Knowledge Makes Change Seminar 7 - Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-Being

The Knowledge Makes Change seminar series aims to inspire and be informative on ‘what works’ for young children and their families to ensure the best possible outcomes. It forms part of NCB’s work in Jersey and is delivered in partnership with the Jersey Child Care Trust and are free events open to everyone engaged with young children and their families in Jersey.

Profess Iram Siraj has a strong background in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and an international reputation for her longitudinal research and policy expertise. She has co-directed a number of influential studies, including the Effective Provision of Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE, DfE, 1997-2014) study, the transformative Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY, DfE, 2002) study, the influential Effective Primary Education book and the Effective Leadership in the Early Years Sector (ELEYS) Study. Iram recently completed reviews of the Welsh Foundation Phase (2014) and of the Scottish early years workforce (2015).

She led two Centre for Excellence and Outcomes in Children and Young People’s Services (C4EO) reviews of what families and integrated working contribute to child outcomes for under-fives. Amongst her many published works she has authored award-winning books including: Social Class and Educational Inequality the Role of Parents and Schools (2014) and Effective and Caring Leadership in the Early Years (2014). She has over 250 publications including three widely-used rating scales which measure the quality of environments and pedagogy in ECEC and promote child outcomes in the cognitive (ECERS-E 4th Ed. 2010), social-emotional (SSTEW, 2015) and physical (MOVERS, 2017) domains.
The evening was also opened by speakers from Trinity School, who are based in Jersey and have been maximising children's learning potential in the Early Years through high levels of well-being and interactive sessions following children’s interests. Trinity told us how they used an inset day to sit and discuss our early years values and to make an action plan for improving well-being across their early years classes and to ensure their children learn the importance of being Happy and Healthy, Engaged and Inspired as well as Kind and Respectful.

Transcript

1. Knowledge Makes Change seminar 7 Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-Being (SSTEW) 12 December 2018 Welcome
2. Welcome and introductions Dr Cathy Hamer Chair of Best Start Partnership and Associate, National Children’s Bureau
3. Agenda Welcome and Introductions Dr Cathy Hamer, Chair of Best Start Partnership and Associate, National Children’s Bureau Well-Being in Jersey Trinity Primary School, introduced by Julie McAllister Early Years Adviser, States of Jersey – Children, Young People, Education and Skills Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-Being (SSTEW) Professor Iram Siraj, Professor of Child Development and Education, University of Oxford Questions and discussion with both speakers Early Childhood Development Programme Update Ellie Suggate-Francis, Principal Officer – Early Childhood Unit National Children’s Bureau
4. Maximising children's learning potential in the Early Years at Trinity High levels of well being and involvement following their interests.
5. We were given an inset day to sit and discuss our early years values and to make an action plan for our phase.
6. We created Our Early Years Values at Trinity
8. We wanted to promote all areas of learning in our shared area. We created a display to show how the characteristics feed into the prime areas which then feed into the specific areas.
9. Capturing those ‘sticking tongue out moments!’
10. Changing the bedsit… Our home corner was very small so we spent a little time re arranging the furniture and adding some more homely items
11. …to a Home Corner We added a lamp shade, wallpapered the wall, added photos and frames, clock, fairly lights and hung material over the bedroom.
13. Making learning real life Two very big pumpkins visited!
14. Early Years held a ‘decorate a pumpkin competition’ for the whole school. Independent mark making to advertise the competition
16. The winning Pumpkin entries
17. The Mud Kitchen Café We have created a video to show the learning journey we went on with the children to enhance our Mud Kitchen
18. Looking ahead to this year... Rally car visited Giant Pumpkin visited Building experience at highlands Visit a Café to continue stimulus in Mud Kitchen (different location this time maybe Bonne Nuit) Food experience at highlands We will continue to plan trips linking to children’s interest in the moment.
19. Introducing one of the Curriculum, Leadership and Interaction Quality Rating Scales (CLIQRS) - the SSTEW Iram Siraj Professor of Child Development & Education, University of Oxford Twitter: @SirajIram
20. Interactions and Sustained Shared Thinking and SSTEW scale Children’s interactions with educators and peers, more than any other program feature, can determine what children learn and how they feel about learning (Driscoll et al., 2011; Epstein, 2014; National Research Council, 2000; Pianta, 2012). Effective educators engage in Sustained Shared Thinking (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002)
21. ISBN: 978-1-85856- 479-1 £16.99 ISBN: 978-1-85856- 658-0 £19.99 ISBN: 978-185856- 799-0 £14.99 These titles are available at: www.ucl-ioe-press.com *For bulk orders please contact: Margie Coughlin: m.coughlin@ucl.ac.uk Curriculum, Leadership and Interaction Quality Rating Scales (CLIQRS)
22. What are the Curriculum, Leadership and Interaction Quality Rating Scales (CLIQRS)? • Internationally recognised, evidence-based tools for improving the quality of the learning environment in Early childhood Education and Care provision • Provide a measurable ‘profile’ of quality • ECERS-E suitable for centre based provision with children aged 3 – 5 years • SSTEW Scale suitable for centre and home based provision with children aged 2 – 5 years • Used in research in Australia; Fostering Effective Early Learning (FEEL funded NSW) and Researching Environments for Early Learning (REEL funded GoodStart), URLEY, UK • Some of the elements appear in EYFS e.g. sustained shared thinking
23. Introducing the CLIQRS • The CLIQRS are tools for measuring and improving the quality of early years provision for: – Research – Inspection and audit – Self-assessment  Reliable, valid and supported by research evidence  Focus on the learning environment and how the educators’ support children’s learning and development  Provide a structure for recording what is happening in the learning environment and, in particular, the educator’s role, so that elements can be developed and improved  Both have demonstrated predictive validity.
24. How do the CLIQRS work? • Observational rating scales • Used with one room/group of children at a time • Information gathered during a half day observation on a ‘typical day’ for each scale used • Observation is important but some elements can be scored by asking a question – used to gather further evidence • Some settings will need two or more separate observations depending on the size of the group and structure within the setting
25. Format of the CLIQRS • Divided into sub-scales • Each subscale has items and indicators
26. Inadequate Minimal Good Excellent 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Example of the CLIQRS Rating System
27. Sustained Shared thinking • “An episode in which two or more individuals “work together” in an intellectual way to resolve 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) • “the active engagement of practitioners in children’s learning and extending thinking.” (Siraj, Kingston and Melhuish, 2015)
28. Sustained Shared Thinking • Can be verbal or non-verbal. • Emphasis on “contribution to thinking” • The educator may ‘stand back’, ‘intervene’, ‘model’, ‘question’ ‘provoke’ etc • The educator needs to be sensitive not necessarily talkative – the responsive adult who intentionally scaffolds learning.
29. Extended narrative…. Is it SST? Educator: What did you have for lunch? Child: Sandwiches and a yogurt E: Oh that sounds nice, was it? C: Yep E: What flavour was your yogurt? C: Coconut. E: Is that your favourite? C: Yes
30. Establishing and maintaining an interactive environment • Meeting children’s basic physical needs • Create a warm and caring atmosphere • Encourage and support language and communication • Encourage initiative • Introduce information and model skills • Acknowledge children’s activities and accomplishments – encouragement rather than praise • Support Peer interaction • Encourage independent problem solving
31. Encouraging • Commenting specifically on what the child has done • Asking questions to learn more about the child’s plans and thoughts • Repeating children’s ideas and imitating their actions • Writing down or recoding the children’s ideas; photographing the children’s creations And displaying their work or photographs of work • Drawing connections between the children’s current words and actions and events or information that came up at other times or places • Referring one child to another for information, assistance • Sharing children’s ideas, contributions and creations with peers, other staff members and family members
32. Some steps to support SST • Step one: observe, wait and listen before you act, focus on what the child is doing and think about how you are feeling and what you want to achieve • Step two: establish a connection with the child. The child should know you are there, that you are interested in them and what they are doing and that you want to spend time with time them (trust, security and safety) • Step three: Use the materials in the same way as the child and wait for play openings (pauses looks at you for acknowledgement and/or help) • Step four: Encourage children to solve problems for themselves and extend learning. Encourage the child to try new things, think creatively and find their own solutions (See Ten ways to extend a topic, add to and/or enrich children’s understanding and language)
33. • Adults have warm, responsive relationships with children. • High quality interactions including SST. • Setting has clear educational goals and planning. • Staff have recognised early years qualifications. • Trained teachers are amongst the staff. • Parents are supported in involvement in children’s learning. • Adults have warm, responsive relationships with children. • High quality interactions including SST. • Setting has clear educational goals and planning. • Staff have recognised early years qualifications. • Trained teachers are amongst the staff. • Parents are supported in involvement in children’s learning. Quality: Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY) study (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002)
34. Format of SSTEW Scale • Same structure as the ECERS-E Items assessed on a seven point scale • Divided into five sub-scales: – Building trust, confidence and independence – Social and emotional well-being – Supporting and extending language and communication – Supporting learning and critical thinking – Assessing learning and language
35. Measuring Quality: Sustained Shared Thinking and Emotional Well-Being (SSTEW) Scale for 2-5 year olds provision There are 5 Subscales and 14 items: 1 Building trust, confidence and independence – Self-regulation and social development – Encouraging choices and independent play – Planning for small group and individual interactions/adult deployment 2 Social and emotional well-being – Supporting socio-emotional wellbeing 3 Supporting and extending language and communication – Encouraging children to interact with others – Staff actively listen to children and encourage children to listen – Staff support children’s language use – Sensitive responsiveness
36. 4 Supporting learning and critical thinking – Supporting curiosity and problem solving – Encouraging sustained, shared thinking during storytelling, sharing books, singing, and rhymes – Encouraging sustained, shared thinking in investigation and exploration – Supporting concept development and higher order thinking 5 Assessing learning and language – Using assessment to support and extend learning and critical thinking – Assessing language development Authors: Iram Siraj, Denise Kingston, Edward Melhuish There are 5 Subscales and 14 items
37. Sub-scale 3: Supporting and extending language and communication Item Inadequate 1 2 Minimal 3 4 Good 5 6 Excellent 7 Item 8: Sensitive responsiveness 1.1 Little effort is made to engage with the children (e.g. in conversation, to show any interest in what the children are doing etc.). 1.2 Staff often talk amongst themselves and ignore the children in front of them. 1.3 Little effort is made to treat the children as individuals, instead children are communicated with “en masse” (as a group) at all times. 1.4 Children are left in obvious distress. 3.1 Staff focus on small groups of children and respond to individuals within the group. 3.2 Staff listen out for and respond to any questions or comments from children in an interested way. 3.3 Praise is used, but indiscriminately and generally to the whole group. 5.1 Staff ensure that most children receive extended individual attention at least once during the session*. 5.2 Help is willingly offered if the staff feel that children may be struggling with the task in hand. 5.3 Praise and encouragement is readily given to individuals when appropriate. 7.1 Most children are given “one on one” interactive attention more than once during the session*. 7.2 Any comments or requests from children are responded to or dealt with promptly – if necessary involving another member of staff to ensure that children are not left waiting and wondering*. 7.3 Although staff members may wish to focus on an individual child, no other child in the group is made to feel excluded. .
38. 1s Educators engage in practice which could harm children’s developing self-image, self-worth and self-concept and damage the view of themselves as active, autonomous and engaged learners and thinkers. 3s Educators provide a respectful, positive environment in which the children are often expected to play and learn by themselves with staff facilitating but not necessarily supporting and extending 5s Educators engage with the children and encourage autonomy, they recognise individual needs but may miss opportunities to extend thinking and scaffold learning 7s Relational and intentional pedagogy evident. Educators scaffold learning through encouragement, modelling, questioning, challenging, grouping and differentiation, planning and assessment. They support collaboration, perseverance, concentration, problem solving, curiosity, memory, empathy, thinking, reflection and autonomy. Both the educators and children contribute to the construction of shared meanings, knowledge and skills
39. Nature of the SSTEW Scale (for children aged 2 – 5 years) • Builds on ECERS-E focusing on the pedagogy within the setting, the adult’s role in supporting learning and development • Considers high quality interactions with and between children. Some staff/settings may not be ready for all of the subscales; particularly those relating to critical thinking, assessment for learning and supporting and extending language and communication. • Needs to be used by someone with knowledge of child development and appropriate practice. DVD clips and discussion
40. Making Judgments on the SSTEW Scale The scores need to represent an overall and professional judgement of staff behaviours, responses and interactions and the resulting children’s experiences within the setting There’s a child development section at end of SSTEW to support understanding of appropriate practice on: • Social Development • Emotional Development • Cognitive Development (largely language) • Progression in Play
41. Using the SSTEW Scale • For 2 year olds use SSTEW can be used with MOVERS and ITERS-R • For 3 year olds and above use SSTEW and ECERS-E and MOVERS • All CLIQRS can be used for research, inspection, audit and self-assessment. Where you will start and proceed will be dependent on the purpose for using the scales. However, observation of the setting/room to ensure accuracy, validity and reliability will always be part of the process (dosage and recency are important).
42. The SSTEW Scale: where to start • First, gather some information on staff present. Are they regular members of staff? How long have they been in the setting? What qualifications do they have? How often are they there? What is the typical pattern of attendance for the group of children you are focussing on? What is the catchment area like? Do any children have specific needs? Are there any children who are new and/or finding the setting difficult? (see information on page 40) • Map out the setting/room you will be observing • Take a tour of the whole setting/room and gauge the staff’s response to the children.
43. • Then spend time observing and listening to the interactions as they occur, make notes first and then consider which items you will score/have gathered information on. • Be systematic. For example: - have some paper ready to list questions for yourself and to ask staff before you leave. - Develop a system so that you can easily see which items you have completely finished and which need further consideration.
44. Remember you need the detail and the evidence and to have observed it during your visit. - for all staff - for all children NB. you will not be able to do this initially as it will require you being familiar with the scale and all of the items. It takes practise.
45. With positive behaviours, responses and interactions Subscale 3: Supporting and Extending children’s language and communication. Item 6: Staff actively listen to children and encourage children to listen. Indicator: 7.1 Staff allow long pauses, so the children have time to think and respond. They also show how they allow different lengths of pauses with different children. Indicator: 7.2 Staff encourage the children to talk and listen to each other by suggesting they tell so and so. Or by inviting other children to come and listen to what another child has to say.
46. Role of *! Examples, supplementary information and other information • additional information and/or examples • possible need for a question/example of question(s) • need to consider paperwork, records, planning etc • N/A permitted only when observing children under three year olds and once checked the examples and supplementary information
47. Negative behaviours, responses and interactions Subscale 2: Social and Emotional wellbeing. Item 4: Supporting socio-emotional wellbeing. Indicator: 1.1 ‘Feelings expressed by the children are played down, ignored, dismissed or ridiculed’
48. What you will be looking for • Interactions between children and educators and children and children • Consideration of how the educator supports and extends learning which will include their responsiveness to individual children as well as to small groups and all of the children
49. Thank you Any questions? Iram Siraj iram.siraj@education.ox.ac.uk
50. Early Childhood Development Programme Update Ellie Suggate-Francis, Principal Officer – Early Childhood Unit National Children’s Bureau Programme Update
51. Knowledge Makes Change • The final seminar in the current series will be 21st March 2019 with Neil Griffiths and an exciting evening on how to combine Maths and Storytelling. • KMC resources will be hosted on the Best Start Partnership website: https://beststart.je/useful-resources/ • Let us know your final thoughts by filling the evaluation form and contacting Kate Elston at Jersey Child Care Trust to participate in our final programme evaluation. • We’ll also be in touch at the end of January to see what from tonight you have put into practice Making it REAL • Jersey’s Making it REAL story – the film is now also available at the Best Start Partnership website. Programme Update
52. Thank you