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Children hear and use words such as ‘bigger', ‘smaller', ‘taller' or ‘thinner'. They are important for learning about measurement. But families may not know about the importance of these everyday conversations. The Australian Government's Department of Education, Science and Training has provided funding for a two-year project to develop resources to support families and educators to enhance young children's literacy and numeracy development. In particular, the project will develop, pilot and distribute a set of high quality, innovative early childhood materials, such as the literacy and numeracy cards shown here.
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Mum: ‘We are going to give the baby a bath. Could you fit into that bath Charlotte?'
Charlotte: ‘No. I am a big girl!'
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The Early Childhood Learning Resources Project is being undertaken by Monash University, University of Melbourne, Early Childhood Australia and the Curriculum Corporation. The project directors are Professors Marilyn Fleer and Bridie Raban.
What are we developing?
One of the outcomes of the project will be a set of 32 cards for families and a set of online cards for early childhood professionals. The cards have on them:
- an everyday interaction (like in the introduction);
- an interpretation of this everyday context for literacy and numeracy development; and
- an explanation of the literacy and numeracy concept.
A further outcome will be a book which provides different ways of looking at practice. New ideas for thinking about children's learning and how early childhood professionals might interact differently with children are given. The book helps professionals to:
- look at what they already do in literacy and numeracy;
- think about their interactions around literacy and numeracy; and
- systematically plan for improvement in literacy and numeracy.
The project has already produced a paper which synthesises the international research literature and provides a discussion of recent theoretical developments in understanding young children's concept formation.
This material and other supporting information on literacy and numeracy will be published on a CD for easy storage, for sharing at professional learning sessions, and for supporting professionals who wish to make their own cards and/or disseminate this information in newsletters. It is the intention that the resources will develop concept formation within a context in which families and other carers know:
- what they do matters;
- what they do is powerful; and
- what they do is rich with meaning for the child.
Why now?
Governments around the world are concerned about the level of literacy and numeracy of young children, particularly those from the hardest to reach families. Early childhood professionals have traditionally concentrated their literacy and numeracy efforts on programming for children's spoken development and focused on the development of number concept. For instance, we often plan to help children learn number concept by doing number rhymes with toddlers. We may plan to develop literacy through talking to infants while changing their nappies. However, more recent research indicates that early understandings of literacy and numeracy are best supported when early childhood professionals:
- have a deeper knowledge of literacy and numeracy;
- deliberately plan for activities which support beginning development in literacy and numeracy;
- have programs which go beyond number and the spoken word;
- have systems for looking at their own professional practices; and
- seek to improve their own understandings of literacy and numeracy.
New thinking
The resources being developed have been designed to help adults (educators and parents) to deliberately bring together everyday learning in the home and concept development planned in early childhood settings. The idea of linking everyday concept development in the home and educational settings comes from the writings of Lev Vygotsky (1987) and has informed the direction of the project. This sociocultural approach best explains the resource development, as it recognises that learning does not simply reside in the individual, but rather that learning is located in the social world in which children live.
Vygtosky (1987) found that the everyday concepts were embedded in the children's life experiences and natural conversational contexts. They arose or were used without conscious realisation of the concepts. He argued that, on their own, everyday concepts were not enough. On the other hand, concepts that are taught in isolation of children's worlds, as happens in some formal educational settings, do not transform what children can do. Learning concepts in schools and centres are also not enough. Vygotsky argued that the interlacing of everyday concepts with those taught in centres and schools was needed if children's thinking was to grow and be transformed.
When will the resources be ready and how do I get access to these resources?
It is anticipated that the materials will be finalised by the first part of 2006 and be ready for distribution to early childhood settings in the middle of the year. By logging onto the Early Childhood Learning Resources Project website (www.curriculum.edu.au/eclearning/) it will be possible to monitor the exact date of the release of the materials and gain electronic access to those resources already completed (including the literature review which is available now). Limited free distribution of hard copies of the materials will also take place in 2006.
Conclusion
We anticipate that the resources will not only be helpful to families, but will provide deeper knowledge and understanding of early literacy and numeracy to early childhood professionals. As Siraj-Blatchford (2004) has argued, ‘Effective pedagogues have good curriculum knowledge and child development knowledge' (p. 147). Having more information and tools for supporting early literacy and numeracy will allow early childhood professionals to become more effective pedagogues.
Professor Marilyn Fleer
Foundation Chair for Early Childhood Education
Monash University
Professor Bridie Raban
Mooroolbeek Foundation Chair in Early Childhood Studies
University of Melbourne
References
Siraj-Blatchford, I. (2004). Quality teaching in the early years. In A. Anning, J. Cullen & M. Fleer (Eds.), Early childhood education, Society and culture. London: Sage.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Thinking and speech. In L. S. Vygotsky, The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky, Vol. 1, Problems of general psychology (pp. 39-285) (R. W. Rieber & A. S. Carton, Eds.; N. Minick, Trans.) New York: Plenum Press.
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