Leading and improving practice through evidence-based research

This article reports on an Australian study of the emergence and development of leadership that supports children’s rights and their access to high-quality early childhood education (ECE). The qualitative study contributes to a growing body of research on ECE leadership practice; specifically, the area of site-based leadership cultivation and development. Complexity leadership theory was used to situate leadership within the Australian ECE context; accounting for the competing purposes of high-quality education programs and for the complex array of practices required for leadership to be effective. Additionally, the theory of practice architectures was employed as an analytical tool. The theory of practice architectures helped to identify socially-just leadership practices that uphold children’s rights, and to understand the organisational arrangements that enabled and constrained those practices within each site. Study findings illuminate how leadership can be cultivated and developed in ECE. As a result of the study, organisations are encouraged to create the cultural-discursive, material-economic and social-political arrangements that shape leadership within ECE sites. The paper argues for the development of ECE leadership as a socially-just practice, that upholds the rights of children and their access to high-quality early childhood education.

Section: The Changing Conceptualisations Of Leadership In Ecementioning

confidence: 99%

“That’s your right as a human isn’t it?” The emergence and development of leading as a socially-just practice in early childhood education

Gibbs

2020

“…The new millennium located ECE centre stage of government politics with unprecedented policy reforms (Stamopoulos & Barblett, 2018). Introduction of Australia’s National Quality Framework (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), 2011) provided a national approach to quality improvement for ECE through its mandated NQS (ACECQA, 2018).…”

Section: Background and Literature Review: Pbl In Wamentioning

confidence: 99%

The status-quo of play-based pedagogies in Western Australia: Reflections of early childhood education practitioners

Hesterman

Targowska

2019

This paper discusses the findings of a qualitative research project conducted in 2017 that explored practitioners’ experiences and perceptions of the provision of play pedagogies in contemporary Western Australian early childhood education contexts. Interviews were conducted with four play-based learning teachers and an open-ended survey was completed by 40 early childhood educators who were members of the audience at a Western Australia conference in 2017. The study participants discussed beliefs and values pertaining to quality play-based learning and tensions associated with the diminishing role of play in the early years of schooling and its impact on young children. They also highlighted several enablers and barriers that influence and shape current early childhood education practice. The findings of this study provide further evidence for the issues identified in recent Early Childhood Australia (Western Australia) discussion papers and in other research surrounding play-based learning in the current social-political context.

“…In the context of continuous improvement, coaching involves an expert coach or professional colleague with complementary specialist knowledge supporting individual educators to advance the quality and fidelity of teaching practices through a range of proven social–emotional and instructional adult learning strategies that include modelling, observation, critical reflection, feedback and goal setting that are delivered in educators’ work environments and are aimed towards supporting educators to acheive a specific outcome (Artman-Meeker et al, 2015; Elek & Page, 2018; Kraft et al, 2018). When coaching is delivered in this way and with fidelity, educator outcomes can include strengthened self-efficacy, self-awareness, professional purpose, wellbeing, professional competence and the development of a strong professional learning culture and community within the early childhood education service (Page & Tayler, 2016; Rodd, 2013; Stamopoulos & Barblett, 2018; Twigg et al, 2013). How often coaching occurs and the time frame in which it is implemented influences the degree of impact that it will have on improved teaching and child learning outcomes (Elek & Page, 2018; Twigg et al, 2013).…”

Section: Coaching For Continuous Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, expert coaches and/or professional colleagues from outside the service context provide the structure, time, space and adult learning support strategies required to engage in a collaborative process of continuous improvement (Twigg et al, 2013). Through their specialised expertise they also bring benefit by acting as change agents – ‘challenging conventional ways of thinking or working with a focus on action required for positive growth and transformation’ (Stamopoulos & Barblett, 2018, p. 78). Edwards (2011) argues that engaging with other professionals builds relational agency ‘a capacity for working with others to strengthen purposeful response to problems’ (p. 34), the impact of which can result in an alignment of expertise and a collective efficacy.…”

Section: Coaching For Continuous Improvementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coaching for continuous improvement in collaborative, interdisciplinary early childhood teams

Page

Eadie

2019

There is growing evidence that coaching early childhood educators leads to higher quality teaching practices and improved child learning outcomes. Despite this, there is a lack of Australian evidence on the impact that coaching in collaborative, interdisciplinary teams in early childhood education and care settings has on teacher effectiveness and by extension child learning. This paper will draw on data from two collaborative interdisciplinary research projects – the Victorian Advancing Early Learning Study and the Every Toddler Talking Initiative – to explore the features of coaching, collaboration and interdisciplinary partnerships that support early childhood educators to engage in the process of continuous improvement. We argue that governance and leadership is critical in enabling interdisciplinary teams to engage in a collaborative process of continuous improvement and that threshold conditions are required within early childhood education and care services to foster interdisciplinary coaching collaborations in a sustained manner.