Babies, ethnographies of belonging in 'at risk' communities, and the new compulsory Early Years Learning Framework. This project will develop new understandings about how a sense of belonging can be fostered in early childhood education settings, especially for babies and their families in marginalised communities. It will produce rich accounts of belonging to assist early childhood educators to implement the new compulsory national early childhood curriculum.
Education meets play: a sociological study of how the new compulsory national learning framework for children zero to five years influences educators' practice. New theorising about play and education in early childhood settings has challenged traditional notions of play. This project investigates how educators respond to the requirement for play-based learning by identifying characteristics of successful educators and professional leaders, and strategies and practices that merge education and p ....Education meets play: a sociological study of how the new compulsory national learning framework for children zero to five years influences educators' practice. New theorising about play and education in early childhood settings has challenged traditional notions of play. This project investigates how educators respond to the requirement for play-based learning by identifying characteristics of successful educators and professional leaders, and strategies and practices that merge education and play.Read moreRead less
Naming the world: early years literacy and sustainability learning. The project seeks to produce knowledge about new forms of literacy emerging in sustainability education. For children born in the 21st century, the enmeshing of natural and human forces in the survival of the planet requires conceptual and practical innovation. Early childhood education can be a fundamental driver in this process. This project aims to integrate literacy and sustainability to produce powerful new learning for you ....Naming the world: early years literacy and sustainability learning. The project seeks to produce knowledge about new forms of literacy emerging in sustainability education. For children born in the 21st century, the enmeshing of natural and human forces in the survival of the planet requires conceptual and practical innovation. Early childhood education can be a fundamental driver in this process. This project aims to integrate literacy and sustainability to produce powerful new learning for young children. It plans to theorise new forms of literacy emerging in sustainability education, articulate innovative pedagogies, and inform national and international policy and practice to address 21st century learning imperatives.Read moreRead less
Continuity and change in curriculum and pedagogies as children start school. This project considers the impact of the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum on transition to school in Australia. Through extensive interviews and surveys, it gathers evidence to influence theoretical, policy and practice approaches to transition to school and, hence, the future schooling of all Australian children.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100830
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$365,071.00
Summary
Supporting children's early mathematics development. This project aims to investigate how implementation of cognitively demanding mathematics tasks in the early years may change number development and mathematics achievement. By focusing on children’s use of strategy, the project seeks to link classroom mathematics with underpinning cognitive processes. It also plans to use eye tracking technology to identify connections between explicit mathematics strategies and intuitive cognitive behaviours. ....Supporting children's early mathematics development. This project aims to investigate how implementation of cognitively demanding mathematics tasks in the early years may change number development and mathematics achievement. By focusing on children’s use of strategy, the project seeks to link classroom mathematics with underpinning cognitive processes. It also plans to use eye tracking technology to identify connections between explicit mathematics strategies and intuitive cognitive behaviours. It is expected this project will have important implications for teaching practice in the early years of school, by providing new understanding of how engaging in demanding tasks influences children’s flexible use of strategy and subsequent achievement. This would inform practitioners and policy-makers about the supports required to establish strong mathematics foundations in children.Read moreRead less
New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years. Traditional play-based learning in early childhood education cannot account for new play: very young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. This project uses a recently developed web-mapping tool to create a pedagogical approach to new play. The pedagogical approach to new play comprises teaching practices and learning outcomes that capitalise on the educational potential of children's every ....New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years. Traditional play-based learning in early childhood education cannot account for new play: very young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. This project uses a recently developed web-mapping tool to create a pedagogical approach to new play. The pedagogical approach to new play comprises teaching practices and learning outcomes that capitalise on the educational potential of children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. It aims to enable teachers to work from a theorised and empirically validated perspective for connecting young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture artefacts to their 21st century learning needs.Read moreRead less
Building executive function in imaginary play. This project aims to develop a sustainable, play-based program to increase the executive functions of children in the year prior to school. Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes that control an individual’s behaviour and cognition and include processes such as working memory, inhibitory control and attention. There is evidence that EF skills are critical to a successful transition to formal learning environments and future academic achiev ....Building executive function in imaginary play. This project aims to develop a sustainable, play-based program to increase the executive functions of children in the year prior to school. Executive functions (EF) are cognitive processes that control an individual’s behaviour and cognition and include processes such as working memory, inhibitory control and attention. There is evidence that EF skills are critical to a successful transition to formal learning environments and future academic achievement, and that they are amenable to early intervention. Improving children’s EF skills in the year prior to school could produce lasting benefits across the school years, particularly for more vulnerable children. This project intends to inform professional development programs in early childhood education.Read moreRead less
Punish them or engage them? Identifying and addressing productive and unproductive student behaviours in South Australian schools. This project will provide a contemporary understanding of productive and unproductive student behaviour, which is a key educational concern in Australia. Evidence will be obtained to inform educational decisions to engage and promote positive student behaviour and improve academic achievement.
Integrating teachers’ knowledge and affect to improve mathematics teaching and raise attainment. Mathematics teachers need to know their subject and how to teach it and need passion for the discipline and for inspiring their students to love it. They must believe that their students can learn mathematics and set high academic expectations for all of them. Knowledge and beliefs must be addressed in order to improve teaching, but exactly how can this be done? This project aims to build on existin ....Integrating teachers’ knowledge and affect to improve mathematics teaching and raise attainment. Mathematics teachers need to know their subject and how to teach it and need passion for the discipline and for inspiring their students to love it. They must believe that their students can learn mathematics and set high academic expectations for all of them. Knowledge and beliefs must be addressed in order to improve teaching, but exactly how can this be done? This project aims to build on existing work to develop theoretical insights that will lead to innovative approaches towards teacher change based on the integration of teacher knowledge and affect.Read moreRead less
Learning to write: A socio-material analysis of text production. Contemporary literacy classrooms are places of intense curriculum and technological change. This project will investigate how young children are learning to write as they participate in producing both print and digital texts with a range of tools and technologies. Innovative approaches to teaching writing in early childhood classrooms in four schools situated in low socio-economic communities across two states will be collaborative ....Learning to write: A socio-material analysis of text production. Contemporary literacy classrooms are places of intense curriculum and technological change. This project will investigate how young children are learning to write as they participate in producing both print and digital texts with a range of tools and technologies. Innovative approaches to teaching writing in early childhood classrooms in four schools situated in low socio-economic communities across two states will be collaboratively designed with teachers. The documentation of these classroom design experiments aims to form the basis of innovative practice for other teachers. Employing a socio-material analysis aims to illuminate the affordances of new ways of understanding learning to write in action, in contemporary early childhood classrooms.Read moreRead less