Education Leaders Forum - Enhancing Learning Culture, 21&22 August 2014 Christchurch How does your learning community's culture shape the behaviour and the performance of teachers and learners?

1. How does the organisational culture
of an early childhood setting influence
children’s experiences?
Sandy Radford
Principal Leader,
Portobelo Preschools and Nurseries

2. Organisational culture
 “a set of shared meanings that are learned,
characterise a particular group, and
distinguish it from others”. (Bochner, 2003,
p. 303)
 Also known as ‘the way we do things around
here’

3. A social norm is “a standard of behaviour shared by group
members” (Elkin, Jackson, & Inkson, 2008, p. 177)

4. You have to take your scarf
off if you want to eat – but
not your other bits of
clothing
If you say
no, your
comment
will
probably
be ignored
You can’t eat
until the
beds are
ready
Wash hands
before eating
lunch if the
teacher says so
Say grace if you are one
of the first children to eat
Choose
your own
food
Don’t wrap
your legs
around the
chair
Little kids
eat first
What norms
is Tom
learning?

5. “Playdough should not be eaten”

6. How?
 Through norms
 … as adults teach them to children
 … as children use them for their own
agendas
 But wait, there’s more…

7. The efforts of individuals
to learn and take part in the life of the group
means that culture undergoes
continuous construction and reconstruction

8. Teachers should not allow
children’s expressions of emotion
to become too intense
Attending to crying children is
adult – and not child - business
Children are not
expected to show
concern for adults
Adults explain
some centre
norms to children,
and not others
Where it’s likely an adult is unknowing,
children choose their narrative
Children are
selective in which
adults they
make requests of
Children may
move or turn
away
as a way to avoid
actual or
potential bother

9. Attending to crying children
is adult – and not child –
business
Emma is running group time. She has the whiteboard next to her on
the step and is asking children for ideas of what they’d like to do.
Charlie, Mark and Quentin are working close together in the art
room… Charlie [who is 2] falls over and cries noisily. The two older
boys appear not to notice, and no-one comes to assist him. After
about two minutes of crying, Carol [a teacher] comes out from the
family room, notices and goes over to him. Mark tells her without
looking up that he tripped over. Carol comforts him.
Observation 4, p. 6
Big kids look after little kids

10. Parting thoughts
 What are the ignored norms of your own educational context?
 What influence are these having on the behaviour and
learning of students?
 What is the cost of continuing to ignore these? What might
happen if we spoke about them with students?
 What is the cost of viewing the culture as if it’s only the
adults who make norms?
 How is your context’s ‘elephant’ being allowed to grow? What
is feeding it?