INTRODUCTION This observational critique will plan, implement and critically evaluate two activities within a maintained nursery school, designed to develop early scientific skills through growth both indoors and out. The learning outcomes for the activities will be taken from the revised Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) (EE, 2012) within one of the specific areas ‘Understanding the World’. It will also evaluate the important role of the practitioner when providing for the unique child within an enabling environment. OUTDOOR ACTIVITY SHEET Activity/Experience: Adult-led An autumnal walk to create a colour pallet using leaves, introduced by the story ‘Why do leaves change colour’ (Maestro, 1994) Main Learning Intentions: • To begin to investigate the changes in the autumnal environment. Main Links with EYFS: Understanding the World; Communication and Language • Notice detailed features of objects in their environment (EE, 2012, p39). • Shows understanding of prepositions such as ‘under’, ‘on top’, by carrying out an action(EE,2012, p18) Targeted Children: The key person group (Refer to Appendix 1) Date: 14.10.13 Time: 9.20am Adult/Child Ratio: 4:12 Place: The woodland area of the school. Context: (Links with previous events or learning/Topic/Other available activities/Weather/New children) The activity is linked to the current weekly planning impacted by the interests of the child. It is also in conjunction with a parental weekend walk with a child in the group, during which leaves were collected. Resources: Pre-set walk plan, prepared cardboard pallets, bags, magnifying glasses, visual prompt cards for LA. Vocabulary/Key wor... ... middle of paper ... ...cation Research Journal. 30(3) p367 – 385. Miller, L. Cable, C. And Devereux, J. (2005) Developing Early Years Practise. London: David Fulton Publishers Ltd. Niklasson, L & Sandberg, A. (2010) Children and the outdoor environment. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal. 18(4) p485-496, Rogers, J. and Rose, S. (2012) The Role of the Adult in Early Years Settings. Open University Press: Maidenhead Siry, C. Ziegler, G.& Max, C.(2012)“Doing Science” through discourse-in-interaction: Young Children’s Science Investigations at the Early Childhood Level. Science Education. 96(2) p311-326. Accessed 5/12/13. Tickell, C. (2011) The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning. London: Crown. [Online] available from: http://media.education.gov.uk/MediaFiles/B/1/5/%7BB15EFF0D-A4DF-4294-93A1-1E1B88C13F68%7DTickell%20review.pdf [Accessed: 4/12/2013]
Early years frameworks have an emphasis on a personal approach to learning and development as due to socio-economic changes children are having to spend longer periods away from their carers and therefore need extra care to support their emotional well being. There is also an emphasis on the needs of individual children. This is because children all develop at different rates, are unique and come from a range of backgrounds. All of this means that they will have different needs and will be interested in different things so in order to thrive will need a range of different
The Child Development Center of College of San Mateo provides early care and educational programs for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Children are divided into classrooms with a “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two or three “associate” teachers. Klara attended Classroom, “A,” a stimulating and well-resourced classroom. Klara was observed for two hours on Monday from 9 am to 11 am and for two hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. During these two hours, classroom activities consisted of “free time,” “story time,” and an outside “play time.” A “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two “associate” teachers were present during observations. Additionally, a total of eighteen children were in attendance during the observed days.
Woodhead, M. and Montgomery, H. (Eds) (2003) ‘Understanding childhood: an interdisciplinary approach,’ Milton Keynes: John Wiley and sons in association with The Open University.
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
This essay aims to give an overview perspective of three sociological approaches to the family; Functionalist, Marxist and Feminist, how each approach sees society and how each approach perceives the family. Secondly, each perspective will be evaluated and critically analysed. Finally, the values of the theories highlighted in this essay, will be discussed in relation to how, as an early years practitioner I can use this knowledge to improve my practice.
Whalley, M.E., and Allen, S. (2011). Leading Practice in Early Years Settings (2nd ed). Exeter: Learning Matters.
Sims, M. (1994). Early Child Development and Care. Education and care: Revisiting the dichotomy, 103(1), 15 - 26.
Tickell, C., 2011. The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning. An independent report on the Early Years Foundation Stage to Her Majesty’s Government. London: HMG
Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980), a Swiss psychologist, portrayed the child as a ‘lone scientist’, creating their own sense of the world. Their knowledge of relationships among ideas, objects and events is constructed by the active processes of internal assimilation, accommodation and equilibration. (Hughes, 2001). He also believed that we must understand the child’s understandings of the world, and this should guide the teaching practises and evaluation. The fundamental basis of learning was discovery. To understand is reconstruct by discovery, and such conditions must be compiled...
Doherty, J and Hughes, M (2009) Child Development: Theory and Practice 0-11, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd
Beaty, J. J. (2014). Observing development of the young child. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Robert-Holmes, G. (2011). It’s the bread and butter of our practice’: experiencing the Early Years Foundation Stage, International Journal, 20(1), pp. 30-42.
There are many documented theories about early childhood development, contemporary research still concurs with some of these theories. It suggests, however, that we should be thinking more holistically, taking into consideration; respect for diversity, the wider community and equity, play based curriculums, intentional teaching and ongoing reflective practices when planning for optimal educational experiences for children (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). I acknowledge that ongoing professional learning and reflective practices are a key element of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009). I accredit working and collaborating with other teachers, families and local communities collectively contribute
They also need this relationship to be able to plan their lesson effectively. For children, understanding the nature and process of science is dependent upon their developmental level and the experiences teachers provide for them. Children can begin to understand what science is, who does science, and how scientists work through classroom activities, stories about scientists, and class discussions. Teachers should provide children with many opportunities to make observations with all their senses, to look for patterns in what they observe, and to share with others what they did and what they learnt from their
...S., … Killen, R. (2009). Professional Practice in Primary Education. South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.