Thesis (MTech (Education))--Peninsula Technikon, Cape Town, 2002 / Within the broad theoretical context provided by debates on the importance of focussing on programme teaching towards workplace-orientated goals and greater cooperation between the world ofwork and the higher education sector in order to develop work integrated curricula, this study attempted to investigate the relevance of the diploma in educare with regard to meeting the needs ofeducare centres. The study as a whole is set against the general literature on the development of the transdisciplinary curriculum that integrates the world of work with academic programmes and the development oftransdisciplinary curriculum in educare in particular. The literature that was surveyed covered the following aspects: The needs ofthe educare practitioner in the workplace, important aspects that need to be present in the Early Childhood curriculum in order for the child to learn effectively and how could the higher education sector and the workplace, work together to develop a balanced curriculum that is offered to the educare practitioners at the institutions. Along with this investigation quantitative as well as qualitative data were collected about the curriculum that is offered to potential educare practitioners by means of questionnaires, interviews and focus group interviews. The conclusion drawn from the findings of the literature survey and the investigation is that the integration of theory and practice in the teaching and learning processes should be encouraged if the development and professional growth of students are to be achieved, and more interaction should take place between the higher education sector and the workplace in order to increase the performance levels of students and their employability in the workplace. The present study therefore, is an attempt to encourage the integration oftheory and practice and collaborative efforts between higher education institutions and the worklllace in curriculum development and is in line with the new South African curriculum that places emphasis on the relevance of education to the needs ofthe workplace and to the lives of South Africans.

O atendimento á infância na maioria dos países ocidentais encontra-se ainda em estágio crítico. Os serviços oferecidos são fragmentados, inflexíveis, incoerentes e segregados, refletindo cisão entre as ações de cuidar e educar a criança pequena. Essa tese é o resultado de um longo percurso em busca de possíveis determinantes desse quadro e de elementos que pudessem conformar um modelo de atendimento unificado e responsivo às necessidades, interesses e potencialidades das crianças e suas famílias. Assim, um modelo de sistema unificado de cuidado e educação infantil foi sendo construído a partir de premissas lançadas em estudo anterior (Haddad, 1991) e ampliado com visitas de estudo a países da Europa ocidental, o contato com o trabalho desenvolvido pela Rede Européia de Atendimento Infantil e, mais especificamente, o conhecimento dos sistemas de atendimento infantil dos países escandinavos. Partindo do pressuposto de que um sistema unificado de atendimento infantil deve apoiar-se numa perspectiva de desenvolvimento humano, suficientemente ampla para incluir as forças provenientes dos ambientes sociais, econômicos e culturais que afetam o desenvolvimento, a teoria ecológica do desenvolvimento humano de Urie Bronfenbrenner (1996) passou a constituir-se a referência básica desse estudo. As informações reunidas nesse trabalho assinalam a coerência entre os aspectos filosóficos, políticos e práticos, a responsabilidade partilhada entre família e poder público, unidade de objetivos e funções, profissionalização, universalização do atendimento, diversidade, continuidade e flexibilidade nos serviços oferecidos como as principais características que compõem um sistema unificado de cuidado e educação infantil. / In most Western countries, the public child care is still in a critical stage. The services offered are fragmented, inflexible, incoherent and segregated, reflecting the division between care and education of young children. This thesis is the result of a long search for possible determinants of this picture and for elements that could comply with a unified model for child care and early childhood education that would meet the needs, interests and potentialities of children and their families. Hence, a model for unified system of care and education has been constructed from the premises launched in previous study (Haddad, 1991) and has been enlarged by study visits to Western European countries, the contact with the work developed by the European Childcare Network, and more specifically, by learning about the Scandinavian child care systems. Starting from the presupposition that an integrated system of care and education must be supported by a broad perspective of human development which includes the strengths forthcoming from social, economic and cultural environments that affect the development, the ecology of human development of Urie Bronfenbrenner (1996) became the basic reference to this study. The data gathered in this work signalizes the main characteristics of a unified system of care and education for young children: the coherence between philosophical, political and practical aspects; the shared responsibility between family and public power; the unity of objectives and functions; professionalism; universal aims, diversity, continuity and flexibility in the services offered.

High quality early childhood education and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning have gained recognition as key levers in the progress toward high quality education for all students. STEM activities can be an effective platform for providing rich learning experiences that are accessible to dual language learners and students from all backgrounds. To do this well, teachers need professional development on how to integrate STEM into preschool curricula, and how to design experiences that support the dual language learners in the classroom. To address this need, a professional development model was designed to empower preschool educators to provide rich, high-quality STEM learning experiences, with particular emphasis on working in schools serving children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This model was created based on best practices in adult learning and teacher professional development, on developmentally appropriate STEM concepts and teaching interactions, and in collaboration with educators to design professional supports that were responsive to their needs. We worked in under-resourced communities in a North East state in the United States to design a model that is culturally appropriate, and that is flexible enough to be implemented within any curricula and with a variety of materials. In this article, we outline the main components and the iterative design process we undertook to ensure that the professional supports are relevant and effective for teachers and children. Finally, the article presents feedback from educators who participated in the design and implementation of the model, as well as discussion of how our process can inform other teacher educators and those interested in promoting early STEM in diverse preschool settings.

Preschool STEM is important for later learning for all children, including dual language learners (DLLs). However the preschool workforce is generally not well prepared to teach STEM or to work with DLLs. The objectives of the SciMath-DLL professional development (PD) model are to increase preschool teacher knowledge and improve classroom instruction around science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), improve educators’ attitudes toward teaching STEM, enhance classroom supports for dual language learners (DLLs), and improve coaching. This paper reports on the effects of participation in SciMath-DLL workshops, individualized reflective coaching cycles (RCCs), and professional learning communities (PLCs) on educators and children in a qualitative design and development study. Future work will test effects experimentally.

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Research overwhelming identifies science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) domains as vital to young children’s later school achievement (Duncan et al., 2007; Grissmer et al., 2010; Morgan, Farkas, Hillemeier, & Maczuga 2016; Watts et al. 2014). However, preschool teachers rarely receive in-depth training in math and science, and culturally and linguistically diverse students from low-income backgrounds are particularly at risk for lower academic outcomes in these domains (Brenneman, Boyd & Frede, 2009; Barnett, 2008; Cognitive Development & Beyond Project, 2009). The ScMath-Dll Instrument for Teacher Learning (SMILE) assessment tool was developed to measure teacher’s knowledge. Items relevant to each workshop assess the following: (1) content knowledge; (2) understanding of the developmental learning trajectory of the concept covered; and (3) application of the content and developmental trajectory to classroom practice (pedagogical content knowledge: PCK). Further information about the intervention and the SMILE assessment, as well as implications and future directions, will be discussed.

Preschool science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is important for later learning for all children, including dual language learners (DLLs). However the preschool workforce is generally not well prepared to teach STEM or to work with DLLs, and attitudes and beliefs may play a role in teachers feeling challenged to provide high quality STEM teaching. The objectives of the SciMath-DLL professional development (PD) model are to improve attitudes and change beliefs of educators, increase preschool teachers’ knowledge, and improve classroom instruction around STEM and supports for dual language learners (DLLs). This paper provides preliminary results from a randomized trial of participation in the SciMath-DLL PD on preschool educators’ attitudes and beliefs.

Math and Science Story Time (MASST) program is a library-based informal education program that aims to increase access to high-quality early science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) books, activities, and content for young children. We developed and piloted resources to expand MASST beyond a family engagement program by inviting preschools to participate in the program. The purpose was to connect the local library with preschool classrooms, provide resources for educators, and bridge the gap between formal and informal learning environments. The present study examines the effects of participation in MASST on preschool educators and children.

No description available.