Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia: Challenges, Achievements and Opportunities

Transcription

1 Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia: Challenges, Achievements and Opportunities Jennifer Sumsion International Innovations in ECE: A Canadian forum on early childhood frameworks University of Victoria, Victoria BC, July 13-15

2 Applies to all regulated, prior to school early childhood services Approved by the Australian Council of Governments (COAG) in late 2009

3 National Quality Framework [Uniform laws and regulations across Australia] replaces previous national quality assurance system, a world first when set up in 1994 (as funding was tied to accreditation) includes a National Quality Standard with seven quality areas: QA1 QA2 QA3 QA4 QA5 QA6 QA7 Educational program and practice Children s health and safety Physical environment Staffing arrangements Relationships with children Collaborative partnerships with families and communities Leadership and service management

4 QA (1): Educational program and practice to be assessed through

5 Overview 1. Similarities between Canadian and Australian contexts 2. Challenges and achievements of the Australian Framework: a back story 3. Opportunities or lines of flight (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987) that seem to be opening up

6 Socio-political and geopolitical similarities

7 Indigenous nations / language groups

8 Canada by Prime Minister Stephen Harper: June 11, 2008 Australia By Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: Feb 13, 2008 Apology to Aboriginal peoples

9 Scale, diversity, place Canada Australia 9, km 2 7, km 2

10 Population

11 Population Canada Australia Total 34. 5m 22.5m Density (residents per km 2) Aboriginal (%) Foreign-born (%) Cities with % foreign born (in world order) Toronto 44% (2 nd ) Vancouver 37% (4 th ) Sydney 31% (8 th )

12 Early Childhood Education OECD Report (2006) Canada Strengthen the present federal/provincial/territorial agreements and focus them as much as possible on child development and learning. (p. 301) Australia a clearer vision (including a strategy framework). should be elaborated, drawing on the views and interests of children, families, communities, professionals and researchers across the States and Territories (p. 272) UNICEF (2008) benchmarks 1/10 ( the weakest, with Ireland, of 25 OECD counties) 2/10 (3rd weakest of 25 OECD counties)

13 Federal systems of parliamentary government Canada 10 provinces 3 territories Australia 6 states 2 territories (mainland)

14 Responsibilities for ECEC Canada Australia Province / State Education Federal Care

15 And differences.

16 Canada: No! Australia: Yes!

17 Political cycles are out of step

18 Challenges and Achievements

19 Council of Australian Government s Reform Agenda: Reforms to Commonwealth- State Relations Reforms to Policy

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21 Challenges Curriculum inevitably involves complicated conversations about what educational experiences a society wants for its children and about how, through investments in children, society can be produced, maintained, repaired and transformed (Carey, 1992, cited in Pinar, 2012, p. 1). Sumsion, J., Barnes, S., Cheeseman, S., Harrison, L., Kennedy, A.M., Stonehouse, A. (2009) Insider Perspectives on developing Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 34(4), 4-13.

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23 An assemblage The Framework assemblage, therefore, encompasses far more than the words, images, discourses, structures, and silences of the actual Framework document itself (Sumsion & Grieshaber, in press)

24 Queensland Government. (2011). Foundations for success: Guidelines for an early learning program in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Communities.

25 Herald Sun Playing at politicking : April 14, 2009, p. 20 Kinder[garten] pupils may soon be urged to challenge bias and discrimination as part of new teaching guidelines. You have to be kidding! Political correctness is coming to a kindergarten near you. The three Rs are now reconciliation, race and restitution. Eradicating outdated golliwog dolls 20 years ago was one thing. But current attempts to force the pre-school to become political are out of control. While I welcome an emphasis on equity, reconciliation, diversity and discrimination in early learning, things are clearly going too far.

26 The Weekend Australian PC pedagogues imperil preschools April 18, 2009, p.26 This is a really weird document that drifts way too far from what should be its core brief of making kids sociable, friendly and caring, and equipping them with a basic ability to read, write and count. Some of what they suggest could not only be confusing but upsetting for kids aged one to five. It is neither banal nor reactionary to argue that little kids should be allowed to remain in a state of innocence rather than forcing them to grapple with more grown-up issues that would never have crossed their tiny minds. I find it insulting as a parent that, at their most rabid, these narks accuse you of racism should you question the logic of enlisting toddlers who are still being toilet-trained to their own private, adult crusade for social equity.

27 Political fanaticism (letters to the Editor) I read Ms McKew's proposal to politically indoctrinate preschoolers with growing disbelief. Which country are we living in, Australia or some totalitarian state? Of course, young children need to be taught to be thoughtful of others and care for them. They do not need to be taught some sort of political fanaticism inspired by the radical Left. This does more to divide society than bring it together. It dwells on differences and encourages discontent. Ms McKew may want to see all children grow up to be Labor-voting political clones, but I would prefer my children to grow up caring for others before taking on the issues that we have not solved since the beginning of human existence. Cl WILSON, Hawthorn

28 Elements of the Framework (p.10) Principles Practice Learning outcomes

29 Practices Holistic approaches Responsiveness to children Learning through play Intentional teaching Learning environments Cultural Competence Continuity of learning and transitions Assessment for learning

30 Pedagogical Principles Secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships Partnerships High expectations and equity Respect for diversity Ongoing learning and reflective practice

31 Outcomes OUTCOME 1: Children have a strong sense of identity OUTCOME 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world OUTCOME 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing OUTCOME 4: Children are confident and involved learners OUTCOME 5: Children are effective communicators

32 Achievements 1. Successful collaboration 1 st national EC framewor for a democratic Federated country (to the best of our knowledge) 2. We were able to keep what mattered most to us (For me: Respectful of educators: positions them as professional, knowledgeable, skilful, ethical, intentional; Recognition that intellectual work is an important aspect of early childhood pedagogy; Recognition of children as capable, and as active participants in their families and communities; and Emphasis on diversity (including theoretical diversity)

33 A lively culture of professional inquiry (p. 13) What are my understandings of each child? What theories, philosophies and understandings shape and assist my work? Who is advantaged when I work in this way? Who is disadvantaged? What questions do I have about my work? What am I challenged by? What am I curious about? What am I confronted by? What aspects of my work are not helped by the theories and guidance that I usually draw on to make sense of what I do? Are there other theories or knowledge that could help me to understand better what I have observed or experienced? What are they? How might those theories and that knowledge affect my practice?

34 p. 11 Early childhood educators draw upon a range of perspectives in their work which may include: developmental theories that focus on describing and understanding the processes of change in children s learning and development over time; socio-cultural theories that emphasise the central role that families and cultural groups play in children s learning and the importance of respectful relationships and provide insight into social and cultural contexts of learning and development; socio-behaviourist theories that focus on the role of experiences in shaping children s behaviour; critical theories that invite early childhood educators to challenge assumptions about curriculum, and consider how their decisions may affect children differently post-structuralist theories that offer insights into issues of power, equity and social justice in early childhood settings.

35 p. 11 Drawing on a range of perspectives and theories can challenge traditional ways of seeing children, teaching and learning, and encourage educators, as individuals and with colleagues, to: investigate why they act in the ways that they do discuss and debate theories to identify strengths and limitations recognise how the theories and beliefs that they use to make sense of their work enable but also limit their actions and thoughts consider the consequences of their actions for children s experiences find new ways of working fairly and justly.

36 Newsletter 31: What have theories got to do with it? A group of three girls and a boy aged three to four years are skillfully selecting and cutting pictures out of magazines and pasting them onto paper at the collage table. They have been commenting on each other s work and sharing the magazines and their ideas. After a while, one of the children says to another child who has cut and pasted a photo of a boy, That s yukky. I don t like boys. Another child agrees with this comment and the child who made this selection, says loudly, You re not my friend

37 If you: focused on the assessment of children s fine motor skills and their independence you might be thinking from a developmental perspective. believed it was important to challenge the comments about a yukky boy or not my friend because they reflect bias and exclusion, you are making a decision based most likely on poststructuralist perspectives which recognise that children can use power (via words or actions) to include or exclude others. decided to focus your actions and future plans on learning about friendships, you might be reflecting socio-cultural perspectives that value the social nature of learning and the importance of children as teachers of others.

38 If you: chose to praise the child who pasted the image of the boy, you are probably influenced by behaviourist theories which encourage the use of positive reinforcement for guiding children s behaviour. It is possible that your immediate response might be based on one theoretical perspective and then later with time for deeper reflection and conversation with others you could make a different decision based on a broader range of perspectives. There are strengths and limitations for every theory which means it could be unwise to always rely on one perspective about children s learning. and development

39 Dominate theories used to support play views (Fleer, in press) Theory to support their view of play Distinctly one theory Range of theories: 2 Range of theories: 2 or more Cultural-historical theory of play 72 3 Piagetian view of play 14 3 Poststructuralist view of play Social learning theory view of play Behavourist view of play 3 1

40 Departures from Tradition (Grieshaber, 2010) 1. Free play and play-based learning; 2. Child development and learning; 3. Free play and intentional teaching; 4. Outcomes to plan learning; 5. High expectations and equity.

41 lines of flight (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987)

42 a society is defined by its lines of flight (Deleuze & Guattari, 1987,p. 238) And frameworks also???? Lines of flight disrupt binaries and segmentations, sweeping us away across familiar thresholds towards unknown, unforseen destinations (Deleuze & Parnet, 2006).

43 How does a framework function? What work does it do? Outcome 3 Outcome 2 Outcome 1

44 Curriculum frameworks as striated and smooth space

45 Cultivating smooth space My take on the concepts of belonging, being and becoming contrasts starkly with that presented in the EYLF. This story is a result of how the EYLF prompted me to think about how I engaged with these overarching concepts. In that way, the EYLF can be thought of as a conversation starter about theory and practice and their interconnectedness, rather than a script for early childhood practice alone (Giugni, 2011, p. 12).

46 It was important for someone else [other than me] at the table to raise the issue and it was a two and-a-half-year-old girl. SuXia successfully intercepted the conversation between Samantha, Jobi and me, and took it in a new direction. Following SuXia s comment, Samantha and Jobi launched into a knowledge-sharing session of what they knew about lesbian and gay people and culture. Samantha said: Two girls kiss, you know, they can ; and Jobi said: And two mums kiss, too. Critically, Samantha added: Yeah, but they can t get married. There was a silence. And then I asked: Why? Not in Australia, Samantha said. That not fair [sic], Jobi replied. And SuXia sat sculpting her earthly clay into two mums and nodding her head: Not fair, she said. This conversation indicated to me that the girls had some knowledge about the lack of Australian policies about samesex marriage [and] revealed Research Institute to of me Professional that Practice, they Learning, had a and strong Education

47 An immanent terrain of possibilities

48 from which lines of flight can emerge

49 Worldviews, Theories and Philosophies in Children s Services ces/worldviews-of-childservices/

50 References Deleuze, G., & Guattari, F. (1987). A thousand plateaus: Capitalism and schizophrenia (B. Massumi, Trans.). London: Continuum. Fleer, M. (In press), Re-theorising play activities making room for diverse cultural expressions of play. In In Lillemyr, O.F., Dockett, S. & Perry, B. (Ed.), Perspectives on play and learning: Theory and research on early years education, North Carolina: Information Age Publishing. Grieshaber, Susan. (2010). Departures from tradition: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 4(2), Giugni, Miriam. (2011). 'Becoming worldly with': An encounter with the Early Years Learning Framework. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 12(1), Pinar, W. F. (2012) What is Curriculum Theory? 2nd edn. New York and London: Routledge. Sumsion, J. & Grieshaber, S. (In press). Pursuing better childhoods and futures through curriculum: Utopian visions in the development of Australia s Early Years Learning Framework. Global Studies of Childhood.