Helping our youngest to learn and grow : policies for early learning.

Description

Foreword Table of Contents Executive Summary What are the ingredients of quality early childhood education and care? Which pedagogies work best for the youngest learners? What do we know about children’s use of technology? Chapter 1. Policies for early learning: Providing equitable access Box 1.1. Definitions of terms used in this report Box 1.2. Sustainable Development Goal 4.2 Attendance at early childhood education and care and learning outcomes Figure 1.1. Enrolment rates in early childhood education and primary education, by age Equity in access to early childhood education and learning outcomes Figure 1.2. Age at starting early childhood education and care, and science proficiency at 15, by socio-economic status Figure 1.3. Differences in duration of attendance at early childhood education and care, by school characteristics Figure 1.4. Percentage of 15-year-old students who had attended preschool for two years or more, by socio-economic status (2015) Addressing social inequality through early childhood education and care Box 1.3. International Early Learning and Child Well-being Study Conclusions References Chapter 2. Policies for early learning: Work organisation and staff qualifications Dimensions of “quality” in early childhood education and care Box 2.1. Starting Strong: Improving the impact of early childhood education and care Work organisation in early childhood education Working hours Figure 2.1. Organisation of annual teachers’ contact time with children in pre-primary public institutions (2017) Child-to-staff ratios Figure 2.2. Ratio of children to teaching staff in early childhood education (2016) Staff salaries Figure 2.3. Annual statutory teachers’ salaries in pre-primary education (2017) Staff qualifications Using work organisation and staff qualifications as “quality drivers” The quality of child-staff interactions Figure 2.4. More positive staff-child interactions are associated with higher levels of child emerging academic skills Exposure to developmental and educational activities Child-staff ratios Figure 2.5. Greater exposure to developmental and educational activities is associated with higher levels of children’s skills Group size Relationships between quality indicators Pre-service training Licensing family childcare In-service training Staff practices and engagement with children Sorting children Monitoring systems Locating early childhood education and care centres within schools Conclusions References Chapter 3. Policies for early learning: Shaping pedagogy Approaches to pedagogical practice in early childhood education and care Pedagogical approaches and the development of academic, social and emotional skills Table 3.1. Overview of pedagogical approaches and practices and their effects Shaping pedagogy through policy Table 3.2. Key pedagogical approaches and practices in case-study countries Policies to facilitate transitions from pre-primary to primary education Curriculum alignment between pre-primary and primary Table 3.3. Curriculum organisation in seven jurisdictions Figure 3.1. Percentage of jurisdictions where early childhood and primary education curricula are either aligned or integrated (2016) Figure 3.2. Values and principles included in both early childhood and primary education curricula (2016) Table 3.4. Ensuring pedagogical continuity: Challenges and strategies Learning areas in early childhood education and care, and primary school curricula Figure 3.3. Learning content in early childhood and primary education (2016) Figure 3.4. Broadening pre-primary curricula to include emerging learning content (2011 and 2015) Box 3.1. Selected reforms of pre-primary curricula Conclusions Notes References Chapter 4. Children, technology and teaching Technology, learning and teaching Figure 4.1. Time spent using the Internet and science performance Figure 4.2. Change in the use of digital devices at school between 2012 and 2015, by type of activity Box 4.1. Using technology to support enquiry-based science teaching Figure 4.3. Teachers’ need for professional development related to ICT Technology, the brain, cognition and well-being Table 4.1. Screen time recommendations in different countries A note on brain plasticity Impact of television on children: Cognition and well-being On co-viewing “High-quality” programming: The quality vs. quantity debate Effects of video games on the brain and executive functions 21st-century children and social media Figure 4.4. Change between 2015 and 2018 in use of social media platforms among US teenagers Box 4.2. The Internet and interpersonal skills and well-being “Facebook addiction”, excessive social media use and risky behaviours Implications for physical health Sleep Stress Overeating, sedentary lifestyles and obesity Activity, energy and co-ordination Musculoskeletal discomfort and posture Safe and responsible Internet use: The role of schools School organisation and policies E-safety in the curriculum School communication with families The role of peers Box 4.3. Internet safety helplines Developing policies Regulation strategies Common characteristics of successful policies Considerations for policy development Conclusions Notes References