Learner identity in early childhood education

HomeEarly childhood education resourcesLearner identity in early childhood education
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Learner identity in early childhood education

HomeEarly childhood education resourcesLearner identity in early childhood education

Topic summary

It is important to help children from a young age see themselves as learners in positive and affirming ways.

Learner identity refers to the attitudes and habits that influence the learning process, and the many ways in which children come to understand themselves as learners.

Learner identity can develop in both positive and negative ways, and it is important for children to be supported from a young age to see learning and themselves as learners in a positive way. Developing positive orientations towards learning creates the conditions for children’s lifelong learning and self-motivated engagement with a broad curriculum.

Researchers argue that a positive learner identity is just as valuable as the more readily measurable domains of content knowledge and skills, and that it is a meaningful learning outcome in its own right.

  • Encourage positive learner identities through respectful and reciprocal dialogue
  • Create spaces and provide materials that are responsive to children’s developing interests
  • Build strong connections between home and ECE to support positive learner identities
  • Utilise Learning Stories and other assessment tools to develop children’s understanding of themselves as learners

  • How do we conceptualise learner identity?
  • What might positive learner identities look like for the children we work with?
  • How can we support and promote positive learner identities?

Research reviews

Learner identity

How to support children’s identities as learners in early childhood settings.

The image of the child

A reflection on the kinds of images that teachers may hold of children and the way they can influence teaching practice, as well as some ideas for examining and transforming these images and their impact.

Webinars

Representations of children in social media

Dr Madeleine Dobson (Curtin University, Australia) discusses her research into the representation of children on social media with Dr Vicki Hargraves

Children’s voices in early childhood curriculum

Professor Marek Tesar (University of Auckland) and Dr Vicki Hargraves discuss the importance of incorporating children’s voices in to curriculum design and implementation in early childhood settings.

Infographics

Snapshots

Creating and sustaining cultures of inclusion in early childhood settings

Key insights from the webinar with Dr Kate McAnelly.

Representations of children in social media

The key insights from our webinar with Madeleine Dobson on the way children are represented on social media platforms and the importance of considering children's rights and perspectives.

Listening to children for child-centred practice

The key insights from our webinar with Marek Tesar exploring the vital role of children's voices in early childhood education.
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