What are the key knowledge, skills and dispositions of exemplary educators?

An international team of renowned early childhood education and care (ECEC) researchers has, for the first time,  provided a clear, rigorous and comprehensive line of sight into what the key constituents of high-quality education and care looks like from an educator and organisational perspective. 

 

The study, conducted by Professor Frances Press, Professor Linda Harrison, Professor Sandie Wong, Associate Professor Megan Gibson, Dr Tamara Cumming and Professor Sharon Ryan, focuses on the work of educators in high-quality early childhood settings, a deliberate choice by its authors to “draw out the best of what we know about high-quality pedagogy and practice”.

 

“By developing a deeper understanding of what ‘exemplary’ educators do, and the ways in which this work is organisationally supported, the report aspires to inform preservice training, professional support, policy and practice,” Professor Press said. 

 

Identifying the key themes underpinning exemplary educators practice and purpose

 

Researchers used a series of forums including focus groups and case studies of high-quality early learning services to elicit their results, which yielded over 175 hours of commentary as well as over 50 hours of observations.  

 

The following themes emerged, providing insights into the nature of exemplary educators’ work: 

 

Educator worthiness – Exemplary educators had a strong sense of the worthiness of their work. They valued their work, and felt valued by their fellow educators, families, their service, the community in which they worked, and their employer.

 

Educator agency – Exemplary educators took ownership of their professional work, having agency in decision making to contribute to the operations of the service and to their own professional growth. Their voices mattered, and they were listened to.

 

Educator work hours – Exemplary educators were ‘working above and beyond’ and often in their own time. There was a sense that their work was a significant and rewarding part of their life. 

 

Educator capabilities/competence – Exemplary educators drew on their extensive knowledge, especially of early childhood education, child development, theory, and critical reflection.

 

Educator support in professional growth – Exemplary educators were encouraged and supported within their service to engage in professional development and learning, and more broadly experiences that would enrich their own (and their service’s) growth.

 

Educator beliefs/conviction – Exemplary educators held clearly articulated views about children, which translated into philosophy statements in the centre, and were implemented through the program. They were not alone in these beliefs sharing it with their team and their colleagues.

 

Educator professional relationships – Exemplary educators noted the importance of the relationships they had with colleagues, across qualifications and positions within their service, and more broadly across the early childhood profession, enabling their work and ongoing growth as an educator.

 

Educator knowledge, skills and dispositions – Exemplary educators in the study demonstrated particular knowledge, skills and dispositions that informed their work. The educators had a strong understanding of theory, curriculum and policy. Their knowledge of theory, especially child development, was spoken about extensively.

 

In addition, the report explored the ‘average working day’ of an exemplary educator and found from a dataset of 321 educators that on average they engaged in ten different domains of work activity in a given day (for example, being with children, planning, admin, talking with families etc), that rapid changes of work activity and multi-tasking were typical, and that exemplary educators overall enjoy their work. 

 

Exemplary educators do not work in a vacuum: organisational support is critical 

 

An important finding in the study was that exemplary educators were empowered and supported to be exemplary through a range of consistent and well defined characteristics inherent in the organisational environment they worked in. 

 

These included:

 

• Physical environments that were inviting for children and for adults to work in.

 

• Effective organisational systems

 

• Space for reflection and thoughtful pedagogy

 

• Supportive pay and conditions 

 

• A pervasive ethos of teamwork

 

• Community connectedness and strong philosophical orientation.

 

Importantly, the report highlights, a majority of the educators (72 per cent) who completed the survey reported that in three years they were likely to still be working in their current service which emphasises the high degree of loyalty that organisational support engendered. 

 

“Importantly, the study recognises that great pedagogy is not just predicated on the skill of the individual, but blossoms within a context of collegiate relationships and organisational support,”  Professor Press said. 

 

Editor’s note: Please note that this article aims to summarise key findings in the report to facilitate consumption across a wider audience. For those keen to learn more it is strongly recommended that readers download the original report Shining a light on early childhood educators’ work here.