicity

11. Educational values of schools… • are inherent in preferred or dominant discourses • traditionally middle class • hold embodied message of preferment, power and control (Gee,1996; 2004) • contribute to maintenance of hierarchical structures and distribution of social power (Ashton & Cairney, 2001).

12. Lack of congruence therefore… • can lead to • compromised relationships between educators and parents, • false assumptions about families’ aspirations for their children • erroneous feelings of dominance and authority by both parties.

13. Children benefit most … • when parents and teachers • share educational goals and • engage in effective communication (Christensen, 2002). • when there is continuity in programming and pedagogy across the early years with • parents, • early childhood teachers and • school teachers. • These factors critical for children whose circumstances may place them at an educational disadvantage.

14. Partnerships in learning – Transition to school • Much research has focused on … • children’s readiness for school, • teachers’ views of children’s knowledge and skills at school entry • schools’ readiness for children

15. For seamless transitions… • program continuity • recognition and response to individual learning needs, • ongoing communication - teachers in E/C and schools, • preparation of children for the transition • continued involvement of parents in transition and later learning • trusting relationships between families and teachers in E/C services and schools.

16. Methodology • semi structured interviews - 9 kindergarten teachers • teachers invited to: • discuss perceptions of children’s adjustment to school (e.g. How well do you think students were prepared for the start of school this year?) • discuss effects of a range of early childhood experiences on school readiness (e.g. What are some factors that contribute to children being prepared for school?) • data were analysed using an interpretative inquiry method (Lambert, 2003).

17. In general we found that… • families and some school teachers saw the value of early childhood services in supporting children’s transition to school, • HOWEVER • continuum of ideas, philosophies and experiences between the early childhood years and school which would lead, in Vygotsky’s (1997) view, to optimal learning, was not evident.

18. Specifically we found… • a very diverse community in terms of socioeconomics, social behaviours, living and parenting skills • relatively high educational levels (Uni & TAFE) amongst mothers • some degree of poverty or neglect amongst children (inadequate clothing, no breakfast or lunch) • Speech/language problems not associated with multiculturalism

19. We also found… • parents and some teachers valued E/C experiences • little communication between school and E/C services • significant misunderstandings associated with focus of E/C services, • lack of interest in what occurs in services • mistrust of reports from the educators about children who had attended E/C services.

20. Collaboration with EC services • Valued by some school teachers • Detection of additional needs early important • Initiative for communication generally taken by EC teachers • Other teachers want no contact with E/C • Scornful of “reports” from E/C services

21. Collaboration and partnership • Essential for mediation of higher mental functions • Necessary to establish congruence between values of home, E/C services and school • Contributes to quality experiences for children’s overall development • Provide a balance between new and continuing experiences

22. Collaboration and partnership • Hindered by • Disregard for E/C experiences • Limited appreciation for families’ social, cultural and historical factors • Limited awareness of E/C services and their function • Lack of trust between E/C and school teachers and families

23. We found an ambivalence… • on the part of school teachers to the role and contribution of teachers working in prior to school settings. • this finding suggests how far the field has still to travel to achieve seamless transitions between the early childhood experience and that of the school.

24. Conclusion • Mediating children’s developing cognition through scaffolded experiences from a Vygotskian perspective, can become a shared process, relevant to children’s lives, honouring to families and reflecting congruent pedagogies to most effectively support children’s learning.