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Continuous Improvement in Early Childhood Pedagogical Practice: The Victorian Advancing Early Learning (VAEL) Study

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Abstract

This chapter describes a professional learning model developed in the Victorian Advancing Early Learning (VAEL) Study. VAEL was established in response to outcomes from the Effective Early Educational Experiences (E4Kids) Study, which demonstrated a need to improve those elements of quality pedagogy (i.e. educator-child interactions) that promote young children’s learning and development (Tayler, Cleveland, Ishimine, Clone & Thorpe, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(2), 13–21, 2013). The VAEL professional learning model provided educators with pedagogical training and coaching in evidence-based teaching strategies to improve the quality of their interactions with children. The teaching strategies were from the Abecedarian Programme (Ramey, Sparling, & Ramey Landesman, Abecedarian: the ideas, the approach, and the findings. Los Altos, CA, Sociometrics Corporation, 2012) and adapted for the Australian context. Coaching was supported through the use of an observational tool, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) Manual, Pre-K: Paul H. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Company, 2008). The professional learning model that was developed included multiple components (i.e. training, expert coaching and educational leader coaching) that were regular, ongoing and individualised. Importantly, building a ‘whole-of-service’ approach to quality improvement was key to a successful programme and practice change. The VAEL model impacted positively on educator’s interactions and the sustainability of effective pedagogical change. VAEL demonstrated that investment in professional learning programmes increases educators’ knowledge and supports them to successfully implement intentional teaching strategies (Page & Eadie, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood. 44:270–283, 2019).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Patricia Eadie, Jane Page & Lisa Murray

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  1. Patricia Eadie
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  2. Jane Page
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  3. Lisa Murray
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Correspondence to Patricia Eadie .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Education, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

    Susanne Garvis

  2. Department of Child and Youth Studies, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

    Hillevi Lenz Taguchi

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Eadie, P., Page, J., Murray, L. (2021). Continuous Improvement in Early Childhood Pedagogical Practice: The Victorian Advancing Early Learning (VAEL) Study. In: Garvis, S., Taguchi, H.L. (eds) Quality Improvement in Early Childhood Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73182-3_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73182-3_4

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-73181-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-73182-3

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