EYPS, reflective practice and how this can improve outcomes for children at a setting

Reflective practice is one of the tools which can be used by Early Years Professionals to fulfil their role as ‘change agent’, which is at the heart of the Early Years Professional Status (CWDC, 2008). By structured reflection on current practice the EYP can identify what change is valuable, worthwhile and improving.

Methods vary from setting to setting. Practitioners may have personal reflective log books which are then reviewed regularly. Reflection can be done as a team in staff meetings. Documents such as the Self Evaluation Form (SEF) and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are valuable starting points.

Each of the EYFS Principles into Practice cards has a very constructive section on the back entitled ‘Reflecting on Practice’ which gives the sort of questions and issues practitioners should be considering.

In the practice guidance, reflecting on children’s play is identified as ‘crucial’ (EYFS, Practice Guidance, page 7). The guidance goes on to say that in a continuously improving setting the leader will lead and encourage a culture of reflective practice, self evaluation and informed discussion (page 9).

I recently had the pleasure of meeting an EYP from Bolton in the North West of England, who has thoroughly embraced the philosophy of reflective practice. During the visit to her setting I saw firsthand how she has influenced her setting since gaining the Status and created an ethos of reflective practice.

When she first started her initial priority was training staff and getting the environment right for the children. She did this by personally reflecting on every aspect of the setting, from the implementation of the EYFS to risk assessments. She felt it was important that the team were fully involved with the process and the practitioners had ownership of the ideas, so there was a period when staff met after work every week to discuss practice and ideas. From this a number of good ideas emerged.

Once such idea was the ‘jungle room’ where the conservatory area of the setting was converted into a jungle. Natural, open-ended resource such as logs, tubes, dried rice and pasta were introduced into the area. Children can easily access these and play with them in any way. The play is totally child initiated and child led. Whilst observing the children’s play and reflecting on the activities going on in the room, resources are added to extend their play. This is a constant process. The EYP believes that “constant, reflective practice results in continuous, improving practice”.

Twelve months on and she is planning on removing all the doors of the rooms to allow free flow play, for all ages of children, throughout the setting. This will have many advantages:

• one excellent sand area instead of several sand areas of lesser quality in each room
• easier transitions as the children will already be familiar with all the practitioners
• peer learning through vertical integration within the setting
• independent learning as children make their own choices.

This is going to require teamwork and commitment, both of which the EYP and the setting staff strongly support.

Reflective practice is enshrined in the EYFS and can be achieved in a number of ways. The essential element is that the reflection results in improvements in practice.

Whilst studying for the EYPS, candidates have to reflect on every aspect of their work. This is excellent preparation for being an EYP when being an effective change agent means continually reflecting and leading the team onto better practice. The benefits, though not always felt immediately, are immensely worthwhile.

References:

CWDC (2008) Guidance to the Standards for the award of Early Years Professional Status, Leeds

A longer version of this article originally appeared in Early Years Educator (EYE). You can access EYE at http://www.earlyyearseducator.co.uk/, either to subscribe or download articles.Similar Posts:

• What is the purpose of an EYP network?
• Teachernet – a great source of free Early Years material
• Involving Parents in their Children’s Learning 2nd Ed by Margy Whalley
• Heuristic Play: a simple guide
• Treasure Baskets

Reflective Practice and the EYP is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

‘Early Childhood Education: History, Philosophy and Experience’, written by Cathy Nutbrown, Peter Clough and Philip Selbie, published in 2008 by Sage, London.

The authors

‘Early Childhood Education: History, Philosophy and Experience’ aims to investigate the origins of ideas in early childhood education and how they now affect present day practices. In this book, Peter Clough notes that his own history ‘was shaped by the times I was born and brought up in, and how as a person and a teacher I inherited a world of meanings laid down by other people and their values and their times.’ (p77). This is the very heart of the book. It’s about learning how the past affects us now, so lessons can be learned for the future.

All the authors have in-depth knowledge of the subject area and have considerable experience writing in this field. This comes through very clearly in the breadth and depth of the pioneers explored. The authors have used each of their own strengths to good effect – Clough’s narrative inquiry, Nutbrown’s knowledge of early literacy and Selbie’s knowledge of Comenius – making the whole book larger than the sum of its parts.

A short history

‘Early Childhood Education’ starts with a short history. This takes the reader back to the state of education in the 1700s, moving swiftly through to the schools which emerged in the 1800s. Reference is made here to Szreter’s journal article (Szretzer, 1964) which tracks the start of compulsory school age of 5 years old to 1870 with Forster’s Education Act.

The rest of this chapter examines the history of nursery education in Sheffield and Scotland. There then follows a table of 50 influential figures, ranging from Comenius to Dickens to Sir Alec Clegg, with a brief summary of achievements for each. This is an excellent quick reference list, usefully in chronological order so the reader can place the person into historical context. The range of pioneers considered raises this list above the normal type found in text books and makes it very thought provoking. For example Charles Dickens is included because of the attention he drew to the social conditions of children at the time. His descriptive work, with the sensitive observations he made, could be considered to be a form of narrative inquiry.

This particular section made me realise how many people, men and women, had influenced early childhood education, but who aren’t known about.

The chapter concludes with the terrifying fact that there has been an average of one new policy a year for the last 20 years – Bertram and Pascal (2001) describe it as a ‘substantial and unprecedented range of policy initiatives’. I feel that this is likely to be unabated – and will probably increase – with the change in government.

The Pioneers

The next section of the book is a biography of 24 key figures who the authors consider to be pioneers in the world of education. It is acknowledged by the authors that this isn’t a comprehensive list, but one which contains people who were influential to the authors’ own beliefs. This makes for an eclectic mix of names, including Charles Dickens but excluding Bruner, for example.

When compared with similar books, such as Linda Pound’s ‘How children learn’ (2005), the amount of information given about each pioneer is brief and to the point.

Six Conversations

The third section of ‘Early Childhood Education’ is four imagined conversations between pioneers and authors and two conversations between the authors. Personally, it is this section which originally drew me to the book. Having to find a way to explain the theories of pioneers to a group of first year degree students, in a way which was engaging but informative, I turned to the conversations. I found these enlightened my own understanding and enabled me to explain them, in a similar way, to the students.

The first conversation in ‘Early Childhood Education’ is between the three authors, discussing what is important to them and why history matters. It is set in the Cafe Louvre, Prague, in November 2006. In this conversation, we learn about the broad range of pioneers and educational policies which have influenced the author’s own views on early childhood education.

This conversation is an excellent example of the authors ‘practicing what they preach’, in that it illustrates to the reader how pioneers, recent or otherwise, have affected them, their philosophy and their practice personally. Interestingly, although there was some commonality (for example Pestalozzi was cited as an influence by all three authors) there were many more differences, showing how no two people are influenced in the same way, even if they are exposed to similar things, even in the same University.

The second conversation is between Selbie, John Comenius and Robert Owen. Their conversation highlights the way the two pioneers believe in the often forgotten issue of respect for young children, through education and treatment.

In conversation 3, Clough talks to Susan Sutherland Isaacs about what really motivates children to learn.  Clough cleverly draws out the information so it sounds like a natural conversation. He adds much of his own insight into the conversation. So, although we learn a lot about Isaacs, her view on scientific investigation and home learning environment, we also learn about Comenius, Owen, Nutbrown, Montessori and Piaget via Clough’s contributions.

This conversation is very worthwhile because Isaacs’ work is often misunderstood, and sometimes sidelined, with the most prominence given to the freedom that the children enjoyed rather than for example, her work on intellectual growth and social development. In this conversation we can begin to understand her beliefs and her philosophy behind the discovery of knowledge in young children.

Conversation four is between three theorists – Pestalozzi, Piaget and Froebel – about how young children learn.

Conversation five is between Steiner and Nutbrown and concentrates on literacy in the early years. Nutbrown is particularly linked to early literacy, having written several books and many articles on the subject. Nutbrown and Steiner find common ground with ‘too much too soon can be detrimental’ (p124), ‘anthropomorphism’ (p125) and ‘education for life’ (p125), but agree to disagree on boys sharing books with their fathers.

Conversation six takes us back to the beginning, with two of the authors, Clough and Nutbrown, discussing the role of faith and religious conviction in early childhood education.

But why does narrative enquiry work so well in this context? I believe it works because the subject of ‘research’ is or was a living person. Compared to other books, such as Pound (2005), the reader has to consider their own view point on the pioneer’s stance about early childhood education. But not only that, the reader also has to think about their position on the author’s line of questioning or facilitation.

This was in equal measure enjoyable and frustrating. It was very interesting to see how Clough’s line of questioning allows Isaacs to explain her theories. Inevitably there are questions I would have asked, but weren’t. There were questions I would have asked Steiner, for example, about his research or reasoning behind delaying formal reading until ‘the coming of the second teeth’.

The potential pitfall of narrative inquiry is that the reader is reliant on the author’s interpretation of the educationalists philosophy and beliefs. The author has the power to exclude the elements that are not in support of the argument being made, whether this is intentionally or otherwise.  This has been avoided in this book, because of the authors’ deep understanding of the pioneers and their works. For example, it would be easy for the authors’ to choose pioneers who agree with their own philosophy, but instead Nutbrown chooses to talk to Steiner, but without biasing Steiner’s opinions so the reader can get a true picture of his philosophy.

The more things change…

The final section of the book looks at seven themes selected by the authors which considers current day policy and explores where the roots of those policies may have come from. The seven themes are:

• Children’s Rights
• The Arts and creativity
• Literacy
• Play, learning and pedagogy
• Early Intervention
• Home learning and parents
• Inclusion

Each theme is discussed from a current perspective, regarding current policies and practice, but then the ‘roots’ are uncovered, proving there is very little which is truly new in early childhood education. This is an essential part of the book as it brings it right up to date and makes the connection between current policy and the pioneers.

It is very often the speed of change, along with being constantly bombarded with new policies, that is the challenge for modern pioneers. However, progress is being made. For example, The Early Years Foundation Stage mentions schema unambiguously for the first time. Athey and Nutbrown’s work have moved schema into main stream knowledge.

Conclusions

This book is a very useful reference book for the practitioner (or politician) who is trying to understand how we got to where we are now and how we can move forward.

The authors have a range of expertise which is brought together with good effect, each playing to their strengths.

The use of narrative inquiry is excellent, illuminating theories and bringing to life the pioneers. This is a particularly difficult method to master but has been used to very good effect here. The use of narrative inquiry is a growing topic in educational research, gaining credibility as a serious way of presenting or re-presenting data.

The book is pitched at the correct level for degree and masters students who want to investigate the history of pioneers and understand the philosophies which affect everyday practice today. There are plenty of references for further reading and seminal texts by the pioneers.

Overall, the book is a thought provoking read, particularly now, with the change in government and reviews of educational policy. Until practitioners can understand how early childhood education has evolved from the blend of ideas from pioneers over many decades, they cannot determine its effectiveness for the future.

References

Athey, C (2007) Extending Thought in Young Children: A Parent – Teacher Partnership, London, Paul Chapman Publishing

Bertram, T and Pascal, C (2001) the OECD thematic review of early childhood education and care: background report for the United Kingdom. Retrieved December 11 2009 from

www.melynconsulting.co.uk/toolkit/Section_2/ OECD.pdf.

Nutbrown, C, Clough, P and Selbie, P (2008) Early Childhood Education: History, Philosophy and Experience London: Sage

Pound, L (2005) How Children Learn, London, Step Forward Publishing

Szreter, R., (1964) “The origins of full-time compulsory education at five” from British journal of educational studies 13 (1) pp.16-28, London: Faber & Faber

** This book review was first submitted as part of the Masters in Early Childhood Education, University of Sheffield. Similar Posts:

• How Children Learn Book 1 by Linda Pound and Kathy Hughes
• Nobody, Nowhere by Donna Williams
• Sustained Shared Thinking – how important is it?
• How Children Learn. Book 2 by Linda Pound
• Reflective Practice and the EYP

Book Review: Early Childhood Education by Nutbrown, Clough and Selbie is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Heuristic Play

What is Heuristic play?

When babies start to walk and become more independent they need an environment of discovery and investigation – Heuristic comes from ‘eureka’. This is the time when children will spend 30 minutes or more concentrating on seemingly random play. They like to post, hide, slide, pour, fill, put on, in and under.

Kathy Sylva and Jerome Bruner associated this concentration of play with cognitive development and educational progress. As practitioners we need to provide the environment and materials for children to be able to do this.

The environment

A clear space should be used, with all other toys and distractions put away. About an hour is needed (including putting out and clearing away). At least one member of staff should be fully dedicated to looking after this group of children. This is a great time to take photos and make observations. The time should preferably clear of distraction for adults as well.

An additional benefit is that whilst the toddlers are occupied with their play, other practitioners are released to settle in new babies or catch up on paperwork.

The resources

The resources don’t need to cost a fortune. You may have most of the items already in the nursery. And be creative. For example, if you are lucky enough to live near the leather museum in Walsall, you can obtain scraps of leather for free (and have the museum tour!). The resources should be kept in draw string bags with wide mouths so children can easily help to put the resources away. They should be kept in a special place and only brought out a few times each week. Just as with treasure baskets, the resources are limitless, but below are some examples:

• Woollen pompoms
• Small bags
• Bags of fresh herbs (thanks to Walsall Early Years practitioners for this great suggestion)
• Range of boxes that will slot inside each other
• Tubes which will slide inside each other (inside of foil tubes, kitchen rolls, cling films etc)
• Strips of materials with different textures
• Items with slots or holes (spatulas, rings)
• Jar tops
• Shells
• Corks
• Hair rollers of different sizes
• Chains of various sizes and shapes
• Variety of tins (with safe tops) such as golden syrup tins, biscuit tins

The items should be selected for their sensory properties, so natural materials are preferable. Smooth plastic, which gives very little sensory feedback, should be avoided.

A word on health and safety

Obviously as a practitioner you are not going to place your children in harm’s way. Some of these objects may be considered to be potentially dangerous, particularly for babies who are still putting things in their mouths. You know your children and what you would be happy for them to experience. You know which ones will always chew first, ask questions later, or see any object as a weapon! This is entirely at your discretion.

Items should be cleaned regularly and thrown away if broken or considered dangerous.

References

Goldschmeid, E and Jackson S, (1994) People Under Three young children in day care Routledge Oxon pages 128 to 141. This is the text on treasure baskets and Heuristic play, as well as key person and second year of life. Heuristic play is covered in much more detail with examples.

Hughes, A (2006) Developing Play for the Under 3s, treasure baskets and heuristic play, David Fulton Ltd Oxon. Just a small book, but practical with lots of ideas and a section on language on page 76. If you fancy buying just one, this would probably be your best value for money in terms of being immediately useful. The RRP is £14.99.

Nutbrown, C and Page, J (2008) Working with babies and children from birth to three SAGE London Page 155. This is a lovely section about heuristic play, with a great example of how it can work, and ideas for practice.Similar Posts:

• Treasure Baskets
• Cultivating creativity in babies, toddlers and young children by Tina Bruce
• Are you a Sparkly Thinker?
• Reflective Practice and the EYP
• Letters and Sounds

Heuristic Play: a simple guide is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

General Rule: No Plastic!

Children need to experience the sensation of touch. In this day and age most toys are plastic – smooth and uniform. How do you know what prickly means if you’ve never felt it? It is our responsibility as practitioners to give the children these experiences, in a safe, controlled environment. The treasure basket is full of sensations for the baby, from cold and heavy to wooden or shiny. Our role is to provide the experience and support the learning.

How to use the treasure basket

Have the babies sat comfortably in a circle, with support if they aren’t sitting confidently by themselves. The practitioners sit behind the babies, ready to intervene if necessary. Your role is to sit back and watch.

The treasure basket is put in the middle of the circle, so the babies can reach inside it easily. Allow them to explore each item. A baby may choose just to play with one, or may look at every item.

Sit back and watch.

Practitioners should be watching, but not talking. This is a fabulous time to make observations for profiles/learning journeys and taking photos. Allow plenty of time for the babies to investigate the whole basket. This could be 45 minutes or an hour! If you feel that something is dangerous then intervene.

A word on health and safety

Obviously as a practitioner you are not going to place your children in harm’s way. Some of these objects may be considered to be potentially dangerous, particularly for babies who are still putting things in their mouths. You know your children and what you would be happy for them to experience. You know which ones will always chew first, ask questions later, or see any object as a weapon! This is entirely at your discretion.

Items should be cleaned regularly and thrown away if broken or considered dangerous.

Treasure baskets should be treated with respect. They are best used maybe a couple of times a week, no more. This means the babies stay interested each time. You could also have several different baskets, with a theme such as shiny or wooden.

The Contents of the Treasure Basket

Items you might like to use for treasure baskets:
Natural:
Fir cones
Pebbles (large)
Shells
Large chestnuts and shells
Pumice
Corks
Loofah
Sponge
Apples
Oranges
Lemons
Driftwood

Wooden:

Spoons
Natural block
Egg cup
Coaster
Bowl
Raffia ornaments
Pastry brush
Pegs

Metal:

Bunch of measuring spoons
Tea strainer
Chains (different sizes and textures)
Large empty tin
Small saucepan
Whisk
Bells
Bowl

Others

Natural brushes
Leather goods
Fabrics of all  sorts – include ribbon, lace, velvet
Ceramic balls
Furry items
Rubber
Balls – tennis, golf
Thick glass – ashtray, candle holder
Mats
curlers

Smelly bags eg lavender, cloves, cinnamon

These are just a few ideas. Once you start going round your home and nursery you will see lots of things you can use. The kitchen is usually full of ‘treasures’, from ladles to wood spoons to pastry brushes.

You do not need to spend a fortune. Your biggest outlay may be the basket. Mine cost £8 from Au Naturale. The rest could be potentially free. Ask your parents, look for safe objects in the £1 shop.

References

Featherstone, S (2002) The little book of Treasure Baskets Featherstone Education Ltd
Goldschmeid, E and Jackson, S (1994) people under three – young children in day care Routledge, Oxon
Hughes, A (2006) Developing play for the under 3’s – the treasure basket and heuristic play David Fulton Publishers, Oxon

Websites

http://www.peep.org.uk/standard.asp?id=300 Peers Early Education Partner (PEEP) group was established in 1995.
It is an early learning intervention, which aims to contribute towards improving the life chances of children, particularly in disadvantaged areas. It concentrates on supporting parents/carers to develop three particular aspects of learning with their children:

• literacy and numeracy
• self-esteem
• learning dispositions

It has some great ideas in general and the page on treasure baskets is very practical

http://www.contentedchild.co.uk/howtouse.htm The contented child site has lots of useful ideas and comments. You can buy baskets from them as well (£30 – £50)
http://www.earlyexcellence.com/u3s/treasure_basket_collections.html?gclid=CNCsxMe27J0CFYwA4wodAkjwLA  Buy the treasure basket complete (£75)
http://www.playtoz.co.uk/ You can customise your basket (£55 for small basket)Similar Posts:

• Heuristic Play: a simple guide
• Reflective Practice and the EYP
• Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development by Marion Dowling
• Cultivating creativity in babies, toddlers and young children by Tina Bruce
• Unicef Report on Childhood

Treasure Baskets is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Jean Gross, Communication Champion, has announced information which seems to show that having the TV on for a significant proportion of the day is having an effect on the speech and language of our youngest children (up to 7 years of age). This would seem to make sense. Distinguishing between two conversations can be difficult. As adults we know how hard it is to have a phone conversation and have someone else talking to us at the same time.

However, a closer reading of the research itself reveals a much less newsworthy story. The research was a simple online survey of families’ TV habits and the progress of children’s learning as reported by their parents. The survey itself makes no claims about the impact of TV watching – it simply shows basic facts (as reported by parents) about the amount of TV being watched, whether the children had TV in their rooms, when and how they read to their children, their children’s first words and observations about the children’s learning and development. No attempt was made in the survey to correlate the different areas (and with a sample size of around 1,000 it would have been difficult to do so accurately anyway).

In her interviews with the press, Ms Gross has superimposed the findings of the survey (for example, on the amount of TV children watch) onto previous tentative research showing that excessive TV watching can cause learning problems. This conclusion has been reported in the press articles as being factually “proven” by the research with lurid headlines such as the Daily Mail’s “The youngsters who struggle to speak because their parents let them watch too much TV”. This is a great shame, as it devalues both the original research and this survey.

The positive aspect of news reports like this is that it at least gets people thinking about the effects of the environment on children’s learning and development. And this should extend to our early years settings too. I often find in baby rooms that there is a CD of music on in the background, which is great – if the children are benefitting from it, rather than it just amusing the practitioners.

Children do need adults to interact with them, which the TV doesn’t do. But the interactions need to be good quality, with total involvement by the adult, as during sustained shared thinking, for example. In issue 7 of the iCan Talk series, it is the type of adult-talk which is shown to have a beneficial affect on the children’s interaction. This publication also highlights the important issue of practitioners having access to good quality training, to equip them to deal with speech and language problems.

Another environmental ‘noise’ is the practitioners talking to each other over the heads of the children. This has only fringe benefit for the children in the room. (Incidentally, it is amazing how quickly children pick up on the attitudes and language used between practitioners).

There is a myriad of research showing that background noise affects language recognition in adults as well as children:

In 2005, in a review of the current research in America, Anderson and Pempek found that background TV for young children was disruptive. They also concluded that considerably more research is needed on this subject.

Maxwell and Evans (2002) found that acoustically quieter classrooms for 4 and 5 year olds rated higher on language scales.

Van Engen and Bradlow (2007) found that background speech did interfer with a child’s sentence recognition.

Hygge et al (1992) found that both background noise and background speech affected normal hearing people.

The issue of background noise is a very important and long standing one which needs addressing. It is something which affects early years settings, schools and homes. It would benefit from an in depth, longitudinal study, across a multitude of environments, rather than a simple online survey.

That being said, I actually agree with the many of the conclusions and recommendations now being drawn from the survey. What I don’t agree with is that parents and practitioners should be presented with information which is misleading for the sake of a newsworthy headline.

References

Anderson, D and Pempek, T (2005) Television and Very Young Children American Behavioral Scientist

Hygge S,Rönnberg J, Larsby B, Arlinger S Normal-Hearing and Hearing- Impaired Subjects’ Ability to Just Follow Conversation in Competing Speech, Reversed Speech, and Noise Backgrounds Journal of Speech and Hearing Research Vol.35 208-215 February 1992.

Maxwell, L and Evans, G (2000) THE EFFECTS OF NOISE ON PRE-SCHOOL CHILDREN’S PRE-READING SKILLS Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 20, Issue 1, March 2000, Pages 91-97

Van Engen, K and Bradlow, A (January 2007) Sentence recognition in native- and foreign-language multi-talker background noise J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Volume 121, Issue 1, pp. 519-526

http://www.ican.org.uk/Resources accessed on 10 January 2010

Picture: woodleywonderworksSimilar Posts:

• Letters and Sounds
• Unicef Report on Childhood
• Involving Parents in their Children’s Learning 2nd Ed by Margy Whalley
• Extending Thought in Young Children by Chris Athey
• Sustained Shared Thinking – how important is it?

Speech and Language and TV – what is the evidence? is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

This book was recommended to me with the words “this will change the way you look at children’s learning forever”. Strong words.

The book is one of the results of the Froebel Early Education Project, which was run by Chris Athey from 1973 to 1978, at the Roehampton Institute of Higher Education, London. Tina Bruce was the appointed teacher. The children came from nearby Wandsworth, from a range of backgrounds. The project’s aims were to:

Observe and analyse, on a daily basis during a two-year teaching programme, children under the age of 5 in order to:

• Identify developments in each child’s thinking
• Describe the development of symbolic representation from early motor and perceptual behaviours
• Identify curriculum content assimilated to developing forms of thought (page 3)

Very wide ranging aims indeed. So how has the author, Chris Athey, approached this in the book? She has divided it into 3 parts: Events influencing the Project; the Findings of the Project and Later Patterns of Thought.

Part 1 is an overview of the political background and government initiatives, with an illuminating Chapter 4 about constructivist pedagogy, Piaget and how this fits with current theories. And here we find the motivation for the Project and the book:
Constructivists are interested in the processes by which children construct their own knowledge (page 43) and there is a great difference between ‘know-how’ and consciousness of ‘know-why’ (page 44).

Part 2 is a highly detailed breakdown of the observations, drawings, actions and dialogue that were observed during the Project. It is prefaced by the observation that in previous research it was content which was more important than form. So Eng’s observation of “jagged teeth” and “stairs” seem to show no correspondence in content – but when the zig-zag form is considered they are a common representation. The Project concentrated on form, which includes topological space, space notion and representation. As children develop they begin to develop perception (a face must include a mouth before it will elicit a smile, even at 5 months). Children must then use this perception to create their representations in drawings and 3D models.

Using these representations, Athey discusses 5 graphic schema in detail:
Lines; Core and Radial; Open and Closed Arcs; Zig Zags and Angles and Quadrilaterals. This also includes discussion on how the same drawing can be re-interpreted i.e. how Eng interpreted the jagged teeth as “aggressive” but the Project team interpreted this as open triangles (zig-zags schema). Each schema is discussed in detail with plenty of examples of how they may progress as the child matures. The most practical part of this is the subsequent analysis of the representations, with the details of form as schemas start to be combined and perfected.

This part of the book concludes with chapter 6 From Action to Thought. This chapter demonstrates how schemas become co-ordinated with each other and develop into systems of thought (page 153). Seven action schema have been considered in great detail, namely: dynamic vertical schema; dynamic back and forth; circular direction and rotation; going over, under or on top of; going round a boundary; enveloping and containing; going through a boundary.

Each has been sub-divided and considered with respect to Motor level (physical action); Symbolic Representation Level (drawing, models); Functional Dependency Relationship (how the schema is used during play, dialogue, early thought); Thought Level (demonstration, usually through dialogue, of how schemas have been used to create original thoughts) and Discussion (explanation of how children have moved through each area resulting in thought). Finally Thought as internalised action is discussed.

This was a truly fascinating chapter as it draws together all the theory and clearly demonstrates how understanding and building on children’s schema improves their cognitive functioning.

Part 3 of the book takes us even further on the children’s journey, demonstrating how (and examples of which) schema impact on speech, writing and complex concepts, in primary education. For example, levers and pulleys need comprehension of linear movement (dynamic vertical), rotation and going over.

The final chapter explores parental participation and extended experience. This details the learning journey that the parents also undertook during the Project. It is hoped here that this “great source of untapped ability and energy” is used to its full potential in the future. Personally I would have liked some more specific examples of the ways parents were involved and benefited from being a part of this Project, as this could help practitioners to engage more confidently.

Extending Thought in Young Children is a detailed analysis of a complex and long running project. Consequently the book contains plenty of technical language. It is this detail which makes it an excellent reference book. But it does make it a book to be read at several sittings.

There were loads of moments where, as I read a description of a child’s behaviour, the light bulb came on and previously unrelated behaviour suddenly came into focus. I recognised the form of many drawings, plenty examples of which have been illustrated throughout the book. One of the bitter-sweet comparisons is two sets of “draw-a-man” illustrations, one by Project children and one by children matched for age, sex, ethnic background and neighbourhood. The Project children perform significantly better. I couldn’t help feeling a little sad that not all children could benefit from being a part of the Froebel Project.

Finally, has this book changed the way I view children’s drawings, actions, dialogues, behaviour and thought processes? Absolutely. Forever.Similar Posts:

• Cultivating creativity in babies, toddlers and young children by Tina Bruce
• Involving Parents in their Children’s Learning 2nd Ed by Margy Whalley
• Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development by Marion Dowling
• How Children Learn. Book 2 by Linda Pound
• Book Review: Early Childhood Education by Nutbrown, Clough and Selbie

Extending Thought in Young Children by Chris Athey is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

“This book is just one of the outcomes of a five-year research and development project at the Pen Green Centre for under fives and their families”. So starts this book and you know it is going to be full of interesting findings. Of course, it helps that Margy Whalley, who has been involved in education for 34 years, around the world, has been leading and directing the research programme.

The 12 chapters are each written by different authors, all of whom were involved in some way with the project at Pen Green, Corby called Parents’ Involvement in Their Children’s Learning (PICL). The authors range from teachers, social workers to researchers and education consultants.

The book starts with a background chapter about Pen Green and its endeavours. In the next chapter, ‘developing evidence based practice’, Margy Whalley discusses the way the project has developed. It contains some essential insights for anyone setting up research projects where children are being observed and details the additional benefits for the adults involved.

In ‘getting to know the families’ Colette Tait discusses how knowing the family situation is vital when planning meetings. From the shift patterns that parents work to the wording on the advertising flyers (mums prefer to “have a chat and a coffee” whilst dads prefer “coming to this meeting will make a difference to your child”).  It highlighted for me that you have to consider all the various home situations if you are going to engage parents successfully. Cath Arnold continues with this theme in further practical ways such setting up the room, which topics to cover, which theorists to draw on.

Chapter 5, ‘parents and staff as co-educators – ‘parents’ means fathers too’, by Margy Whalley and Trevor Chandler is inspirational. How many times have we heard “dads just don’t want to know”? This chapter shows not only how to involve fathers effectively but also the fantastic benefits to the child, father and other significant adults. This is essential reading for every setting and is the most comprehensive writing I’ve come across on the subject.

Cath Arnold writes an emotionally moving chapter about parents who find the services ‘Hard to Reach’, which, in the cases highlighted, means that the parents had had very negative school experiences themselves. This was stopping them getting involved with the centre’s activities – Kate says “I’m not the type – Pen Greeny”. So the two mums were interviewed and allowed to explain their own experiences, feelings and the consequences. In this way the barriers, including personal feelings and attitudes to other people, were identified so they could be overcome. Annette Cummings, in the next chapter, goes on to discuss the impact on parents’ lives, with some great case studies in the parents’ own words.

In chapter 8 we meet the Pen Green Loop, which is a feedback loop with the child in the centre, surrounded by parents and professionals and the Possible Lines of Development (PLOD) wheel. I particularly liked the PLOD wheel, as it has at the centre a small group of children, all of whom enjoy similar schemas. I often hear “how can we possibly plan for 40 different children? We can’t have 40 carpet areas!”. This is how it is done. First identify the children’s schema and then transpose this onto the centre of the wheel. There are 6 ‘spokes’, representing the 6 areas of learning, where activities and ideas can be mapped out for the group of children with similar or overlapping schema. Genius!

Colette Tait discusses the Growing Together groups which are for the birth to 3 age groups, discussing how it evolved out of the PICL group. The value of video taping the parent child interactions and then reviewing these is emphasised.

In ‘deepening the dialogue with parents’ Eddie McKinnon shares with us some in depth conversations with parents about their children, and how, as a result of being involved with the project this has made parents more reflective in their own practice.

But what happens to the family groups when the children start school? Cath Arnold presents 3 case studies, following the parents through Pen Green and then into Primary school, with very positive results.

Finally we have Kate Hayward, a primary school teacher, who was concerned with her own interactions with parents at school. She followed the good practice demonstrated at Pen Green and reports how she reinvents the traditional ‘home-school book’ model when communicating with parents. This chapter ends with a glowing recommendation from the headteacher.

This book is an excellent reference book, steeped in thorough research and viewed through many lenses. The concepts are explained clearly and examples are enlightening. Each chapter is written so it can be read independently, which means an amount of repetition when reading the whole book. However, I found the reinforcement of schemas, involvement levels etc reasonably useful. I was asked a while ago “why do we listen to these ‘theorists’ about good practice?”, to which I answered that they had done research and then tested their theories, proving that it was good practice. I think this book demonstrates this point and beyond.Similar Posts:

• Extending Thought in Young Children by Chris Athey
• What is the purpose of an EYP network?
• Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development by Marion Dowling
• Cultivating creativity in babies, toddlers and young children by Tina Bruce
• Reflective Practice and the EYP

Involving Parents in their Children’s Learning 2nd Ed by Margy Whalley is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Sustained shared thinking has been defined as

” an episode in which two or more individuals ‘work together’ in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate activities, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend” Siraj-Blatchford et al (2002) Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years (REPEY), Dfes.

This is not a new concept, just a new name. Most early years theorist value the adult/child interaction, from Vygotsky’s social interaction and more knowledgeable other; Bruner’s discovery learning; Piaget constructivism right through to Lave’s situated learning.

But what does it look like in reallife, in the setting or school? It is those wonderful times that you get when you are totally absorbed with a child, whether is is in conversation or in an activity, with a genuine interest on both parts to find out more. The sort of thing that, often, you just have to tell someone else – “Josh and I have just had the best conversation about his grandad’s pigeons”, “come and look everyone, we’ve made this!” – those times when you come away thoughtful and you may find yourself thinking about the conversation later on in a quiet moment.

These can happen anytime, anywhere and only requires time and interest on the part of both participants. It can be on a one to one, but can also happen in small groups, especially when there is shared group interest. The important aspect is the ‘meeting of of minds’  and subsequent learning that occurs on both sides. 

The practitioner has the opportunity to learn extensive amounts about how the child sees the world, their level of cognitive development, schemas, community and self esteem (to name but a few!). The child may learn things such as social interaction techniques, how to think creatively, cause and effect and factual information.

If the theories about sustained shared thinking have been around for such a long time, and they broadly agree it is a good thing, why is this important to practitioners now? The answer is because it is now explicitly stated in the EYFS that sustained shared thinking should be a part of a child’s creativity and critical thinking (EYFS 4.3). It is also indirectly described in all of the six areas of learning and development (EYFS 4.4). This is because the longitudinal research project EPPE clearly identified that the ‘most effective settings encourage sustained shared thinking’ and that it is a ‘necessary pre-requisite for the most effective settings’.

Don’t forget, sustained shared thinking can also occur between peer groups as well, especially in settings where the older age groups are allowed to mix freely with the younger ones. Even with babies the thinking process can be shared, but instead of verbal language the practitioner has to be guided by the expressions and body language of the baby.

Time is often an aspect which is not discussed. If you are having an in depth discussion, one to one, with a child, then the other children will still need caring for by someone. If the practitioner extends the activity so the thinking and discovery can be ‘sustained’ then there may be implications for the rest of the timetable (such as lunch times!). However, these are not excuses. Good practitioners should be flexible enough to work around this.

Therefore, the answer to “how important is sustained shared thinking?” is that it is fundamental to how practitioners approach children’s learning and development. This is supported by theorists and research. And it doesn’t cost a penny – how often can you say that about such a powerful learning tool?Similar Posts:

• Speech and Language and TV – what is the evidence?
• Are you a Sparkly Thinker?
• More men in childcare
• Book Review: Early Childhood Education by Nutbrown, Clough and Selbie
• Unicef Report on Childhood

Sustained Shared Thinking – how important is it? is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

In the Times Educational Supplement (TES) on the 23rd January there was an enlightening article about the Daycare Trust attracting more men into the Early Years sector.

The first reason given for the lack of men was the ‘work’s low status’. By whose standards? Is it because playing with the children is seen as a bit of an easy life?

The second reason given is low pay. The TUC and Daycare Trust found pay was between 19.60 pounds per hour and 8.70 pounds per hour in 2007. This was, presumably, in the state sector as pay in the private, voluntary and independent sector is much lower than this, as a glance at jobs advertised in the Nursery World Magazine indicates (and they tend to be the ‘best’ jobs!).

The third reason was the high proportion of women in the sector. I can sympathise and empathise totally with this, having previously worked in an industry predominantly male. However, if you have an interest and enjoyment of the work this should not stop you.

Marlon, an early years educator who is case studied in the article, says that he comes from a large family and always had children around. I think this is the key to the problem. Unless men are allowed to come into our nurseries and settings and enjoy being with children they will never aspire to work with them. Many women enter childcare after having children and enjoying the mums and tots sessions, or spending time at the nursery.

We should be encouraging our settings to involve dads and male carers more. They have skills and life experiences which should be shared. Children need all sorts of role models to help them make sense of the world. And what an excellent time to do it, when all sorts of stereotypes are beginning to be seriously challenged.Similar Posts:

• Treasure Baskets
• Cultivating creativity in babies, toddlers and young children by Tina Bruce
• Nobody, Nowhere by Donna Williams
• Heuristic Play: a simple guide
• Book Review: Early Childhood Education by Nutbrown, Clough and Selbie

More men in childcare is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

As practitioners we are always being reminded about taking photographic and video evidence of children during the day day because a picture can demonstrate a point really clearly. But how often do we find a book which takes this valuable advice? The first thing that you will notice about Tina Bruce’s book is the beautiful, full colour photographs throughout. These are often grouped so that the reader can see the process that is being described in the text.

The next thing is the way that the book can be read – either scanned through, picking out the information boxes or dipped into a chapter at a time or simply read end to end. With this in mind there is some repetition from chapter to chapter, which reinforces the central themes. These are:

1. Anyone can be creative
2. Good creativity needs incubation
3. There are 3 kinds of creativity: everyday, specialist and world shattering

It is often noted throughout the book that creativity is hard work, the environment need to support creativity, as do the practitioners, and that creativity is not producing a creation, but is a process. For me this was the most resonant idea in the book. Too often as practitioners we talk about ‘doing a creative activity’ meaning that we will expect the children to make something, often within our own, narrow adult boundaries. Were the children in your setting allowed to make their own Christmas card using any material of choice and own design? How long was the idea allowed to incubate? Did everyone have to do a card?

Tina Bruce concentrates on the aspects of creativity:

• emergent beginnings
• the process of developing a creative thought or idea
• the product which (may or may not) emerges and this could be a scientific theory, dance or poem!

Sometimes the children don’t even know what they are creating and our adult interpretation should not be forced upon them. In fact, Bruce notes that a clear idea may restrict the creative process.

The case studies bring the subject to life with examples I could easily relate to. Gradually the theory is built to a final chapter about the three kinds of creativity with powerful examples of how this is achieved in adulthood in the arts, humanities and science. The book concludes with a useful page of bullet points on how to cultivate creativity generally.

I was a little disappointed that there were no pictures of children in chapter 6 – Emergent Beginnings – which covers babies and SEN. Whilst there are excellent examples for toddlers, pre-school and older early years, there is much less about babies in general.

Nonetheless, it is a good read, and it is very useful to be able to access the book at the different levels. It is also a useful source of practical information on the process of creativity and how to encourage this within various settings. I would strongly recommend it to any practitioner who is interested in creativity.Similar Posts:

• Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development by Marion Dowling
• How Children Learn. Book 2 by Linda Pound
• Extending Thought in Young Children by Chris Athey
• Involving Parents in their Children’s Learning 2nd Ed by Margy Whalley
• Heuristic Play: a simple guide

Cultivating creativity in babies, toddlers and young children by Tina Bruce is a post from: Kathy Brodie: Early Years Training Courses and Coaching for Early Years Professionals

©2010 Early Years Training and Coaching. All Rights Reserved.