Field-based early childhood teacher education:"But are they already teachers.."

Funding year: 
2009
Duration:
2 years
Organisation: 
Open Polytechnic of New Zealand
Sector: 
Cross sector
Project start date: 
January 2009
Project end date: 
June 2011
Principal investigator(s): 
Dr. Margaret Brennan and Liz Everiss
Research team members: 
Dr Diane Mara, Auckland University
Research partners: 
Management, staff and students in the Bachelor of Teaching (EcE) programme

Project Description

Despite its long history in early childhood initial teacher education (itE) programmes, there remains a limited research base about the nature of the field-based approach and more specifically student–tutor interactions in the tertiary classroom. This study adds to a growing area of scholarship that seeks to articulate a distinct pedagogical base to field-based teacher education. The tertiary classroom was chosen as the site of study because it affords researchers and teachers opportunity to place an intense focus on students and tutors “doing field-based teacher education” and to explore new understandings that sit apart from traditional pre-service ItE approaches. 

Project Outputs

2010

Presentations, conferences and workshops

Everiss, L., Brennan, M., Mara, D. (2010). An exploration of early childhood teacher education in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Paper presented by Dr Diane Mara at the European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA), Birmingham, 6-8 September, 2010.