Paula Jackson and Nicole Ryan
Field-Based Education
Wintec's reputation as a leader in the early childcare sector has been further enhanced through the impressive research by two of its staff, Head of Education, Paula Jackson and Early Childhood Education (ECE) team leader, Nicole Ryan.
Their research involved an exploration of field-based teacher education including its history, development, uniqueness and theoretical underpinnings. ECE student teachers are required to gain regular experience in a 'home' centre, supported by a qualified teacher, as well as attend lectures in a field-based institution, to gain a Diploma of Teaching-Early Childhood Education.
"Adults have a different way of learning," says Paula. "They have to be task focused, which is why coming to Wintec, then going to work, then coming back works well for them."
Field-based programmes are distinct from distance programmes and flexible delivery programmes, where learning mostly occurs away from the host institution and where the requirement for a sustained relationship with a licensed early childhood service may not be monitored or is not a key component of the programme.
In 2005, a forum was held at Wintec, with ten providers discussing how field-based teacher education could fit into the government strategy that requires teachers to be qualified in early childhood by the year 2012.
It was decided that field-based teacher education would work alongside the pre-service programmes already available, to ensure teachers and providers alike were ready to meet the government requirements.
A year after the initial forum, like-minded individuals from five organisations, Wintec, Unitec, MIT, EIT and NZCA Te Tari Puna Ora O Aotearoa, began their research. Paula, Nicole and their colleagues decided on a course of action that began with a look at the history of field-based teacher education.
Intake surveys of first year students across three institutions were one of the ways information was obtained. It was found that students who choose fieldbased education come from a range of areas (21% currently working in early childhood education) and choose institutions based on reputation. The next step for Paula, Nicole and their team involved parallel research, literature searches and narrowing down key points.
To date, the research has been presented at two ECE conventions where it received "quite a bit of interest", Nicole said.
Paula and Nicole plan to hold another forum later this year at Wintec that will include re-examining the group's research strategy, as well as looking at other issues surrounding field-based teacher education. They also plan to have their work published in a New Zealand ECE journal by the end of the year.