New learning pedagogy: a study in determining an appropriate pedagogy and pedagogical strategies to support phonetic awareness, whilst using new technology with young children.

Abstract

This research comes at a time where the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) is seen by the UK Government as having the potential to improve the quality and standards of children’s education in the earliest years of a child’s development (DfE 2011). At present, there is a significant discourse to introduce more appropriate forms of technology within the early years educational curriculum. New changes to the UK ICT policy (DfE 2010) suggest the need to reform the current early years ICT curriculum to provide for better and more effective methods of technological practice. Greater importance lies with ‘how to use technology’ rather than ‘what technology to use’ or ‘how much technology to use’ with young children. This research focused on The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, established by the National Curriculum in England which brings together the principles, pedagogy and approach of the Early Years Curriculum Guidance. It was guided by questions about the relationship between the effective pedagogic qualities in the early years and by determining an appropriate pedagogy used with young children. A central importance was to determine how an appropriate pedagogy applied with a new form of technology, can support phonetic knowledge and learning in young children, and to what extent can this appropriate pedagogy support good quality care practices and involvement with the children, within a planned learning setting. This study addressed the use of new technology of an educational website via the Internet, with the intent to support phonetic recognition and awareness, so that the process of reading can begin earlier. This was conducted against the backdrop of children failing to reach expected standards in literacy tests (DfE 2010). Taking the lead from the synthetic phonetics programme, introduced by the UK Primary National Strategy (2008), this study adopted the use of the online educational website, Alphablocks. It developed from the study of thirty telephone interviews and nine early years settings, the latter encompassing a total of 82 children. This study adopted pragmatism and included both qualitative and quantitative methodologies within the four stages of the research process. The first and second stage utilised Action Research Methodology in conducting interviews to scope out the research purpose and work closely with the early childhood practitioners, so as to understand their current pedagogical practices. The third and fourth stages employed Piaget’s Methodology, using his Non-Clinical Interviews in developing and determining an appropriate pedagogic dialogue and then his Teaching Experiments in transferring and validating the new found pedagogical knowledge with the early childhood practitioners. The final stage also employed Laever Ferre’s Scales to measure both well-being and involvement of the children, in planning an appropriate educational setting, within an early years classroom. The original contribution of this research showed that in determining an appropriate pedagogy, applied with new technology, a number of factors need to be considered. Pre-scaffolding issues of technical connectivity, small group structural settings and organisation of an active learning experience are first to be appropriately established prior to the application of the use of a pedagogy. Then through means of an appropriate pedagogy, that of the Communication and Collaboration early years pedagogic approach and Sustained Shared Thinking pedagogical strategies (Siraj-Blatchford, I., 2007), learning can be enhanced and enriched through appropriate forms of meaningful and shared dialogue between the participants. By using Ferre Laevers Scales of Well Being and Involvment, the quality of learning can be validated to take place both safely and appropriately, within a planned early years learning setting.