School pressure hits earlier
More than 200 early childhood educators have backed a letter calling on Education Minister Peter Collier to help them resist increasing pressure to replace playtime with formal academic instruction.
In the letter, Edith Cowan University Centre for Research in Early Childhood director Caroline Barratt-Pugh said early childhood specialists were troubled by recent changes to early education in WA.
Areas of significant concern were the move from "play-based learning" prompted by "formalisation" of early childhood programs and growing demands to "push down" content previously taught to older children into the early grades.
Teachers were also concerned about an increasingly crowded curriculum and the drive for students to achieve better NAPLAN results starting from an earlier age.
Professor Barratt-Pugh said about 200 early childhood professionals attended an ECU forum late last year and took part in a later survey and focus group sessions.
They were worried that changes to the curriculum and policy were rapidly formalising education for children from kindergarten to Year 2.
"Participants expressed concern about the use of inappropriate strategies, with increasing use of workbooks, work sheets and scripted commercial programs (such as Direct Instruction), less outdoor playtime and unrealistic expectations on children," Professor Barratt-Pugh wrote.
They also noted growing demands from principals and other teachers to focus on "school readiness".
The educators recommended that teachers and principals should be supported to criticise commercially scripted teaching programs and given opportunities to learn more about which methods were most effective for young children.
The group called on Mr Collier for extra funding for research into the effects of NAPLAN testing on teachers and children and its impact on teaching in the early years.
Mr Collier said he could not comment on the letter because he had not yet received it.
"In general terms, we are making significant progress in the education of our younger students," he said.
"Kindergarten hours have been expanded and we have made pre-primary compulsory.
"We will see the fruits of these changes as children grow into teenage years with a solid educational foundation and a positive view of learning."
Mr Collier said Kindergarten Curriculum Guidelines released last year provided a clear set of directions and support for kindergarten teachers.
Hawker Park Primary School pre-primary teacher Denise Ansingh, who won a national education award last month, said it was possible to combine rigorous learning with a play-based classroom.
"It is about finding a balance where both work in harmony," she said.
"Play and a sense of playfulness from the teacher enables students to build positive relationships with all the people in their school environment."
