Measuring and forecasting progress in education: what about early childhood?

A recent Nature article modelled within-country inequalities in primary, secondary, and tertiary education and forecast progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets related to education (SDG 4). However, their paper entirely overlooks inequalities in achieving Target 4.2, which aims to achieve universal access to quality early childhood development, care and preschool education by 2030. This is an important omission because of the substantial brain, cognitive and socioemotional developments that occur in early life and because of increasing evidence of early-life learning's large impacts on subsequent education and lifetime wellbeing. We provide an overview of this evidence and use new analyses to illustrate medium- and long-term implications of early learning, first by presenting associations between pre-primary programme participation and adolescent mathematics and science test scores in 73 countries and secondly, by estimating the costs of inaction (not making pre-primary programmes universal) in terms of forgone lifetime earnings in 134 countries. We find considerable losses, comparable to or greater than current governmental expenditures on all education (as percentages of GDP), particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In addition to improving primary, secondary and tertiary schooling, we conclude that to attain SDG 4 and reduce inequalities in a post-COVID era, it is essential to prioritize quality early childhood care and education, including adopting policies that support families to promote early learning and their children's education

How to assess four-year-old children's number knowledge in a play-based program

Assessment is “the process of observing children in everyday experiences, analysing those observations and recording the information” (DEEWR, NQS PLP, 2012, p.1). Assessment in early childhood needs to be real and relevant to children’s everyday experiences, informed by context, and personal and meaningful (Carruthers & Worthington, 2006). Mathematics assessment needs to be connected to each child’s prior knowledge and grounded in social contexts, such as play, to support the further learning of mathematical concepts and strategies (Carruthers & Worthington, 2006; Perry et al., 2006; Perry & Dockett, 2002; Sun Lee & Ginsburg, 2009; van Oers, 2009). Numerals and quantity are one of the earliest mathematical concepts children learn (Clements & Sarama, 2009). Authentic insight into the knowledge that children have about numerals and quantity is imperative to inform our teaching practice. We present findings from a study in which children’s representations of number and children’s talk whilst representing numbers were analysed to determine whether this approach would be an effective way for early childhood educators to assess mathematical understandings and to inform contingent scaffolding for ongoing learning within play-based contexts (Fleer, 2008)

Informal Assessment of Preschool Children's Concepts of Zero

Abstract There is growing interest in mathematics learning progressions in early childhood education. Counting is a skill usually developed early in life. The application of the counting principles in early childhood typically entails counting objects. This poses challenges for learning about zero. Indeed, the word “zero” is seldom used in the context of early childhood education. Early childhood educators could purposefully introduce children to zero as a concept and facilitate children’s understanding that zero is a number and more than just the absence of something. “Zero” is introduced in school, but little guidance is provided to teachers within the Australian Curriculum for Mathematics in the Foundation year. This study contributes to a small corpus of research that has investigated preschool children’s understanding of the concept of zero. Unlike other studies, the method employed to elicit children’s knowledge was informal and more similar to educator-child conversations that occur within a playbased curriculum and contribute to formative assessment. Data are presented from 20 children, aged from three to five years, participating in a regional early learning centre. Six children demonstrated familiarity with the symbol for zero (“0”) and/or the concept that zero describes a numerical quantity. Asking a follow-up question encouraged children to share their thinking. The importance of early childhood educators purposefully supporting children’s familiarity with the word zero along as well as the concept of zero is proposed

The Quality of Teacher–Child Interactions during the Enactment of Playful Science Games in Preschool

Research Findings: This research aims to examine the affordances for high quality instructional support offered by the Northern Territory Preschool Science Games, alongside differences between classroom quality during the enactment of this teaching resource and the broader early childhood program. Applying a multiple-case study approach, quality was measured via classroom observations in three preschools at two points, teacher interviews on science practice were thematically analyzed and content analysis was conducted to determine the instructional support affordances of the Northern Territory Preschool Science Games. Results demonstrated that the games most frequently offer affordances for concept development interactions, in particular analysis and reasoning. Further, classroom observations revealed that instructional support quality was higher during the time teachers enacted a Northern Territory Preschool Science Game compared with the broader early childhood education program. In line with the primary affordance of the games, there was also a marked increase in concept development during these periods. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that this science teaching resource provides a supportive structure for teachers to transform pedagogical prompts into teaching practice

Toward assessment for playful learning in early childhood: Influences on teachers' science assessment practices

Abstract In many countries, play is the vehicle for teaching and learning, requiring early childhood teachers to recognize and assess children's demonstrations of knowledge and capabilities as they are displayed during play. In the context of science learning, assessing what children know already, referred to as “assessment for learning,” equips teachers with the knowledge required to make purposeful decisions during these playful experiences and guide children's science process skill development while following their interests. Consistent evidence since the introduction of national quality standards in Australia has identified a need to strengthen teacher capabilities in assessment. This research investigated teachers' assessment practices, and the influences on these practices, during the implementation of a suite of playful science experiences in long day care and preschool settings in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Teachers were introduced to the NT Preschool Science Games and were supported to apply an assessment tool designed for the observation and development of science process skills. Adopting a multiple case study approach, semistructured interviews from three cases were thematically analyzed. Our findings demonstrate that despite having specific tools to support assessment for learning these were inconsistently applied. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews revealed that assessment practice was influenced by contextual influences, affective responses and teaching practice. Unpacking these themes further, we identified that following children's interests was associated with the absence of systematic assessment of scientific thinking to inform planning for learning within the informal curriculum. To support teacher practice in early childhood science, and promote the assessment of children's capabilities within playful learning, we propose a model of Assessment for playful learning

Science Education in Early Childhood Education—Are We Approaching a Cure for the State of Chronic Illness?

Thirty years ago, Fensham, (1991) diagnosed science education in early childhood in Australia in a state of “chronic illness” (p. 4). Reflecting on his experience during the Disciplinary Review of Teaching Education in Mathematics and Science (the Review) in the 1980s, Fensham, (1991) provided a succinct commentary on the state of science education in early childhood settings across Australia. He addressed the perceived “worth” of science knowledge for young children from the perspective of parents, teachers and the wider community. What emerged was a disheartening characterisation of science as an undervalued field of learning, pushed aside in favour of mathematics and literacy, which were perceived as more important for children’s overall learning. In this paper, we first revisit Fensham’s initial diagnosis of the chronic illness of science education in early childhood. Next, we analyse recent policy documents to identify the current symptoms of the illness and some recent interventions arising from educational policy. We conclude this paper with an updated diagnosis of science education in early childhood across Australia and an outlook to the future

Assessing spatial reasoning during play: educator observations, assessment and curriculum planning

Children are innately mathematical and explore mathematical concepts through play. However, educator beliefs about mathematics can impact the inclusion of mathematics in early childhood education (ECE). Recent research has suggested that spatial reasoning is a key concept which forms the foundations of mathematics learning. The theoretical argument underpinning this research is that young children benefit from intentional teaching specifically focused on supporting the development of children’s spatial reasoning skills during play. This mixed-methods research project investigated the effects of the implementation of a suite of play-based, spatial reasoning activities on educators’ teaching practices—including observations, assessment and evidence-based planning—and educator beliefs about mathematics in ECE. Twenty-seven participants were educators from 15 early childhood centres for children age 3–5 years, based within culturally and socio-economically diverse populations. Participant qualifications included diplomas, graduate and postgraduate degrees in early childhood and primary education, with teaching experience ranging from 6 months to 35 years. The investigations found reciprocal influences between the three key areas of the research project which included: the implementation of the activities by educators, educator beliefs about mathematics, spatial reasoning and mathematics teaching practice. The findings have implications for further research and curriculum design and practice. These include the need for research methodologies which contribute to sustained professional learning outcomes and the uptake of research findings in practice, play-based spatial reasoning assessment strategies and the contribution of a focus on spatial reasoning to early childhood curricula

Spatial reasoning and mathematics in early childhood education

Spatial reasoning is a set of cognitive functions, processes and skills that enable us to understand and describe representations and spatial relationships between objects, ourselves and our environment—it is a life skill. Spatial reasoning is at the core of mathematical thinking. There are three key areas of spatial reasoning associated with mathematics ability in early childhood: perspective taking, mental rotation and spatial visualisation