All Being Equal: Encouraging a love of maths in early childhood

The Smith Family have been working with disadvantaged communities in Australia for almost a century. Anne Hampshire, head of Research and Advocacy, joins us this week to discuss the inequities of early childhood education and the Let’s Count program that is trying to overcome them. In conversation with Julie McLeod.

Transcript

Julie McLeod
How young children fare in the early years of schooling has a significant impact on their subsequent experiences of education. This matters not only in terms of formal measures of achievement, such as tests or exam results, but also in their sense of connection to an engagement with education. Yet children do not begin school with the same opportunities and their social cultural and family context vary enormously. How schools and the wider society can effectively address patterns and experiences of social inequality and educational disadvantage is a persistent challenge for everyone involved – teachers policymakers politicians families and communities. The Smith Family is one organisation that has a long history of active involvement in addressing these matters, in addressing educational disadvantage, and in providing support for young people and their families to make the most out of schooling.

I’m Professor Julie McLeod the deputy director of the Melbourne Social Equity Institute. This is All Being Equal. Today we’re talking about how communities and organisations can address the educational disadvantages facing many young people today.

I’m speaking with Anne Hampshire, head of research and advocacy with The Smith Family. We’re talking about a recent report on a program designed to improve young children’s numeracy. Called the ‘Let’s Count’ program this initiative involves supporting parents to assist their children in gaining and enhancing their numeracy skills and confidence.

But before we talk about this perhaps Anne you would like to say something about The Smith Family’s aims and also its connection to the University of Melbourne.

Anne Hampshire
Julie The Smith Family is a national charity, national organisation, we work in 94 communities across Australia and our sole focus is on supporting disadvantage, children’s long-term participation education. So from where I sit that’s a fantastic goal and it’s a terrific partnership that we’ve got with the University of Melbourne, and why think is a particularly interesting partnership is what we hold in common. Both of our organisations have long-standing in the community and we both have a focus on education, obviously, that also excellence and equity and a really strong commitment to research that is a lot of relationship of value that we share. And so over the last few years we’ve had a long partnership with the University of Melbourne really on that shared goal of how can we improve education, how can it be high quality education and really in particular how can we narrow the gap between young people who come from affluent and backgrounds and those who don’t.

Julie
Yes yes it is as you say is a shared goal of the University, in particular the Melbourne Social Equity Institute, and in partnership with The Smith Family, and as you say those challenges of how to work to address equity and still seek excellence and to do that in an evidence-based way. Given them at the range of your experience what do you see as some of the most pressing challenges in responding to educational disadvantage today from The Smith Family’s perspective?

Anne
I think Julie if we start with the public’s perception, that the important consideration because perhaps not everyone understands that we have this gap in Australia, that children from disadvantaged backgrounds generally as a group start behind so on the very first day at school they’re behind their more affluent peers, and that gap continues, continues through primary school and secondary school and then what they do when they leave school. And there’s a whole range of complex reasons why that happens, we might talk about a few of those more, so starting point for us as a society is really knowing that there is this equity gap and being concerned about knowing why it matters, not only those young people who are not achieving educationally but also for the nation as a whole and then collectively having the will both at a policy level but also at a program level, and in partnership with governments and universities and business and not for profits and schools to really do something about it is that one of the big picture challenges I think.

At a quite microlevel, if we go completely the other way, we think about some of the many many families that The Smith Family supports every day, the daily grind of financial disadvantage is really hard, so not having enough for really basic things in terms an educational context like books, like having connection to the Internet at home, like having opportunities, like school excursions and very basic things like school uniforms. Then if we look more broadly, not having an experience within the family of what does senior secondary school look like. Or perhaps not having a parent who is confident about engaging in the school system. It can be a bit scary at times for disadvantaged parents. And then if we take the further step how does a family who’s had no experience of the University, let alone a university like Melbourne, really try to help steer the young the young person to that sort of goal. So they’re two opposite ends of the spectrum, if you like, to be public policy conversation at the community level knowing is an issue knowing what it matters and at a microlevel how it might be for a disadvantage and person within the context of a very loving if financial disadvantaged family.

Julie
Yes I think you’ve touched on some of the most important elements of that because it is both a multifaceted problem requiring multifaceted approaches, and that as you said is the structural and material circumstances of many disadvantaged young people, but also those – what a lot of research is saying at moment, the aspirations, how do you actually encourage aspirations and a sense of possibility in young people?

Anne
Julie I think the aspirations is a really interesting area, because sometimes people talk about a disparity or a poverty of aspiration within disadvantaged families and communities. and then I think sometimes both from our practical experience of The Smith Family and perhaps some of the UK research it’s possibly not so much poverty of aspiration but a property of opportunity. And so for many of the families who we work with desperately wanting their child to do so will it at school and to do so well at university, particularly for example the many families from refugee backgrounds who we support. But what they lack is not so much the aspiration but the opportunity and the way of thinking through how do I support my child to get from where they are now to where they might want to be. And so sometimes I think what we need to do is is shape different conversation because if you think is a positive aspirations you might do one thing if you think is a poverty of opportunities you might to something different.

Julie
I think that’s a very valuable distinction and because I am some of the aspiration – literature on aspirations comes from a good place in a way that actually can and up reproducing some deficit accounts as if the family or the children are at fault, whereas if we think about to poverty of opportunity our focus becomes much more structural and resource issues but also on how you cultivate that to them to know how the knowledge that he would navigate –

Anne
I think the navigation is incredibly important to think some of the families we work with you might not have certainly might not completely 12 and definitely wouldn’t have gone to university they might have been educated in a different country, some of our families certainly from refugee backgrounds wouldn’t have gone to formal schooling at all, how do you help in a very 21st-century Australian context for them to support their child to navigate the system? To think about where do they go from where they currently are to where they might want to be. So we run a whole lot of our mentoring opportunities including through some of the university partners that is like an programmer around called iTrack which is an online mentoring program which connects young people in years 8 9 10 11 with a mentor in the area that they might be interested in pursuing and they connect online in a safe environment once a week over an 18 week period. not to be directive about what he is he get from a to B to really help develop within a young person that the possibilities and how they might try and think about navigating the complex system.

Julie
Yes that’s interesting about me into focus the importance of those social relationships, peer relationships, but also an intergenerational dynamic.

Anne
That’s right and networks beyond the family and so connecting young people to a range of of adults outside the family supporting what the family is hoping to achieve. If you think of all of the literature, the social capital literature, how do people like us Julie get jobs, and how do we hear about jobs, how do we have mentors who might say well Julie have you thought about going to this role or I could see you in this direction et cetera et cetera. They are the networks that were trying to foster and create for some of the young people who we work with, who wouldn’t actually have them in those in their natural cycle and networks.

Julie
And so that in some ways connects to the Let’s Count program that you’ve just released, which combines a number of aspects perhaps you could tell us a bit about that program in terms of its rationale?

Anne
So Julie after 2007 the release of the Australian Redevelopment Census, which will looked at how were children across the country faring against five areas at important areas in the first year of school. I actually think is one of a terrific achievement as a nation that almost all of children in the first year of school from 2006 that actually had that applied to them. And the data in 2007 showed that there were significant numbers of children particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds who are not doing well in the first year of school, including in key areas like literacy and mathematics and so we particularly focused on the mathematics area so one in four children in our most disadvantaged communities didn’t have the maths ready to thrive at school. and so we at The Smith Family thought that’s clearly an issue and look around for what programs existed to help foster early mathematics in the period prior to school and found that there was almost very little. So we did the literature review and then we worked in partnership with two terrific academics and Bob Perry Prof Bob Perry and Prof Ann Gervasoni to develop the Let’s Count program. And Julie it’s probably the simplest program imaginable, but I think some of our best programs often are, what it does is it draws on the literature which says if you want to foster the early mathematics skills of children, all children, you have to foster an engagement in in them of mathematics the love of learning, a curiosity have to be able to find maths in the everyday. Now Julie I’m former maths teacher, it is not about sitting down and doing algebra or a highly complex geometry exercise, it is helping children to notice explore and talk about maths in the every day, in these early years, which will help them develop both the skills in mathematics but really importantly the dispositions, the attitudes to mathematics which will set them up are going forward.

So the let’s count program provides two-day training for early years educators in this whole idea of helping children develop early mathematics skills. It then provides resources so that those early years educators can work with parents because really what we want to do particularly through Let’s Count is support parents from disadvantaged backgrounds to help the child develop their early mathematics ability so those parents become much more confident much more able to engage the children in their care in early mathematics.

So since 2007 we defined the program we piloted it we then scouted up and did terrific evaluation, a three evaluation and it is a terrific partnership, because the Origin Energy Foundation, a philanthropic organisation, paid for that evaluation paid for us scale up the program. And the evaluation clearly shows in that report that we just talked about, it shows that the children who participated over a 12 month period were far more skilful in their mathematics than similar children, but also really importantly they were very engaged to mathematics and had a very positive disposition. And I think if we want to set up children in a mathematical space they have to see maths as interesting useful and fun and that’s exactly what let’s count does.

Julie
That phrase you used of developing or cultivating a positive disposition think is so crucial not only in towards numeracy and mathematics but across the curriculum.

Anne
That’s that’s right and it was interesting, though our primary focus was on improving children’s mathematical disposition we also found – and as a former maths teacher I already knew this before we began – that many parents just have a horror of mathematics and so that can really wash off on the children, as if it’s you know it in the genes, and similarly many early years educators who are not specialist trained mathematics teachers also felt uncomfortable about how they cultivated the maths skills of the children in their care. And so what let’s count did was support the educators but also supported the parents so it is still in a everybody gained with the ultimate impact being on the child.

Julie
I think, as you said earlier as it’s a simple model in some ways but an enormously effective one possibly because of its simplicity but you can immediately see are lots of ways in which can have applications beyond this specific, beyond even working specifically with disadvantaged young children and their families but further afield.

Anne
That’s right, I think one of the interesting things we’ve done is work with some of our many corporate partners who in a clearly not from disadvantaged backgrounds, their workforce, so organisations like Origin Energy and PwC, and we’ve actually done a shortened version of the let’s count program over an hour, over a lunchtime, because many of their staff and parents they have young children and equally they’re not quite sure about how they develop early mathematics. It is a little bit different from literacy because people go ‘Oh this is a book, okay you know what to do in the reading space, more than I do in the maths space’. And the methods were talking about, Julie, what’s really important is that it is not just about counting even though the program is called let’s count, it’s about shapes, it’s about measurement, it’s about you know who’s taller who is shorter all those sorts of things. And there are just so many opportunities – if you’re cooking how many eggs what is it weighing who is the tallest child in the house all those sorts of things and being very practical.

One of the things I most like about Let’s Count I think is the example of the washing. I don’t know about your household but in my house unmatched socks are phenomenon. One of the things you can do with Let’s Count is when you bring in the washing talk with your child about matching the socks because that’s a pair, that is matching, that’s a pattern and all those things, and that’s a mathematical exercise. So just really helping parents and children to see took about explore maths in the everyday.

Julie
So demystifying it and also seeing its benefits. That’s terrific. Perhaps you could tell us – this is been an enormously successful and it’s ongoing and we were delighted at the University of Melbourne to be part of launching that evaluation a few weeks ago at a fabulous event. Could you tell us a little bit about some of the other projects or programs have got underway at the moment?

Anne
And thank you so much for being part of that launch, it was really at a terrific thing. So one of the big initiatives that The Smith Family has is our learning for life scholarship, and this is a scholarship which can begin in the very first year of school and can in fact continue all the way through to tertiary. And what’s terrific is with currently got I think 27 young people on a learning for life to scholarship here at Melbourne University and a couple of those are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people which is just wonderful.

So we’ve got learning for life scholarship program and it can it really is aimed at supporting young people’s long-term participation in education. It has got three components, that this was a financial contribution it’s pretty modest. so we talked previously about the fact that some of our families can’t afford excursions or school uniforms or whatever, there is a modest component financially. The second component is a relationship with a learning for life program coordinator so really helping the student but also the family on anything education-related that might be impacting on the child’s performance. So are there things that we can encourage them to do extra, are there things that are stopping them getting to school all those sorts of things whatever it might be, and then thirdly we also have a series of shorter term programs like the iTrack mentoring program for example which kick in at different times depending on what age a young person is. And so in combination, we think the small modest contribution to finance the relationship with the learning for life program coordinator and then access to these programs in the long term is going to help a lot more children across Australia achieve education.

Now currently we’ve got 34,000 young people on a learning for life scholarship which is really thanks to so many of our donors across the country, individual Australians and incorporates and organisations like university, and what we’re trying to achieve, the three outcomes that we measure where we are very focused on measuring what sort what difference are we making with focusing on school attendance, really trying to get young people attending at very high levels, then completing year 12 and then we interested in what happens to young people once they leave the program – are they in work, in study, what are they doing. And we’ve got a strong research base that underpins all of those programs. That is a pretty big initiative that we’ve got on that is the sorts of families we’re working with Julie are highly disadvantaged so it is unlikely that a short-term program – no matter how good it is – is going to make the difference. So it’s being there when the family needs arm support and all focused around that child’s educational participation.

Julie
Yes that’s an amazing number of young people and families who are benefiting from that contribution from The Smith Family and I was also thinking about for individuals and families and communities donating as well and giving you can see how small amounts can actually make huge differences in people’s lives.

Anne
That’s right, the financial contribution in primary school is $400 a year to the family. But that can make – you know it is small and modest from our perspective but it can make is that of a difference within that also gives access to that important relationship and I think the relationship with our program coordinator is really the glue that keeps that relationship going. one of the things we are particularly interested in at The Smith Family is maintaining those long-term relationships. the students that we have in the program in secondary school over half of them are been with us for five years. Now these are highly disadvantaged, highly mobile students, I think there must be something pretty magical happening between the relationship that is developed between the family and our program coordinator to keep them engaged in the program over that that long put of time.

Julie
I think that’s absolutely right and also just you can imagine for young children going through high school that just being recognised and being given something as a way of affirming their aspirations for supporting the family so that must all help in that longer term engagement.

Anne
It’s really interesting that dimension Julie because it’s difficult to scholarship so it’s not are not in any way shape or form a welfare payment, it is not awarded on academic merit, so it’s awarded on the basis of financial disadvantage and being in one of the 94 disadvantage communities that we work in but also that the parent in the family, in partnership with ourselves, agree that we’re going to work together to help that child achieve educationally. and so I think that makes a difference for the family that it’s not a welfare benefit that it’s a scholarship. and I think the other interesting thing from the young person’s perspective is most of these individual students have a sponsor, so someone who donates that small amount of money on an annual basis, and a couple of times a year or more depending on the sponsor they can interact, anonymously, and so they can be an exchange of encouragement from the sponsor to that student. in particular the older students but it is a start to complete you 12 and go on to university many of them talk about how blown away they are by the fact that someone who doesn’t know them, someone who never meets them the stranger if you like, is believing in them investing in them and occasionally giving them just the word that helps them go ‘Okay, I can do this, might be feeling tough but I can do it,’ so all of those sort of mentoring coaching all of those sorts of other people in their life our working together around them I think does make a difference

Julie
I think many of us have memories of how a teacher or an older person said something that is in a stayed with us, this even though it is you get older you realise in the course of the day the teacher may not have even realised that they said something was actually quite – ‘Oh, me, I can do that’?

Anne
And the recognition that that is a possibility for someone like me. I think, in coming here today was thinking about the 27 learning for life tertiary scholarship holders here at Melbourne University that stepped on the campus thinking wow. and a number interestingly from regional Victoria so from in a smaller communities and how even a bigger wow that might be stepping on you know what is in a hallowed ground many ways [laughs]. And so again emphasising the importance that ongoing relationship between the sponsor, well not just the sponsor, but also the mentor within The Smith Family organisation as well.

Julie
That’s a fairly impressive suite of programs The Smith Family is involved in and yourself having in your role as research and advocacy manager, it must be both demanding and incredibly stimulating and rewarding role.

Anne
You’ve nailed those three words are beautifully Julie, it it’s a complete honour to be involved in The Smith Family. that might sound corny but it so genuinely felt its an organisation you know is a former teacher being concerned about education that’s our sole focus so that’s a delight, but I think what really is even in addition to that is the fact that as an organisation we’re investing significantly in research and making sure that the programs that we do are making the difference that we want them to. sometimes not everything we do work so how do we tweak it how do we use data to inform practice and so it is that it’s an enormous honour to be working in an organisation where there is a culture of we are here for young people and supporting them and with got some fantastic partnerships across the country we couldn’t do what we do without the 8000 volunteers working in our program space for example so it really is I think for for us who work at The Smith Family who are involved in any way being able to think about how we can support and practically support disadvantaged children to achieve educationally. it’s great for them expect the country but it also is terrific for us too.

Julie
Well I think you given us a flavour and of way at the University of Melbourne we’re honoured ourselves to be able to partner with The Smith Family and have such genuine admiration and respect for the work that serve the organisation’s been doing and their commitment to an building research in this area along with advocacy and policy. So my guess today is Anne Hampshire, head of research and advocacy of The Smith Family with been talking about the let’s count program and more information can be found on their website www.theSmithfamily.com.au it’s been a real pleasure to have and be speaking with you today and thank you very much.

Anne
I’ve so enjoyed the conversation Julie thank you.

Julie
All Being Equal is recorded at the Horwood Recording Studios, University of Melbourne. Gary Dickson is our producer and Gavin Nebauer is our audio engineer. Subscribe on iTunes to make sure you never miss an episode. I’m Julie McLeod, thanks for listening.