Abstract:
This “Data, Knowledge, Action” study involved a focused investigation of teachers’ engagement in sustained shared thinking (SST) in their interactions with children, as well as investigating data-informed teaching in early learning and understanding the capacities, skills and dispositions required by teachers to use authentic, observation-based data effectively. SST has been defined as an episode in which two or more individuals work together in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend understanding (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002). Exploratory case studies which included teachers and children within two kindergarten settings in New Zealand were conducted over a one-year period. A range of data collection and analysis tools were used to gather quantitative and qualitative research evidence. Each setting was supported to engage in successive cycles of data-focused inquiry using data tools to examine SST. On-going inquiries were supported by the project teacher-researcher and critical friends. In addition, information about teachers’ perspectives of data and SST were gathered pre-post using focus groups and a questionnaire. Consistent with previous research, we found that SST interactions made up a small proportion of the teacher-child interactions that occurred each day. However, the amount of time a child spent in the presence of a teacher was positively correlated with the number of SST interactions a child experienced. In addition to SST interactions, we observed sequences of positive-learning focused interactions (PLI) which collectively offered similar characteristics of SST when teachers revisited valued learning for children. Initially, many teachers reported low levels of confidence with specific data use skills, but confidence with data grew over the course of the project. Multiple data sources supported teams to build a comprehensive picture about a child’s learning when combined with their existing knowledge and understandings gained from families. Having access to specific data motivated teams to develop action plans to support team implementation of SST associated practices. Teams reported that using data had been valuable, that they gained information about their own practice, SST, and children’s learning; and that they felt more confident in data use. The study showed that SST interactions are powerful in children’s learning and that data tools can assist teachers in identifying how to ensure these interactions occur, thereby offering strong potential for all children to benefit.