The use of early childhood environment rating scales (ECERCs) is widely discussed across the world. We have invited acknowledged scholars to discuss the implications for kindergartens, children, policy and research.
The debate is a collaboration between Nord University, BI and OsloMet, and is open for researchers, students, lecturers, policymakers, representatives from the teachers' union and the general public.
There will be a light meal served.
Programme
- The use of ECERS around the world, Noreen Yazejian, Associate Director at Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, US
- The impact of quality on children’s later outcomes, Kathy Sylva, Professor at University of Oxford, UK
- ECERS and policy, Brenda Taggart, education consultant and former researcher at UCL, Institute of Education, London, UK
- ECERS and research, Igor Shiyan, Head of “ChildLab” project and leading researcher at Wise Hart Ltd, UK
- ECERS and practice, Torben Næsby, researcher (PhD) at University College of Northern Denmark
- Teaching the ERS scales at the university: tools for assessment and counselling, Maria Jose Lera, Assistant Professor at University of Seville, Spain
- Quality rating scales and professional judgements, Kristin Danielsen Wolf, Head of Department of Early Childhood Education, OsloMet, Norway
Panel speakers
Noreen Yazejian
Noreen Yazejian, PhD, is the associate director for research and a senior research scientist at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG). She has extensive experience conducting large-scale, multi-site research and evaluation studies, and in assessing the quality of practices in early education settings and the effects of variation in quality on children, particularly for vulnerable children.
Yazejian's research focuses on early childhood programme evaluation, including work related to professional development interventions, models of programming birth to five, home visiting, quality rating and improvement systems, and early childhood language and literacy. Yazejian serves as principal investigator on a number of FPG projects, including a large-scale evaluation of the Educare Network, a consortium of 25 Educare schools across the country.
Brenda Taggart
Brenda Taggart is currently an Education Consultant. Her background is in education, having been a teacher, in-service and initial teacher trainer.
She has been a researcher for over 20 years, focusing on the influence of early years education, the family and schooling on children’s development. She has worked for the UK government and non-governmental bodies, and internationally, advising on early experiences, effective pedagogy and policies for young children and their families.
She was a Council member of the British Educational Researchers Association (2004-2007), and a Principal Investigators/Research Co-ordinator for the Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education Project, a longitudinal study funded by the UK’s Department for Education (1997-2014) at UCL Institute of Education. She is currently an Education Consultant.
Igor Shiyan
Igor Shiyan is a head of “ChildLab” project, leading researcher in ECEC at Wise Hart Ltd (UK) and has conducted many studies on the evaluation and development of creative abilities in early years, based on Vygotsky’s approach.
He supervised several national and international research in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) quality and contributed greatly to the distribution of ECERS in the post-Soviet countries. He is also a co-author of Play Environment Rating Scale and Creative Environment Rating Scale (ECERS Extensions).
Torben Næsby
Torben Næsby, PhD, is Associate professor at UCN, Denmark. Over the years, he has initiated and participated in research and development projects within the education sector and the daycare area. He collaborated on the study of structural and procedural quality and effects for children in preschool (DEA) and has participated in the National Study of Quality in the Learning Environment in Municipal Kindergartens (EVA). He has also participated in research projects on quality in daycare, with the development and testing of observation tools (KVALid), data collection, feedback and quality reports with ITERS and ECERS tools in several municipalities, investigation of inclusion and exclusion in children's communities.
Maria Jose Lea
Maria Jose Lea, Dr. Psychology is Assistant Professor at University of Seville with expertise in using the ERS Scales to assess and improve quality of infant education. Lea started using the ECERS with her PhD in 1994, then using the ECERS in the European Child Care and Education Project (ECCE) (phase 1 and 2 1992-2000), also in the Institute of Education in London (1994-1997). Since then, she has been teaching the ERS at classes at the University of Seville to psychology and counselling master students and developing dozens of master thesis on assessment and improving quality on centres. Currently belongs to the Spanish Commission of the OMEP.
Kristin Danielsen Wolf
Kristin Danielsen Wolf, PhD is Head of the Department of Early Childhood Education at the Faculty for Education and International Studies at Oslo Metropolitan University.
Wolf is a kindergarten teacher and researcher and completed her doctoral project in 2019. Her research focus is on parents´ perspectives on quality and life in kindergarten, and children’s play and interaction. Wolf has several scientific publications and has among others published the books “Små barns lek og samspill”/ “Young children’s play and interactions” and “Medvirkning til barns spontane lek”/”Participation to children’s spontaneous play”.
