Quality uplift: insights from two Australian 3a research studies
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This seminar will draw on findings from two Australian based research studies that explored the impact of the Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) teaching strategies (Enriched Caregiving, Conversational Reading and Learning Games) on children’s outcomes and the quality of teachers’ interactions with children. The first an Australian Research Council (ARC) Australian Research Council Linkage project ‘Building a Bridge into Preschool in Remote Northern Territory (NT) Communities’ with the NT Government’s Department of Education and Department of Health explored whether the implementation of 3a, in local playgroups, with strong cultural adaptations, positively impacted young Aboriginal children’s early language and learning skills, prior to preschool. The second, the Victorian Advancing Early Learning Study (VAEL), a partnership between the Victorian State Department of Education and Training, the University of Melbourne and two local government jurisdictions providing early childhood services, investigated the impact of a professional in-service model (3a training and coaching) on the quality of teachers’ interactions and child learning outcomes. Threshold conditions, stable leadership, distributed and ongoing coaching with expert and local support, cultural and community responsivity, family engagement, program dosage and fidelity of implementation are some key factors that supported sustained quality improvements and outcomes.
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Bio
Professor Jane Page OAM is Associate Director of the REEaCh Centre (Research in Effective Education in Early Childhood), Faculty of Education, University of Melbourne. Jane has been a teacher of young children and a university teacher and researcher for over 40 years. Jane’s research focuses on generating new knowledge on the factors and processes that drive high quality early childhood education so to create equitable learning outcomes and pathways for young children. Jane has worked in partnerships with teachers, families, children and government to build nuanced and multifaceted understandings of what quality early childhood education looks like across diverse communities in Australia. led a number of national and state-based Australian projects and is a member of Singapore’s newly formed International Advisory Committee to strengthen preschool quality.