Pedagogical shifts: Developing a national interdisciplinary educational framework for professionals working with children in the early years

Professionals from a range of disciplinary backgrounds are expected to work in ‘seamless’ early years environments without the essential foundations of interdisciplinary practice. This research project seeks to optimise these expectations and national policy shifts in Australia by involving health, and education professionals in the development of a national inter-disciplinary framework to work more closely than ever before with children. As disciplinary education varies significantly, working together in early year’s environments has proven problematic for professionals and the children and families for whom they care.
This research reports on a unique and timely project that encompasses a pedagogical shift to address this problem. The shift entails the development of a national inter-disciplinary teaching and learning framework, developed collaboratively by the professions, for the professions. It lays the foundations for ongoing workforce collaboration for professionals working in the early years. Underpinned by theoretical frameworks that optimise equity, collaboration and engagement, the project design uniquely uses multilayered approaches of modified Delphi rounds, and focus groups. The aim of the interdisciplinary teaching and learning framework is to inform all curricula for individuals who will work with children from birth to five years and their families. It specifically attends to the double axis needs of multiple professions and multiple qualification levels for health education and welfare workers in the early years