Leading age-appropriate pedagogies in the early years of school

There is increasing pressure on leaders and teachers to improve the academic achievement of children in the early years of school. Alongside this is recognition that social and emotional development are the important drivers of children’s school and lifetime success. This paper reports on the design and leadership of the pilot phase of the Age Appropriate Pedagogies program commissioned by the Queensland Department of Education and Training to refocus pedagogical practices in the early years of school. This refocus was deemed to be necessary in order to achieve strong academic outcomes while ensuring that children’s holistic development remained a key component of all learning and teaching. The program was developed by a Griffith University research team using an innovative research-informed and research-led design framed around the core premises that underpin Fullan’s (2007) theory of action for educational change. The program consisted of both professional learning and research, with these two components being inextricably linked via school-based action research projects. Findings from the pilot, conducted in 45 state schools across three regions, illustrate the positive effects that can be generated when systems, schools and universities work together in a research and professional learning partnership.