In 2015 the following authors argued against the standardization of the education classroom. In 2024 this argument can be made with even greater emphasis.
What did they say then? They make is clear that the classroom is not a place with standardized youth but rather a room full of unique individuals with a variety of skills, concerns and abilities. A successful classroom is a place where these elements are
center stage and not standardized curriculum and tests. Many thanks to the authors for this article.
Following are snippets from each, along with a citation to encourage you to learn more.
Graue, Elizabeth; Whyte, Kristin; and Karabon, Anne E., “The power of improvisational teaching,” (2015). Teacher Education Faculty Publications. 96.
“Flash-forward to today and you will find early childhood programs across the globe are increasingly standardized, with a curriculum dictated by academic standards, limited play and an assessment heavy schedule (Author, 2009). This shift was prompted by neoliberal reforms embraced by the majority of western countries that press for student outcomes through grade-level standards (Brown, 2007) and the development of data systems purported to make early childhood teachers more professional in their practice (Bradbury, 2012).
This systems approach promoted aligned curriculum, assessments, and standards in K-12 and has been shifting practices in preschool programming as well (Bennett & Tayler, 2006; Brown, in press) as policymakers seek evidence for investments in public preK (Fuller, 2007). In a search of fidelity of implementation, early childhood classrooms are increasingly scripted with curricula focused on academic outcomes (Hatch & Grieshaber, 2002). Teachers complain that they have no time to have conversations with children; they must fill every moment with assessment and intervention to ensure that children will be ready for school (Bradbury, 2013).
At the same time that teaching young children is becoming more standardized, a growing body of research on classroom quality highlights instructional practices that are contingent on children’s knowledge, experiences, and resources. Based on constructivist and ecological developmental theory, quality is centered on teacher-child interactions, with teachers intentionally building on children’s knowledge in moment-to-moment exchanges (Mashburn, et al., 2008; Pianta et al, 2007; Pianta, et al, 2008). Key to this kind of interaction-based approach is a teacher who brings deep developmental and content knowledge, as well as familiarity with students’ home resources to her practice.
Improvisational practices are not scriptable, in a teacher-proof approach. Instead, they use shared cultural scripts that are frameworks that actors can fill with meaning. They cannot be tested for fidelity of implementation. They require deep knowledge of children’s multiple resources and a willingness to share the creative space of learning.
They do so by making teachers authors/creators who make micro-decisions within their teaching in response to the needs and interests of their students. While it might be easier to teach a one-size-fits-all all curriculum, we are convinced in the long run, it would be mind-numbing. The creation and recreation of links between home and school is hard work, but one whose payoff is high”.
References
- Bennett, J., and Tayler, C. (2006). Starting strong II: Early childhood education and care. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development.
- Bennett, N., Wood, L., Rogers, S. (1997). Teaching through play: Teachers thinking and classroom practice. Buckingham: Open University Press.
- Bradbury, A. (2012). ‘I Feel Absolutely Incompetent’: Professionalism, Policy and Early Childhood Teachers. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 13(3), 175–186.
- Bradbury, A. (2013). Understanding Early Years Inequality: Policy, assessment and young children’s identities. London: Routledge.
- Brown, C. P. (2007). Unpacking Standards in Early Childhood Education. Teachers
College Record, 109(3), 635–668. - Fuller, B. (2007). Standardized childhood. The political and cultural struggle over early education. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press
- Hatch, J. (2002). “Accountability shovedown: Revisiting the standards movement in early childhood education,” Phi Delta Kappan, 457–462.
- Hatch, J. A., and Grieshaber, S. J. (2002). Child observation and accountability in early childhood education: Perspectives from Australia and the United States. Early Chidhood Education Journal, 29(4).
You Might Like…
Elsewhere Online
- Directorate for Education and Skills, official OEDC website.
Progressive Teachers Network 
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