This essay will attempt to clarify why it is significant that early years practitioners retain knowledge of the historical and philosophical influences on early years policies. It will look at many pioneers, their philosophy and how their ideas have developed, it will look at how their work, historical influences and events of the past have shaped the early years foundation stage (EYFS). It will then detail why it is important for practitioners to learn about the contribution of the pioneers and history influences to improve their practice when working in an early years setting the penultimate section will then talk about the term practitioner and then will finish with a conclusion.
There are many early theorists from the Greek philosopher
…show more content…
Practitioners need to be aware of Steiner’s theory so that they can help to support children holistic development and not focus on individual areas as this will develop the potential of the child.
Steiner, Frobel, and Maria Montessori believe that the development of the whole child is greatly important (Bruce, 2011), and that children should not be prepared for adulthood but be given what they need as children. (Bruce, 2011).
The views above have evidently fed into in the every child matters (ECM) policy document as it provides people working with children knowledge to build on children’s skills at the right level and to enable children to reach their full potential. (DfE, 2012).
Practitiones need to know about this so that they do not push children beyond their capabilities and support children at the stage they are at based on their individual needs. (Pound, 2006 ) reinforces this as it says that children who are pressured to succeed intellectually at an early age often will lack motivation to learn
…show more content…
59) wrote that ‘Lev Vygotsky believed that what a child can do with assistance today, she can do by herself tomorrow’ this theory of his is known as the Zone of Proximal Development and has been reflected in the EYFS across the prime and specific areas as it states that learning and development in a child is achieved when challenging play opportunities are in place while being supported by practitioners.(DfE 2012 p.2)
practitioners need to know about vygotskys theory so that they are able to support and scaffold children’s learning in a sensitive way to enable children to reach the next levels in development this is seen in the EYFS as children have different milestones at different ages.
A teacher in early childhood education until recently has always been thought of as a qualified individual. The curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage (QCA 2000) defines the role of any adult working with children even teachers as “practitioner’. A teacher is commonly understood as a person who teachers others compare to a practitioner which refers to someone who works as a professional in a certain field. (fumoto et al, 2004)
Children have a different view point to adults entirely and don’t judge adults in settings on what qualifications they have they see they are all adults there to support their learning and development (fumoto et al,
Interestingly it was through this process of sharing our professional experiences that we established the central idea of our exhibition. We had determined that the importance of play in the Early Years was a theme that was often debated by parents, colleagues and policy makers. By choosing this as our topic we hoped to have an enhanced understanding of the historical implications of play in Early Years Education, resulting in professional competence and the ability to guide and mentor others on the significance of play. Rodd (1996) endorses this importance of Early Years Professionals having the skills to build, establish and maintain credibility in the fast-changing sector of Early Years.
Explain the legal status and principles of the relevant early years frameworks and how national and local guidance materials are used in settings
Early Childhood is marked by a time in children’s lives when they develop “a confident self-image, more effective control over their emotions, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a clear sense of themselves as boy or girl” (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). According to Erik Erikson, early childhood is a period of “vigorous unfolding,” one where children have a sense of autonomy and a new sense of purposefulness or initiative (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). Play is a means for children to learn about themselves and they begin to adopt the moral and gender-role standards of the society in which they live (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011). A negative outcome of early childhood is the guilt children feel as a result of excessive punishment and criticism by the adults in their lives (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011)....
As a qualified early years practitioner level 2, I am a reliable and motivated, and delicate to children’s individual needs. Its really important for an early year practitioner to have a range of skills and attributes to a good level of knowledge in many areas such as child development, observation and assessment, safeguarding, legislation, policies and procedures also working with others.
Early childhood teachers often say that “play is a child’s work” while some parents ask ‘Did my child just play all day?’” (Rice 1). Many people do not realise how important play is and what role it plays in the development of their children. Teachers provide opportunities for children to have spontaneous, unstructured child-initiated play experiences by providing stimulating materials to “enhance and entice children into play” (Rice 2). These materials include loose parts and are open-ended and spark creativity by providing children opportunities to think, plan, and carry out their play (Rice 2). Limited learning may take place if teachers do not make play easier and maximize the benefits (Rice 2). Teacher support is also a necessary component
Moreover, Froebel theory is similar to Rousseau theory that the child should learn in nature. In addition, Froebel wants to teach teachers to be sensitive to child 's willingness and needs. Also, they should do not be taskmasters and should not let the child memorize thing by heard that they do not understand. He believes that the child is a self-active learner. For example, Froebel 's kindergarten or child 's garden that was founded in the year 1837, Its environment should “have games, play, songs, stories, and crafts that help the child learn through his imagination and teach them about the culture heroes and the values.” Like when the child play with other children become in a group that in the future that may help them to be part of the society. Moreover, the kindergarten should have materials that the child could shape: clay, sand, cardboard, and sticks that will let the child use their imagination to build things like a castle. In addition, nowadays many preschools follow Frobel 's theory and let children use their imagination to learn and the teacher considers the child 's need and does not force them to learn things by hard that they may not understand, and the teacher respects the culture values that the child does the
Palaiologou, I., 2013. The Early Years Foundation Stage: Theory and Practice. 2nd ed. London: Sage.
..., J., & Garzoli, E. (2007, November 11). The Effectiveness of a Play-Based Curriculum in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from http://teachplaybasedlearning.com/8.html
Thinking back on my childhood, I first remember all the times I played outside in my backyard. I would pretend to dig up dinosaur bones or create imaginary realms of ancient lands; there I would perform diplomatic services for the people in need. I was usually alone, and those are some of my fondest memories. When I first decided to become a teacher and thought about what is important to my philosophy on how children learn, I immediately knew I was a strong believer in play. Although, many decision makers such as legislators and school district leaders believe in more academic types of learning styles, my paper will discuss why play is so powerful and important to children.
Children have a natural inclination to play, alongside a natural instinct to learn and to be curious and inventive, which are characteristics of the human race in general. This quote taken from Janet Moyles is a good starting point for this essay. It is well known that children love to play. If a child were to be left to his/her own devices they would happily play and create new worlds anywhere they were left. It has been well documented and researched that children learn excellently through play. However they are not always given the opportunity to do so, instead being told to, ‘finish your work and then you can go play’. Obviously this is not always the case, but the fact that it is a common practice shows that we do not all fully appreciate the importance of play to children’s learning. This essay will attempt to show how children learn through play, making reference to current theory and practice. I will also give examples from my own first-hand experience of how children learn and develop as people through play.
Sylva, M., Kyriacou, M., Wild, M. and Glenny, G. (2009). (2009). Learning, Playing and Interacting Good practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage. [online], available: http://www.keap.org.uk/documents/LearningPlayingInteracting.pdf [accessed 5 March, 2014].
Friedrich Froebel was a German scholar born in 1782 who did a lot of work on child’s play and how children use nature in their development. Although one of the early theorists (1782–1852), Froebel’s theories are still relevant today. He stressed the importance of play and recognised that the outdoor environment is vital to children’s learning and development. Each child should be allowed the time and space to play and develop through play activities.
There are many common between Montessori’s and Froebel’s education philosophies both of them believe in the child's right to be activ...
In Kindergarten school, some parent believes play is the best way for young children to learn the conceptions, skills, and set a solid foundation for later school and life success. In the other hand, many parents disagree and believe play is a waste of time, messy, noisy, and uneducationall. I believe play is not waste of time, but it something worth to fight for, in this presentation I would show parent the main importance of some of the numerous kinds of play, and why play is a fundamental basis for improving children’s ability to succeed in school and life.
I wanted to know where the term for kindergarten came from. This is exciting to me to read about the ideas of Froebel. He faced many challenges in his life which is very inspirational to me.