Bev Keen

This paper reports on the second phase of a qualitative study undertaken to support student teachers training in the 3-7 age-range in England to develop their practice on Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) placements. One of the most complex aspects of initial teacher education in the EYFS is developing the student teachers’ ability to enhance play provision that promotes children’s self-initiated play and provides meaningful contexts for child-adult co-construction of knowledge via a relational play-based pedagogy (Hedges and Cooper, 2018). This study stemmed from a feeling of disconnect between theory and practice, university and placement felt by ITE staff and students when reviewing and comparing students’ EYFS placement experiences both with each other and with ideas from theory and research. The process-oriented playful pedagogies approach underpinned by current play research (Wood, 2014; Chesworth, 2018) and espoused in university sessions was in tension with an increasingly outcomes-oriented, data-driven culture (Roberts-Holmes,2015) in EYFS classrooms. Inherent in these orientations are different implications for the role of the adult in play and the role of the child in the creation of environments for play. However, the demands of placement effectively place the students at best on a journey across the boundaries between the related contexts of theory and practice, and at worst on a collision course between two potentially incommensurable spheres of activity. Drawing on cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and the work of Engeström et al (1995), in Phase One of the study conversations between students in pairs or threes were recorded on the final day of their course, reflecting on the people (boundary brokers) and ‘things’ (mediating artefacts) that they had been able to draw on to develop ‘boundary crossing’ strategies. Phase Two of the study focused on the role of mediating artefacts, and how the course team could re-design selected placement materials and processes to support students as boundary crossers, facilitating their understanding and practice of playful coconstruction with children; thus, the Co-Constructed Play Project was born. The Co-Constructed Play Project (CPP) is a collaborative sensory, multimodal, active experience, developing an enhancement to the placement’s play provision over a period of weeks. Children and the student teacher work together to make judgements about existing resources and use of space, and deploy making skills to construct new resources, thus "making spaces of possibility" for play (Rowsell and Shillitoe, 2019). The student keeps a written, structured reflective journal of the process. This is a mediating artefact that acts as a cultural broker to support student teachers in gaining the permission (from boundary brokers), time and space to develop play provision with children. Drawing on a funds of knowledge approach (Chesworth, 2016) and on Hart’s ladder of participation (1992), developing and enhancing play provision is positioned as a shared role of the (student)teacher and children in the setting, to which each party brings existing knowledge and creative potential. Two key questions for selfreflection underpin the approach; firstly ‘Whose creativity?’ and secondly ‘Whose agency?’. Both prompt the adult to record and reflect on whose creative ideas and decisions/actions are driving the work of the CPP at each stage of its development. The presence of both of these questions serves both to slow down and to democratise the experience of enhancing the play environment and to make it a more authentic and meaningful process for both children and adults. The participatory focus re-positions enhancing play provision and environments as a shared responsibility, a shared journey and a shared achievement. The structured prompts of the CPP journal support an asynchronous reflective conversation between the student and university course leader in which the relationship between theory and practice are explored, questioned and articulated. After placement the journal becomes the basis for critical reflective conversations on the subject of the co-construction of play and play environments between student teachers and with university tutors. The CPP has resulted in a qualitative improvement in the nature, scope and scale of student teachers’ enhancements of play environments, in the sustained level of engagement and genuine co-construction with children and in the ability of students to articulate and defend their approaches to developing playful, relational pedagogies to a range of audiences including teaching colleagues, parents and Ofsted inspectors. This paper showcases examples of the CPP in action. It examines the elements that have contributed to the CPP’s effectiveness as a mediating artefact within undergraduate and postgraduate initial teacher education programmes that allows student teachers to co-construct co-construction with children, teachers, teaching assistants, peers and tutors and to cross the boundaries between theory and practice.

This chapter focused on student's perceptions about their developing confidence and competency in teaching systematic synthetic phonics during an initial teaching training course.

An exploratory study on aspects of the teaching of early reading, including systematic synthetics phonics, within the context of an Early Childhood Education leading to Qualified Teacher Status undergraduate course in England Aims of the research The aims of research was to develop a critical understanding of the perceptions of a group of final year Early Childhood Education students on the development of their competency and confidence in teaching early reading and systematic synthetic phonics during their initial teacher training course. Theoretical Framework Over recent years, within initial teacher training in England there is an increasing government focus on developing trainees’ understanding of teaching early reading, including decoding using a systematic synthetic phonics approach. Spear-Swerling and Brucker (2005 p333) identified that although the trainees may be confident, fluent readers, the specialist knowledge required to beginner readers “is not an automatic consequence of adult literacy,” whilst Coltheart and Prior (2007 p7) research found that “ beginning teachers are not confident about teaching some aspects of literacy … as well as phonics.” Methodology This was a piece of empirical practitioner research, using a multi-method approach. The main focus of research was designed around a qualitative approach to develop an understanding of the students’ personal perspectives, whilst quantitative data was collected to identify any statistical patterns and to establish a more detailed picture of the range of experiences the student’s encountered during teaching placements. The data collection were designed to be incorporated within the taught university sessions. These included focus discussion groups within the scheduled tutorial pattern, and recording group discussions during seminar based activities. The students also completed questionnaires at the start of the students’ final year and after their final teaching placement. Ethical considerations As a practitioner researcher, it was important to consider the potential ‘power’ relationships within the research, due to the researcher position as course leader and lecturer on one of the English modules. It was important to ensure the students felt their participation was completely voluntary, to create an ethos where they could discuss their feelings and perceptions without feeling this would affect their degree marks. Within this context, it is important to note that the researcher had no input or influence over the grading of the students’ final placement. Therefore the participants could discuss aspects of their practice they felt less confident about, with feeling it would disadvantage their final grades. Main findings There is a significant gap between the participants’ ‘internalised’ phonic knowledge, which is applied when they are reading, and the subject knowledge they require to teach a child to read which affects their confidence and competency. Particular factors identified included the terminology associated with systematic synthetic phonics, the complexity of the English language and developing an understanding of the progression in the teaching sequence. The research revealed there is a complex series of relationships between the trainees developing knowledge of subject specific and wider early years pedagogy, the context of and relationships within their final placement and their developing sense of personal professional practice. Implications for Practice Through listening to the student voice on their personal perceptions, the practitioner researcher was able to review and develop the focus of the taught university course, to include a more explicit focus on developing the students’ own subject knowledge. Individual students placed different values on each practical experience in supporting their progress, therefore it importance of providing all students with access to a wide range of experiences during their placements.

A small scale study focusing on the memories of Early Childhood Education QTS students about their significant memories from their Y1 outdoor residential experiences. The research involved focus group discussions and questionnaires. The key themes identified within the data included the personal, social and professional impact including the development of team working skills, how Rohnke's (1989) model of comfort, stretch and panic zones related to their experiences and the perceived importance of the 'overnight' aspect of the experience.

In this paper we draw upon a qualitative study of student teachers’ experiences of play provision during their first teaching placements within Early Years Foundation Stage classrooms and settings. The English curriculum for children from birth to five, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), positions play and exploration as key characteristics of effective learning. However, whilst the EYFS alludes to a play-based curriculum it is located within an instrumental educational context in which play is understood as a means of delivering predetermined and universally applied learning outcomes. As such, student teachers are subject to ambiguous messages regarding the extent to which children’s play should be structured, regulated or co-constructed by/with adults. The students’ reflections upon their experiences indicate that there was often a dissonance between the discourses of play espoused by the university and the practice-based elements of their training. When student teachers made the transition between university- and practice-based components of their training they occupied the borderlands between different discourses and practices. Our data indicates that students often encountered resistance to their efforts to introduce provision that was responsive to children’s interests and reported that their role in play was restricted to that of regulator and monitor. However, some student teachers adopted successful strategies for navigating such differences. Moreover, in some instances students established reciprocal relationships with their practice-based mentors that facilitated transformations to how playful pedagogies were understood and enacted in classrooms. Drawing upon Engeström et al.’s (1995) concept of boundary crossing, we suggest that the students’ experiences are indicative of the challenges associated with moving between two systems whilst also signalling new practices that can arise within such a space. We argue that universities have a vital role in helping student teachers to engage in critical discussions regarding the dissonant discourses of play which they experience during their training. Opportunities to interrogate political priorities for ECE and to be reflexive to the complex factors that contribute to children’s experiences of play can enable students to articulate and enact theoretically informed approaches to play within an outcomes-focused educational system. We suggest that such opportunities can act as boundary brokers that facilitate knowledge transfer between university and school cultures, thus offering the possibility of student teachers facilitating transformations to play provision.

This text offers innovative, multi-disciplinary perspectives on the subject of play in a range of environments: the classroom, playground, home, and local community.

Understanding what constitutes enhanced play provision to support child-initiated play, and making links between theory and practice challenges student teachers. Play is central to learning in the English EYFS. EPPE /REPEY highlighted the practitioner role in enhancing continuous provision and supporting play through quality interactions (Sylva, 2004). However, Moyles (2002) found practitioners could discuss the importance of play and sensitive interactions, but struggle to evidence them in practice. The EYFS alludes to an interests-based curriculum, but sits within an increasingly instrumental educational climate. In practice, attempting to align children's interests with nationally -prescribed learning goals is challenging, addressing educational priorities threatens the 'taming of play' (Wood, 2014). Perspectives differ on the adult's role in interacting with children within a playful environment. Goouch (2010) argues that dominant interpretations of pedagogical involvement may not acknowledge children's agency in their play, the current context may limit potential for meaning intersubjectivity between children and adults. This qualitative research used data drawn from evaluative assignments and focus group discussions to elicit student perspectives and strategies for navigating change. University ethical approval was granted, and BERA Ethical Guidelines (2011) regarding the team's dual teacher-researcher role were followed. Informed consent was obtained, pseudonyms allocated and participants were free to withdraw. Anonymous marking and moderation of student assignments was completed before data extraction. Analysis identifies that some student teachers encounter considerable resistance and their provision enhancements are not valued by mentor. Encouragingly, however, students' practice is sometimes trans-formative of mentor attitudes. Students need support to articulate theoretically-informed, process-focused practice in an outcomes focused system.

This is a reflective yet practical guide to engaging fathers in their child's development in the early years. Drawing on the expertise of a range of professionals, this practical guide will help Early Years practitioners to actively engage fathers in their child's wellbeing. "Engaging Fathers in the Early Years" provides practitioners with: strategies for recruiting, engaging and retaining fathers; evaluation techniques to develop work with fathers over time; up-to-date evidence on father involvement; and, current policy frameworks and their impact on practice. Each chapter begins with a concise overview of issues to be discussed, and case studies illustrate how strategies for engagement can be implemented in practice. Key issues for reflection and discussion are highlighted and each chapter contains a brief summary of major points to be considered.

Findings presented here relate to the evaluation of an innovative one-year pilot project in an area of multiple deprivation in the north of England, the goal of which was to engage fathers and male carers in their children’s transition from an early years setting to formal schooling to enhance children’s enjoyment, achievement and learning at this critical early stage of development. The project was successful in engaging men, recording 76 male attendances at activities during the project period, 19 of which were recorded at school-based activities, following transition. Strategies found to be effective in engaging men at a strategic level were partnership working with an expert agency on male inclusion and the use of a highly gender differentiated approach. At an operational level, successful approaches included the use of a highly individualized, strengths-based, empowerment orientated approach, within a partnership context, implemented by an extremely skilled Fathers Transition Worker, complemented by intensive follow-up contact via mobile phone, the use of male orientated activities and the engagement of mothers, as well as fathers.

Findings presented here relate to the evaluation of a one-year father-inclusion project, which took place in an area of multiple deprivation in the North of England. The project's goal was to engage fathers and male carers in their children's transition from an early years setting to a reception class and to maintain that involvement in the mainstream school setting. The project was successful in engaging men, recording 76 male attendances, 19 of which were recorded at school-based activities after the transition. Key benefits identified by fathers engaged in the project were closer relationships with their children and greater involvement in their play and learning. Children were very positive about their fathers' involvement and school staff identified a better rapport with fathers following the project.