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ACEReSearch Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

Home > Publications > ACER Press > Strong Foundations

Strong Foundations

 
Strong Foundations: Evidence informing practice in early childhood education and care is an edited monograph on evidence-informed early childhood education and care available from ACER Press.

ISBN: 978-1-74286-555-3

Citation

Kilderry, A., & Raban, B. (Eds.). (2020). Strong foundations: Evidence informing practice in early childhood education. ACER Press. https://doi.org/10.37517/978-1-74286-555-3.

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  • Introduction: Early childhood education and care in challenging times by Anna Kilderry and Bridie Raban

    Introduction: Early childhood education and care in challenging times

    Anna Kilderry and Bridie Raban

    Chapter 1 is an introduction to the book, focusing on how the book came about, and the intention for educators and professionals to have an opportunity to revisit and revitalise practice. As the book has deliberately selected the term evidence-informed, instead of evidence-based, a rationale is provided for this focus.

  • Investigating early childhood practice: Insights from a large Australian study by Dan Cloney

    Investigating early childhood practice: Insights from a large Australian study

    Dan Cloney

    Chapter 2 showcases the largest longitudinal ECEC research study to have ever been conducted in Australia, the E4-Kids study. Readers will better understand the value and drawbacks of large-scale research with respect to their work with children. The findings from this study indicate that there is still much to embrace if ECEC in Australia is to support all families and children to their full potential.

  • The early childhood professional by Megan Gibson and Lyn Gunn

    The early childhood professional

    Megan Gibson and Lyn Gunn

    Chapter 3 discusses professionalism in ECEC, how it is evolving, and the changing nature of professional identities. Practical applications, drawing on evidence-informed insights are included, along with contextually specific expectations, where early childhood educators and teachers potentially work in a range of different settings with diverse curriculum expectations.

  • Building inclusive communities by Kathy Cologon

    Building inclusive communities

    Kathy Cologon

    Chapter 4 addresses inclusive education, identifying that inclusive education is a fundamental human right for all children. This chapter explores inclusion and discusses how educators can build inclusive education communities. This chapter will challenge notions of difference and consider the means of creating pedagogical opportunities for being, belonging and becoming for all Australian children.

  • Childhood outdoor environments: Places for play, learning and wellbeing by Anne-Marie Morrissey, Llewellyn Wishart, and Debra Moore

    Childhood outdoor environments: Places for play, learning and wellbeing

    Anne-Marie Morrissey, Llewellyn Wishart, and Debra Moore

    Chapter 5 focuses on evidence about the benefits of children’s outdoor learning and it raises questions such as – what do we now know about quality outdoor spaces for young children? What evidence can be shared to encourage children’s outdoor learning? This chapter will develop educators’ confidence in how to map children’s sociodramatic play in an outdoor playspace and how to use biophilic design principles.

  • Healthy lifestyle behaviours in the first five years of life by Rachel Laws, Penny Love, Katherine Downing, and Jill Hnatiuk

    Healthy lifestyle behaviours in the first five years of life

    Rachel Laws, Penny Love, Katherine Downing, and Jill Hnatiuk

    Chapter 6 outlines the critical importance of the first five years of life and the types of strategies educators can put into place during this sensitive period. It provides current research evidence about healthy lifestyle behaviours including, early childhood nutrition, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, crucial for optimal child development.

  • Keeping children safe by Nicole Downes

    Keeping children safe

    Nicole Downes

    Chapter 7 presents information and evidence about how we can keep children safe. The chapter focuses on child protection, legislation and policy, including the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (2019) and the Victorian Child Safe Standards in relation to practice and what it means to be a child safe organisation. By reading this chapter, educators will understand some of the circumstances that can put young children at risk and how to keep children safe.

  • Social and emotional development in early childhood by Claire Blewitt, Helen Skouteris, Heidi Bergmeier, and Amanda O'Connor

    Social and emotional development in early childhood

    Claire Blewitt, Helen Skouteris, Heidi Bergmeier, and Amanda O'Connor

    Chapter 8 discusses evidence about children’s social and emotional development from health and psychology research in relation to early childhood practice. The authors maintain that early childhood is a critical window for children’s social and emotional development and a time where children learn about social cues and use prosocial behaviours to develop positive relationships with peers and adults. Risk and protective factors for children’s social and emotional development are presented along with an argument about the importance of the educator’s role.

  • Facilitating children’s agency in early childhood education and care by Caroline Scott, Andrea Nolan, and Anna Kilderry

    Facilitating children’s agency in early childhood education and care

    Caroline Scott, Andrea Nolan, and Anna Kilderry

    Chapter 9 acknowledges children as capable agentic citizens in their own right, with the chapter describing what children’s agency looks like and how educators can facilitate it. The chapter discusses research findings that have implications for practice, showing how educators can identify and support children’s agency. An expanded theorization of children’s agency is shared, to provide children with opportunities to enact their agency in ECEC settings.

  • Play and early childhood pedagogies by Nicole Leggett

    Play and early childhood pedagogies

    Nicole Leggett

    Chapter 10 presents an evidence-informed discussion about children’s play and early childhood pedagogies. It discusses the role educators’ play in providing rich environments, resources and teaching strategies to promote children’s learning and development. The importance of children’s learning in nature is raised along with the importance of unstructured and risky play, fostering children’s imagination and creativity and the types of physical environments can support children’s play.

  • Supporting oral language learning in young children by Louise Paatsch and Andrea Nolan

    Supporting oral language learning in young children

    Louise Paatsch and Andrea Nolan

    Chapter 11 acknowledges the importance language development for young children and the critical role educators play in supporting children’s communication skills. The components of oral language are explained and some of the ways educators can make a positive difference to enhance children’s communication are discussed. Evidence-informed insights shared in this chapter will equip educators with useful insights into how to deepen their understanding of children’s oral language development, along with ways practice can be strengthened.

  • Early literacy by Bridie Raban

    Early literacy

    Bridie Raban

    Chapter 12 discusses early literacy and considers the significance of the role of the educator in children’s early literacy learning. Educators will understand the importance of a wide range of relevant activities within a play-based program that will support young children’s early literacy development during the years before school. An evidence-informed discussion about children’s early reading and writing experiences, and ideas are shared about the ways educators can encourage and support young children to develop a literacy focus within their programs is provided.

  • Learning about STEM by Coral Campbell

    Learning about STEM

    Coral Campbell

    Chapter 13 is a STEM focussed chapter. STEM is an acronym that is becoming more commonly used in ECEC, and it stands for science, technology, engineering and maths. In this chapter, research evidence about the importance of STEM in early childhood is shared, how to identify STEM learning in children’s play, along with the types of STEM programs available.

  • Learning about mathematics by Bob Perry and Sue Dockett

    Learning about mathematics

    Bob Perry and Sue Dockett

    Chapters 14 follows on from the previous chapter, with a STEM focus. This time focussing on mathematics in ECEC. Through evidence-informed literature, readers will explore how children learn mathematics, the important role of educators, and will learn about the eight powerful mathematical ideas. Knowing more about the eight powerful mathematical ideas and how to incorporate this learning into programs is ‘an important step in supporting young children as powerful mathematicians’, according to the authors.

  • Learning through the arts by Susan Wright and Jan Deans

    Learning through the arts

    Susan Wright and Jan Deans

    Chapter 15 Children learning through the arts is the focus of this chapter. The chapter presents an evidence-informed discussion about the important role that the arts play in promoting young children’s ability to develop higher order and imaginative thinking. Various art forms where children can express themselves and be meaning-makers are described and a schema for children’s multimodal participation in the arts is presented.

  • Play and learning in the digital age by Nicola Yelland

    Play and learning in the digital age

    Nicola Yelland

    Chapter 16 outlines what it means to be a young child learning in the digital age as well as being an educator in a digital context. The chapter provides an evidence-informed discussion about the importance of digital and multimodal learning for young children, and pedagogical strategies and insights for practice. Readers will explore how new technologies are being used in innovative ways with young children and can learn about the emergence of new learning ecologies.

  • Assessment and documentation for children’s learning and development by Bronwyn Reynolds

    Assessment and documentation for children’s learning and development

    Bronwyn Reynolds

    Chapter 17 Assessment of children’s learning and the role of reflective practice is the focus of the final chapter in this section. Readers will be supported to better understand the role of assessment, and documentation in particular, within the context of their everyday practice. Principles of quality assessment are shared, along with demystifying authentic and holistic assessment and the importance of collaborating with families.

  • Early years transitions by Sue Dockett and Bob Perry

    Early years transitions

    Sue Dockett and Bob Perry

    Chapter 18 discusses the ways in which children and families make early years transitions, for example, transitions to and within childcare, preschool, school, and school-age care, and how these transitions can be supported by educators are issues explored in this chapter. Early years transitions have been conceptualised in this chapter as an ongoing process, requiring continuity and change occurring within social and cultural contexts. The issue of how children and families can be supported while making transitions, and how critical collaborative relationships are during transitions is made in the light of evidence-informed practice.

  • Building positive relationships with families and communities by Laura McFarland

    Building positive relationships with families and communities

    Laura McFarland

    Chapter 19 focuses on research evidence about the importance of families and communities in relation to children’s learning. Questions raised in this chapter ask: What has been learned from major longitudinal studies? For example, studies conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies over the last decade, for example, the Growing up in Australia study, and what the implications for early childhood educators and professionals are. Evidence-informed understandings about building positive relationships with families and communities is shared.

  • Leading practice in early childhood education by Jo Bird and Angel Mok

    Leading practice in early childhood education

    Jo Bird and Angel Mok

    Chapter 20 explores the importance of leadership in early years, this chapter considers evidence in terms of leading practice in early childhood education. Educators will be able to identify different types of leadership, such as pedagogical, ethical or distributive leadership, and will be able to identify their own role within the complex organisational structure of contemporary ECEC settings.

  • Rethinking research in early childhood: (Re)Turning the kaleidoscope by Jeanne Marie Iorio and Will Parnell

    Rethinking research in early childhood: (Re)Turning the kaleidoscope

    Jeanne Marie Iorio and Will Parnell

    Chapter 21 offers readers with innovative ideas on how to rethink research in ECEC, ways that give rise to new perspectives to contribute to meaning-making. By rethinking research practices in early childhood by (re)turning familiar ideas and approaches, the authors aim to generate new questions, ways of knowing, doing and acting. Questioning familiar topics and unsettling dominant discourses, they put forward the notion thinking with, rather than thinking about phenomena and what this could look like in practice.

  • Learning to surf: Embracing change in the early childhood sector by Jen Jackson

    Learning to surf: Embracing change in the early childhood sector

    Jen Jackson

    Chapter 22 is the final chapter in the book, embracing change in the early childhood sector, and it returns to the ‘big picture’ of ECEC. The author draws on surfing and ocean metaphors, as she argues that similar to the sea, the contexts in which early childhood professionals live and work will not remain still. The policy demands and fragmentation which EC teachers and educators may find overwhelming at times, is acknowledged and discussed. On an uplifting note, it is maintained that ECEC professionals can make a positive difference - they can do more than survive during these times of rapid change, and instead they can thrive.

 
 
 

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