ED4001 Education for Change Seminar 8: The nature of learning – early years and play ED4001 Education for Change

Today’s Session Library workshop - Jim’s pm group 4-4.45 CM125 News - Conversation article on sense of self – using articles to build your ideas Assessment 2 Siraj Blatchford article activity and discussion Introduction / Q&A – example essay Trustworthiness (Lincoln &Guba, 1985) Reflecting on themes from the lecture and reading What is early years learning? Play in education Using a concept map

Why is early learning important? “All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten” (Fulghum, 1990) “Choices made and actions taken on behalf of children during this critical period affect not only how a child develops but also how a country progresses” (UNICEF, 2006)

The importance of Play “Play underpins all development and learning for young children. Most children play spontaneously, although some may need adult support, and it is through play that they develop intellectually, creatively, physically, socially and emotionally” (EYFS, 2007) 4

What do we know about young children’s learning? Children need to be active---hands on and brains on! Play is a key way in which young children learn about the world Children need ‘significant others’ to help them make sense of the world

Activity What were the researchers wanting to find out? Divide into groups - each group to answer two of the following to discuss and feedback – 15 minutes What were the researchers wanting to find out? How did they carry out their research - what were their methods? How did they analyse the data (i.e. coding)? What did they find out? What do they think should happen as a result of their findings? What learning theories are discussed in the paper?

Siraj Blatchford and Manni Key points Development of ‘sustained shared thinking’ theory. Likely to result in ‘higher cognitive outcomes’ Discussion of various ideas / theories of / about education as part of the article. Consideration of pedagogies which are conducive to early years learning. Need for staff training in open questioning. Do more highly trained staff model behaviour better?

Key tips This article and the associated sources gives you all you need for the essay apart from a consideration of trustworthiness The task of reading it is that of technical ‘close reading’ .. Draw all you can from reading the article and it’s bibliography.

Assignment 2 (2000 words) see module handbook for full details Identify key elements of the paper by giving a concise précis of its contents. Relate these key elements to your broader understanding of theories about learning; Evaluate the extent to which the research could be described as trustworthy (Lincoln and Guba, 1985); Discuss the implications of the author’s conclusions for educators and/ or learners; Use correct HARVARD referencing and academic English. Deadline Friday December 16th 12.00 noon

Assessment 2 Trustworthiness More links for Trustworthiness at end of this PowerPoint The aim of trustworthiness in a qualitative inquiry is to support the argument that the inquiry’s findings are “worth paying attention to” (Lincoln & Guba, 1985, p.290). This is quite different from the conventional experimental precedent of attempting to show validity, soundness, and significance. In any empirical qualitative research, four issues of trustworthiness demand attention: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Assessment 2

Assessment 2 Trustworthiness Credibility .. Spending sufficient time in the field to learn or understand the culture, social setting, or phenomenon of interest.  Development of rapport and trust facilitates understanding and co-construction of meaning between researcher and members of a setting. Transferability .. the degree to which the findings of this inquiry can apply or transfer beyond the bounds of the project. Dependability .. showing that the findings are consistent and could be repeated e.g. through External audits. Confirmability .. researchers must take steps to demonstrate that findings emerge from the data and not from their own predispositions or researcher bias Assessment 2

Assignment 2 - Example How well (or not) does it? Identify key elements of the paper in a concise précis of its contents. Evaluate the extent to which the research could be described as trustworthy (Lincoln and Guba, 1985); Relate these key elements to a broader understanding of theories about learning; Discuss the implications of the author’s conclusions for educators and/ or learners; Use correct HARVARD referencing and academic English.

Make a concept map to show your current understanding of ‘theories of learning’ Make a group list of concepts which you believe are about ‘theories of learning’ Work out how to represent them visually Create a flip chart concept map Start by making a group list of concepts (single words or short phrases) from the previous activity – ‘what did you learn’. Try to link them or connect them. Don’t just make a ‘spider diagram’ – a completed concept map might look more like a spider’s web, or even a collection of webs. Novak & Canas (2006) http://cmap.ihmc.us/publications/researchpapers/theorycmaps/theoryunderlyingconceptmaps.htm

Reflecting on Learning Useful links Trustworthiness http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/qualval.php http://www.qualres.org/HomeLinc-3684.html Concept maps http://cmap.ihmc.us/publications/researchpapers/theorycmaps/theoryunderlyingconceptmaps.htm News www.delicious.com/jimcrawley/edstudies edstudiesbathspa website http://edstudiesbathspa.wikispaces.com/ Reflecting on Learning