scholarly journals Corrigendum: Through the eyes of parents: Culture of young children in diverse early learning spaces

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aletta J. Van As ◽  
Lorayne A. Excell ◽  
Noluthando Magadla ◽  
Neliswa Gqoli
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Learning Spaces

No abstract available.

Through the eyes of parents: Culture of young children in diverse early learning spaces

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aletta J. van As ◽  
Lorayne A. Excell ◽  
Noluthando Magadala ◽  
Neliswa Gqoli
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Learning Spaces

Empowering Aboriginal Families as Their Children’s First Teachers of Cultural Knowledge, Languages and Identity at Galiwin’ku FaFT Playgroup

2021 ◽  
pp. 183693912110389
Author(s):  
Dorothy Gapany ◽  
Marilyn Murukun ◽  
Jessica Goveas ◽  
Jonica Dhurrkay ◽  
Verity Burarrwanga ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Sign Language ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Learning Experiences ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Daily Interactions ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Aboriginal Children

Embracing and embedding the rich cultural knowledge, languages, concepts and skills that Aboriginal families and children bring to playgroup is key to empowering families as their children’s first teachers and strengthening young children’s self-esteem, pride, confidence and identities. In this article, we share our story of how we have explored and upheld the strengths of Yolŋu identity, cultural knowledge and language in the Galiwin’ku Families as First Teachers (FaFT) playgroup early educational program. We highlight the ways we have supported mothers to embed gesture, sign language, Yolngu Matha language conventions, Yolŋu kinship, clan concepts and dance into their daily interactions with their children at FaFT. We reflect on what has empowered mothers to feel agentic in their children’s learning in these playgroups and to build strong Yolŋu identities in young children and argue that playgroup is a vital educational platform through which to deliver culturally meaningful early learning experiences for Aboriginal children prior to preschool.

Solving the Creativity Crisis

2019 ◽  
pp. 100-121
Author(s):  
Denise M. Bressler
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Elementary Students ◽  
Creative Thinking ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
Approach To Learning ◽  
Early Learners ◽  
Learning Through Play

Society's serious problems require creative thinkers. Developing an effective workforce relies on cultivating our children's creativity. Unfortunately, we are suffering a creativity crisis, particularly with young children. Since 1990, early elementary students have suffered the largest decrease in creative thinking capacity. Rather than learning through play, young children are taught by rote and tested extensively. Play is indispensable for early learners; without play, students are missing an essential element of early learning that stimulates creative thinking. To promote play, elementary teachers should be trained in maker-centered teaching, a playful approach to learning that embodies the essential elements of STEM education. To truly integrate maker-centered learning, there is a critical need for effective maker-centered professional development. Maker-centered teaching provides playful learning where young children can experience STEM and learn to think more creatively. With maker-centered teaching, we can make the next generation of innovators.

scholarly journals The Shape of Things to Come and what to do about Tom and Mia: Interrogating the OECD’s International Early Learning and Child Well-Being Study from an anti-colonialist perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathias Urban
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
Post Colonial ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Child Characters ◽  
To Come

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.

scholarly journals Performance of Young Children in Rural Guatemala on the Mullen Scales of Early Learning

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1246-1246
Author(s):  
A M Colbert ◽  
D Bauer ◽  
P Arroyave ◽  
S Hernández ◽  
M A Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Development ◽  
Child Development ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Lower Risk ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Normative Sample ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objective The literature supports using tests developed in high-income countries to assess children in low and lower-middle income countries (LMICs) when carefully translated, adapted, and applied (Holding et al., 2018; Mitchell et al., 2017). Research has shown the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) to have adequate validity and sensitivity when used in LMICs (Bangirana et al., 2014; Koura et al., 2013), as well as equivalency to the American normative sample in lower risk populations (Bornman et al., 2010). Here, we describe the pattern of MSEL results in rural Guatemala. Participants and Method Children (n = 842; M enrollment age = 15.9 months; range 0-5 years) enrolled in an observational study of postnatal Zika exposure in rural Guatemala were administered an adapted and translated version of the MSEL (Connery et al., in press). To date, 352 children completed one, 393 children completed two, and 97 children completed three MSELs, for a total of 1,429 administrations. Results MSEL composite scores were similar to the American normative sample in children <12 months (M = 93.3, SD = 11.1), but lower for children ages 1-5 years (mean = 71.1, SD = 15.1, p < 0.0001). Moreover, lower scores were observed in children ages 1-5 years for all MSEL subscales, with the largest differences observed in receptive language (<12 years: mean = 47.8, SD = 7.1; 1-5 years: mean = 35.1, SD = 10.0, p < 0.0001). Conclusions Results are consistent with research that demonstrates a widening gap in test performance over time between children from higher and lower risk communities (Fernald et al., 2011; Paxson et al., 2005; Schady et al., 2015). Although findings are not meant to diagnose individual children, they highlight population changes in neurodevelopmental skills and the need for a better understanding of developmental patterns in LMICs. Future analyses will evaluate the impact of developmental risk factors over time and the performance of the MSEL in this population. References Bangirana, P., Opoka, R. O., Boivin, M. J., Idro, R., Hodges, J. S., Romero, R. A., … John, C. C. (2014). Severe Malarial Anemia is Associated With Long-term Neurocognitive Impairment. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 59(3), 336–344. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciu293. Bornman, J., Sevcik, R. A., Romski, M., & Pae, H. K. (2010). Successfully Translating Language and Culture when Adapting Assessment Measures, ppi_254 111.118. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1741-1130.2010.00254.x. Fernald, L. C. H., Weber, A., Galasso, E., & Ratsifandrihamanana, L. (2011). Socioeconomic gradients and child development in a very low income population: Evidence from Madagascar. Developmental Science, 14(4), 832–847. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2010.01032.x. Holding, P., Anum, A., van de Vijver, F. J. R., Vokhiwa, M., Bugase, N., Hossen, T., … Gomes, M. (2018). Can we measure cognitive constructs consistently within and across cultures? Evidence from a test battery in Bangladesh, Ghana, and Tanzania. Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 7(1), 1-13 https://doi.org/10.1080/21622965.2016.1206823. Koura, K. G., Boivin, M. J., Davidson, L. L., Ouédraogo, S., Zoumenou, R., Alao, M. J., … Bodeau-Livinec, F. (2013). Usefulness of child development assessments for low-resource settings in francophone Africa. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics : JDBP, 34(7), 486–93. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0b013e31829d211c. Mitchell, J. M., Tomlinson, M., Bland, R. M., Houle, B., Stein, A., & Rochat, T. J. (2017). Confirmatory factor analysis of the Kaufman assessment battery in a sample of primary school-aged children in rural South Africa. South African Journal of Psychology, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0081246317741822. Paxson, C., Schady, N., Izquierdo, S., León, M., Lucio, R., Ponce, J., … Hall, W. (2005). Cognitive Development among Young Children in Ecuador The Roles of Wealth, Health, and Parenting. Retrieved from http://econ.worldbank.org. Schady, N., Behrman, J., Araujo, M. C., Azuero, R., Bernal, R., Bravo, D., … Vakis, R. (2015). Wealth gradients in early childhood cognitive development in five Latin American countries. The Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 446–463. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25983344.

Agency and Expanding Capabilities in Early Grade Classrooms: What it Could Mean for Young Children

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Keys Adair
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Educational Experiences ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Elementary Grades ◽  
Student Agency ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Economic Theories ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Early Grade

In this essay, Jennifer Keys Adair aims to clarify the concept of agency as a tool for improving the educational experiences of young children in the early grades. She conceptualizes agency in the context of schooling as the ability to influence what and how something is learned in order to expand capabilities, drawing on economic theories of human development, agency, and capability as they might be applied to early learning in schools. An understanding of early childhood education aimed at expanding children's capabilities stands in contrast to the currently prevalent emphasis on preparing children for the knowledge and skills tested in elementary grades. Through her classroom-based examples of student agency and her call to bring cultural and varied perspectives into the discussion, Adair hopes to encourage dynamic, agentic learning experiences for all children, not just those of privilege.

scholarly journals A photographic inquiry into Reggio inspired natural outdoor environments in Ontario early learning settings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Farzaneh
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Visual Research ◽  
Visual Research Methods ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Connecting Children To Nature ◽  
First Nature

This qualitative study explores the translation of Reggio principles in 20 Ontario natural outdoor early learning settings. Through visual research methods, digital images revealed the translation of the following principles: the image of the child, the environment as a third teacher and the hundred languages of children in the outdoor environments. Moreover, nature was a predominant element in two ways. First, nature was incorporated in the curriculum and natural spaces. Second, half the sites committed to connecting children to nature through frequent excursions in local green areas. This research positions the potential for practice in creating outdoor early learning spaces by merging both the principles of nature-based education and Reggio inspired pedagogy, in considering compatibility with the Ontario Early Years Framework. This research addresses the current gaps in the literature pertaining to quality outdoor environments, and provides recommendations for a proposed Outdoor Pedagogy for the Early Years.

scholarly journals A photographic inquiry into Reggio inspired natural outdoor environments in Ontario early learning settings

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanya Farzaneh
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Early Learning ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Learning Spaces ◽  
Visual Research ◽  
Visual Research Methods ◽  
Green Areas ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Connecting Children To Nature ◽  
First Nature

This qualitative study explores the translation of Reggio principles in 20 Ontario natural outdoor early learning settings. Through visual research methods, digital images revealed the translation of the following principles: the image of the child, the environment as a third teacher and the hundred languages of children in the outdoor environments. Moreover, nature was a predominant element in two ways. First, nature was incorporated in the curriculum and natural spaces. Second, half the sites committed to connecting children to nature through frequent excursions in local green areas. This research positions the potential for practice in creating outdoor early learning spaces by merging both the principles of nature-based education and Reggio inspired pedagogy, in considering compatibility with the Ontario Early Years Framework. This research addresses the current gaps in the literature pertaining to quality outdoor environments, and provides recommendations for a proposed Outdoor Pedagogy for the Early Years.

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