Supporting Quality Teaching & Learning in Early Years: Evidence from Projects EPPE and REPEY. Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford Institute of Education, University of London

Iram Siraj-Blatchford Institute of Education, University of London Kathy Sylva University of Oxford Edward Melhuish Birkbeck, University of London Pam Sammons Institute of Education, University of London Brenda Taggart Institute of Education, University of London Effective Provision of Pre-School Education E P P E (UK)

Aims of the EPPE research To establish the impact of pre-school on young children’s intellectual and social/behavioural development. To identify those pre-schools that are more effective than others in promoting children’s development. To describe the characteristics of effective pre-school settings. To establish the impact of the home and childcare history (before age 3) on children’s intellectual and behavioural development. To explore whether pre-school experience can reduce social inequalities.

Six local authorities Pre-school centres randomly selected within the authorities to include: playgroups nursery classes private day nurseries day care centres run by local authorities nursery schools fully integrated centres A ‘home’ sample approx 300 who have no group pre-school experience Approx 3000 children and 141 centres Sample

Sources of data Child assessments over 4 years e.g. cognitive tasks and social-emotional profile Interviews e.g. with parents and heads of centres, and local authority officers Systematic rating of ‘quality’ in centres Documents e.g. curriculum statements, policy documents etc. Qualitative case studies of centres

Plan of Study: an ‘educational effectiveness’ design 25 nursery classes 590 children 34 playgroups 610 children 31 private day nurseries 520 children 20 nursery schools 520 children 7 integrated centres 190 children 24 local authority day care nurseries 430 children home 310 children Pre-school Provision (3+yrs) Reception Year 1 Year 2 (5 yrs) (6 yrs) (7 yrs) Baseline Assessment N= 3,000+ Exit Assessments N= 1500 Age 6 Assessments N = 3,000+ Age 7 Assessments N= 3,000+

Main Findings Pre-school experience, compared to none, enhances intellectual and social development in all children. Good quality pre-school experiences support better cognitive and social-behavioural development for children. Good quality can be found across all types of early years settings, but the state sector has more good quality. For all children learning at home helps cognitive and social development. Disadvantaged children in particular can benefit significantly from good quality pre-school experiences.

Quality Good quality and better cognitive outcomes for children are associated with higher qualifications in staff- especially trained teachers

Home learning before 3 years  reading to children;  teaching children songs and nursery rhymes;  playing with letters and numbers;  painting and drawing;  taking children to libraries;  (for social outcomes) creating regular opportunities for play with friends. What parents and carers do is most important and makes a real difference to development. Activities for parents which help children’s development include:

REPEY Case Studies The most effective settings provide both teacher- initiated group work and freely chosen yet potentially instructive play activities Excellent settings tend to achieve an equal balance between adult-led and child-initiated interactions and activities Siraj-Blatchford et al (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY), DfES

Cognitive outcomes relate to teacher/adult planned and initiated focused group work and the amount of sustained shared thinking between adults and children Effective pedagogy is both ‘ teaching ’, and the provision of instructive learning environments and routines Siraj-Blatchford et al (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY), DfES REPEY Case Studies

Sustained shared thinking: An episode in which two or more individuals “work together” in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate activities, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend. Siraj-Blatchford et al (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY), DfES Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years

Percentage of pedagogical interactions (cognitive and monitoring) in settings varying in effectiveness

Percentage of high cognitive challenge activities within each initiation category in each setting type

Figure 26a: Curricular areas (proportionally) in which children use computers

Figure 27: Adult/Teacher presence at the computer

Figure 28a: Cognitive pedagogical interactions which occurred while children were engaged in computing activities

Figure 29: Social pedagogical interactions when children are engaged in computing

♦ Children use computers primarily without an adult present. ♦ When practitioners are present they are more likely to be fully qualified teachers. ♦ Children are encouraged to discover for themselves, while the adult provides encouragement, questions and management if appropriate.

Information and Communication Technology Finding out Identifying Using What does this do? Why do you think it does this? How does this work? Questions can often be started with ‘I wonder…what, if, why, how, when, where …’ The role of the teacher: Enquiry Questions 3

I don’t know, what do you think? That’s an interesting idea. I like what you have done there…what… Have you seen what X has done…why… I wondered why you had… I’ve never thought about that before… You’ve really made me think… What would happen if we did… The role of the teacher: Enquiry Questions 7 Positive questioning

I think…I agree… I imagine…I disagree… I like…I don’t like… I wonder… The role of the teacher: Enquiry Questions 8 Making sense words

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