Using Social and Emotional Instructional Activities to Indigenise Early Childhood Education in a Post-colonial Society

In this article, I discuss the International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study (IELS), which is currently being rolled out by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. I summarise the development of IELS and the critique that has been voiced by early childhood scholars, professionals and advocates. I then move to an aspect of IELS that has so far been absent from the discussion: the actual conduct of the test, using the two stylised child characters Tom and Mia. I provide a provisional reading of the Tom and Mia imaginary through the lens of post-colonial and neo-colonial analysis. Applying the concept of colonisation as a frame of reference opens a space for introducing resistance and anti-colonial practices as productive forces to challenge the global hegemony. I draw on Pedro Sotolongo’s concept of the power of marginal notions to argue that experiences made on the margins of society, both geographically and socially, offer very practical alternatives to reconceptualising early childhood education, and services for young children, families and communities.

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Sharing is Caring: A Study of Food-Sharing Practices in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Services

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12010229 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 229

Author(s):

Ruth Wallace ◽

Karen Lombardi ◽

Charlotte De Backer ◽

Leesa Costello ◽

Amanda Devine

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Emotional Development ◽

Food Sharing ◽

Social And Emotional Development ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Care Services ◽

Education And Care ◽

Family Style

Food connects people, and can significantly impact the physical, social and emotional development of young children. Food sharing and family-style mealtimes can support healthy eating practices and psychological well-being among young children, and carersother than family members, such as Early Childhood Education and Care staff, play an important role in the provision of these practices. Despite increasing numbers of Australian children attending Early Childhood Education and Care services, there is often reluctance among staff to promote such mealtime practices, to the detriment of children’s social and emotional development. The aim of this paper was to focus on the potential role of Early Childhood Education and Care services in facilitating food sharing and family-style mealtime practices in the earliest stages of the lifespan. A qualitative, netnographic approach was used, and data was collected as part of the broader ’Supporting Nutrition for Australian Childcare’ (SNAC) study, via online conversation threads, observations and qualitative interviews. Findings demonstrated that whilst many Early Childhood Education and Care services are committed to supporting food sharing and family-style mealtime practices, a number of barriers were reported. These included the perception that babies and toddlers could not participate in these practices, concerns about food hygiene and cross contamination of allergens, and negative parental influences on food sharing. In conclusion, this paper supports the practice of food sharing in Early Childhood Education and Care settings and calls for them to become embedded in everyday operations to support the physical, social and emotional development of Australia’s future generations.

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Parenting Support in an Early Childhood Learning Context

The Power of Positive Parenting ◽

10.1093/med-psych/9780190629069.003.0021 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 242-251

Author(s):

Karen M. T. Turner ◽

Cassandra K. Dittman ◽

Julie C. Rusby ◽

Shawna Lee

Keyword(s):

Professional Development ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

School Readiness ◽

Early Learning ◽

Triple P ◽

Learning Program ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Early Childhood Learning

Early childhood education and child care settings have the potential to support parents and promote children’s cognitive, social, and emotional development, with likely long-term positive impacts well beyond school readiness. This chapter describes the development and pilot testing of a parallel program to Triple P, the Positive Early Childhood Education Program, a professional development and learning program designed for early childhood educators and carers. Key considerations in applying such programs in the early education setting are discussed, including awareness of local regulations, fit with early learning philosophies, and developing an environment that promotes partnerships between educators and parents. Parameters for professional development in the sector are also explored, such as online learning and opportunities for practice and coaching in the context of a busy early learning setting.

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Do Curriculum-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs in Early Childhood Education and Care Strengthen Teacher Outcomes? A Systematic Literature Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17031049 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 1049

Author(s):

Claire Blewitt ◽

Amanda O’Connor ◽

Heather Morris ◽

Aya Mousa ◽

Heidi Bergmeier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Literature Review ◽

Systematic Literature Review ◽

Social And Emotional Learning ◽

Teaching Quality ◽

Social Emotional ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Education And Care

There is growing awareness of the benefits of curriculum-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs in Early Childhood Education and Care settings for children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. While many SEL programs aim to strengthen teachers’ capacity and capability to foster children’s social and emotional skills, research effort has focused on understanding the impact on child outcomes, with less emphasis on improvement in teaching quality. This systematic literature review examined the effectiveness of universal curriculum-based SEL programs on teacher outcomes. Fifteen studies met inclusion criteria, capturing ten distinct SEL interventions. The findings suggest SEL programs may strengthen teaching quality, particularly the provision of responsive and nurturing teacher-child interactions and effective classroom management. Data were insufficient to ascertain whether participation improved teachers’ knowledge, self-efficacy, or social-emotional wellbeing. The potential pathways between SEL intervention, teaching quality and children’s developmental outcomes are discussed.

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European Educational Policies on Teacher Training for Early Childhood Education

Trends and Prospects of the Education System and Educators’ Professional Training Development ◽

10.18662/978-1-910129-28-9.ch001 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 15-26

Author(s):

Otilia Clipa ◽

◽

Liliana Mâţă ◽

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Teacher Training ◽

Early Childhood Education ◽

Educational Policies ◽

Childhood Education ◽

Social And Emotional ◽

Special Profile ◽

Education And Care ◽

Policy Measures ◽

Entire World

Nowadays, for entire world is consider a priority to invest in Early childhood education and to realize upon this European educational Policies. On September 2019, the European Commission had published the comparative report about Data on Childhood Education and Care in Europe and this document describes the main policy measures to ensure access specifying which countries guarantee a place in Early Childhood Education and Care from which age and it show how investment in this field have many benefits in entire life of this people. In many educational policies are highlighted the values of early age education and their effects on the children’s social and emotional integration within that society. In these debates, many countries focus their educational policies to teacher training for early childhood education and we described in this chapter. We propose a special profile and competence of this teacher for early childhood education.

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