ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL Education and the Arts Statement (Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, 2007), all children and young people should have a high-quality arts education. To achieve this teachers require a high level of skill and training, and the belief that they are self-efficacious in the teaching of arts education (Andrews, 2004). This points to the role of pre-service teacher education to develop the capability to teach arts education. This study utilises Bandura's (1997) model of self-efficacy beliefs. Novice early childhood teachers were invited to reflect on their professional practice experience during pre-service teacher education to provide insights into how this has contributed to the formation of their self-efficacy beliefs in the arts. Findings confirm that novice teachers develop beliefs about arts education during professional experience that shape their future beliefs towards teaching arts in the early years. These beliefs are likely to be negative, thereby contributing to the formation of negative emotional association and low self-efficacy beliefs for teaching arts. Furthermore, three main themes emerged from the data about the impact of professional experience: 1) supervising teacher practice (vicarious experience); 2) supervising teacher feedback (verbal persuasion); and 3) the profile of arts as a subject experienced by the respondent (vicarious experience). The implications of these findings are considered in terms of pre-service teacher education and ongoing professional learning for teachers.

THIS arTICLe rePorTS on an Educational Change Model originally developed for the middle years of schooling (Pendergast et al., 2005) and applied here to an Australian early childhood education reform initiative. The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) was released in 2009 (DEECD & VCAA, 2009). Implementation of the VEYLDF was accompanied by a three-stage independent evaluation on early childhood professionals perceptions of implementation. According to the Educational Change Model, three distinct phases can be identified as individuals and groups move towards full implementation of reforms. The phases are: Initiation, Development, and Consolidation. Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) & Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). (2009). Victorian early years learning and development framework for all children from birth to eight years. East Melbourne: DEECD.

In Australia and many other countries around the world, art education is considered a significant aspect of early childhood education. As Jalongo (1999) asserts, teachers who are not confident with their own artistic ability will negatively influence the art of their own students. Therefore, teachers of all stages of their careers need to be provided with training in relation to the art. Through ongoing professional development, teachers will develop basic skills to assist themselves in managing young children's artistic learning. In 2010, the authors completed a self-study of experiences from entering early years classrooms. Using reflective practice in a narrative approach, key themes emerged about skills and techniques needed in art education. This paper offers ways to support early childhood teachers to become more confident in their dealings with young children and their art experiences at school based on these findings. It provides guidance to teacher educators, schools and policy makers interested in improving quality Art education experiences for all students in early childhood education.

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Children's artwork displays are a distinct and key feature of early childhood classrooms. The artwork produced by young children in the classroom is often linked to the educational program. After the completion of the art projects, early childhood educators face the challenge of displaying the children's artwork. With minimal research available on the 'how to' aspects of displaying children's art, educators rely on traditional methods of display, such as fair and equitable representation. Based on a selection of findings from a doctoral research conducted with children between the ages of four and six, this article offers early childhood educators (and adults, generally) insight into young children's lived experiences of the display of their own visual artwork. Discussed in this article are three key themes that were identified in the doctoral study that offer guidance towards a new method for displaying children's artwork. These include: (1) the practices of making and displaying art cannot be separated;(2) decisions about the display of children's visual artwork are made by adults; and (3) art experiences directly impact the lives of young children. This article asserts that adult sensitivity and acknowledgement of children's rights are essential aspects of the decision-making process associated with displaying children's artwork.