Singaporean early childhood students visit SA
By Professor Marjory Ebbeck, Dr Sharon Russo and Linda Blackstone
From October 11 to 31 ten students who are completing a transnational BEd
(ECE) program in Singapore undertook a field practicum placement in early
childhood centres in Adelaide. A practicum placement in Adelaide is a
voluntary element of the program and the students who participated paid
their fares, accommodation and living expenses to be in Adelaide and
experience Australia style early childhood education and care.
The
students, staff at the early childhood centres and University staff have
been very enthusiastic about the outcomes of this visit and its strong
cultural orientation. The students worked with centre staff in planning
programs and were able to contribute ideas from their own cultural
backgrounds, adding diversity to the early childhood programs in which they
were working. Examples of activities they introduced included discussion
time answering children’s questions as to why some of the students were
wearing head scarves, and engaging in discussions about Muslim customs and
ways of accepting cultural differences and likenesses in people. The visit
coincided with the Holy Month of Ramadan.
The students had prior briefing sessions in Singapore as to what they might
share with centres, and brought a range of art and craft activities, books
and artefacts representative of elements of Chinese, Malay and Indian
cultures. For example, children participated in a variety of activities
including Chinese calligraphy, Chinese stencil work and art activities
related to selected Chinese festivals. Students commented on how quickly
children were singing songs and listening to short stories in Mandarin,
engaging fully in these new activities. Under supervision, the children
helped to cook rice, chapatis and other Asian foods. One student, who
currently works in Cambodia, brought Cambodian artefacts and weavings to
share with the children. The emphasis on the aesthetics was valued by both
children and centre staff.
In return, some of the centres and hospitality functions organised by
University staff in their homes included barbeques with Halal food. Students
enjoyed the charm of Adelaide architecture in its many forms and visited
sites of special interest to them.
The
practicum program was organised with weekly lectures and seminars held in
the University. Early childhood staff from the School of Education, with
staff from DECS, discussed a range of issues dealing with the challenges and
joys of implementing culturally diverse programs, including examining ways
of supporting children with special needs, an area in which Singapore is
currently investing resources both physical and human.
Visits to UniSA gave students the opportunity to use the library facilities
and they were very impressed by the range of available resources and
assistance given so readily by Library staff. A special library workshop was
organised for them, again in the orientation period of their stay.
Depending on teaching schedules, some students were able to attend other
on-campus lectures and again contribute to discussions bringing in cultural
dimensions to topics such as child protection and the issues surrounding
this in Singapore. They also attended other professional activities in the
community which were available during their time here.
Student evaluations and reflective journal writings have shown
overwhelmingly that this kind of opportunity assists cultural understanding
in a range of ways and adds positively to both professional and personal
understanding of internationalisation of the curriculum, one of the graduate
qualities students acquire through undertaking the program. The Singapore
system of early childhood is appropriate for that cultural context as it
places a strong emphasis on a formal approach and limits curriculum choices
for children. However, by contrasting it with teaching and learning
approaches in South Australia, the students were able to gain other insights
into what might be appropriate early childhood education and care practices.
One student remarked “I was thrown when a child said to me ‘No, I don’t want
to do that activity! I’m going to do something else’”.
The early childhood centres in South Australia, which function under the
auspices of the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS), use
the South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework
(SACSA) and this presents a different approach for the students to work in.
Key policy makers in early childhood in DECS were able to present both
theoretical and practical elements of SACSA early in the students’
orientation. Most students commented that they had learned in this
relatively short period of time to be more flexible in interactions with
children under the age of five, and to focus and respond to the specific
individual needs of children. They attributed this in part to SACSA and to
the skills and competencies of the teaching teams they worked with in
centres.
The accessibility of outdoor space for learning is another difference
students commented on. In Singapore, most centres have very limited outdoor
space and children learn to live in limited space constrained also by high
rise living. To be able to explore the outdoor environment with children on
a daily basis was a joy for all students.
At a personal level one student commented that she had been anxious about
how people would receive her in Australia, but when she got on a public bus
each day to go to her centre there was always someone who smiled or was
welcoming in greetings.
The students have given generously of their time, talents and experiential
backgrounds, but it has been mutually beneficial and for many positive
reasons they will be remembered with affection – the most important element
being the relationships they formed with children, staff and parents in
early childhood centres.
Finally, thank you to all involved for assisting with this visit!