Reconceptualising Professional Experience in Early Childhood Teacher Education

Why change?

Background Students believe that practicum has a profound effect on their preparation for teaching Increasing market competition for quality practicum centres/schools in which there are opportunities for negotiated flexible professional experience arrangements Dwindling resources, and increasing expense of sustaining practicum programs The Flinders Early Childhood commitment to integrating the professional experience more fully into its courses

Early childhood education is a field in transition.

What we do in teacher education can either contribute to that transformation or it can recreate what we already have.

If we continue to do what we’ve always done, we will continue to get the same as what we have now.

Early Childhood Education at Flinders University Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood) First intake of students in March year undergraduate award Education and arts subjects studied concurrently First graduates will enter the field in 2011 Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) First intake of students in March year postgraduate award Students enter the award already having completed an undergraduate degree First graduates will enter the field in 2011

Professional Experience Principles Enhanced learning for children as the focus of the centre/school -university relationship Reflective inquiry that connects practice and theory Student teachers, mentor teachers and teacher educators working together as 'learning partners' in the authentic context of centres/schools, to better understand and enhance teaching and learning in the early years Teaching in all aspects of the courses constructed so student teachers become researchers of their own practice Opportunities made available for centres/schools and student teachers to pursue collaborative curriculum inquiry, curriculum development and investigation into teaching and learning in the early years.

Changing relationships This required a change in the relationship between the university and the communities it serves.

Distinctive Features Collaboration with centres/schools in program delivery and design A small number of full time staff whose responsibility is to ensure that links are made between different aspects of the program located at the university and in centres and schools Associated sessional staff committed to the principles philosophy of the program, working as part of the teaching team, actively involved with the ‘ on campus ’ and in ‘ centre/school ’ components of the program Management of professional experience by the program team to provide links between content, curriculum and teaching knowledge and the art of teaching Focus on reflection, critical analysis, research and informed judgement Focus on the development of intellectually challenging teaching approaches that support quality early childhood education.

Operational Changes Allocation of centres/schools to a University Liaison as opposed to an allocation of students to supervise. Academics engaged, owning and valuing professional experience

What is a partnership? Partnerships are a social practice achieved through and characterised by trust, mutuality and reciprocity among pre-service teachers, teachers and other centre/school colleagues and teacher educators. Trust: the commitment and expertise that each of the main stakeholders brings to the partnership in the expectation that it will provide them with the benefits each seeks Mutuality: the extent to which the stakeholders recognise that working together does lead to the benefits valued by all the partners Reciprocity: that each stakeholder recognises and values what the others bring to the partnership.

The Power of Language: Constructing different roles University Supervisor - University Liaison School Practicum Coordinator - School Experience Coordinator Supervising Teacher - Mentor Teacher Student Teacher

Characteristics of sustainable partnerships 1.A focus on learning: children’s learning is central everyone is learning 2. Altered relationships which are sustained by communication about shared concerns: relationships are built between: student teachers and children student teachers and their mentors student teachers and their peers student teachers and teacher educators mentor teachers and teacher educators 3. New enabling structures which are sustained by institutional resources.

University-centre/school partnerships bring together teachers, pre-service teachers and teacher educators in open, respectful, collaborative and hopeful inquiry and action about important educational questions.

A system is not the sum of its isolated parts but is dependent on the interactions among institutions, agencies, and people …’ Lobman & Ryan, 2008, p. 531 Images from: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Pre-service educators are … … recognised in our courses as individuals who bring their own unique knowledge, feelings, experiences and current thinking to their placements So instead of assessing students against conventional, competency-based criteria, we ask them to reflect on their contributions on placement

So our mentors … … don’t end up with “additional responsibilities” Instead our students become valuable members of their teaching teams who contribute rather than add to our educational navigations!

Selfishly (we) teacher educators also benefit … As teacher educators can be blind-sighted about: – how contemporary practice is evolving; and, – how this evolution may influence and form our teaching, learning and research. So partnerships help us to grow and develop professionally (and we can continue to be contributing members of the profession as a result!)

Collaborative Inquiry: More than supporting the nexus between theory & practice ‘… what it means to learn as a function of being part of a community...’ (Newman & Ashton, 2009, p. 96) Enables us to mentally and physically immerse ourselves in jointly developed, authentic problems and practices Blurs boundaries between academic and practical knowledge to offer new opportunities, perspectives and solutions Re-shapes educator identities, beliefs, theories and practices Sustains our commitment and persistence

Inquiry and research  Whose agenda is driving the research?  Who are the subjects and how is that negotiated?  How are the subjects positioned, as participants or as ‘recipients’?  Who gets to know about who?  Does the research take a perspective of ‘proving a theory’ or one of reducing ignorance?  Who owns the data? What counts as data? Who has access to the data?  Is there a commitment to feedback? How is this to be done?  How are interpretations to be negotiated? 

What does that look like in an early childhood teacher education program? Students co-located in larger groups to provide a service – e.g. a curriculum project Students and teachers working together to produce curriculum materials/resources that are then trialled in a centre/school Clusters of centres/schools working on a common project with students contributing to that project Students co-researching with teachers in centres and schools on curriculum priority projects Students undertaking key task for a centre/school – for example, collecting data with parents, preparing portfolios for students, etc. Student teachers undertaking investigations – for example, early childhood community needs Student teachers mentoring select groups of students Student teachers working with professionals from other agencies on integrated projects Student teachers supporting new employer initiatives and innovative projects – for example, the implementation of the Early Years Learning Framework.

Our Work: breaking down traditional divisions How much could we teach each other ….adults with the experience and children with their freshness… how full both our lives could be? ( Rinaldi )

The opportunities for educators to work in different ways within communities creates ‘space’ to create identity, make meaning and co-construct education that is emancipatory … there is a potential for new societal forms of collective action and thus an enlargement of democracy in complex societies (Dahlberg, Moss & Pence (1999)

Thankyou!