Soizic Le Courtois and Sara Baker, Centre for Research on Play in Education, Development and Learning at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK Introduction When children have agency in learning, they are experiencing learning as a participant rather than as a recipient, and as an activity in which they willingly engage rather than […]
Natalia Kucirkova, Professor of Children’s Reading and Development, The Open University When faced with the question of whether children should read on screen or on paper, many adults turn to traditional paper books. Yet when we ask children, we see that e-books motivate children to read, especially those who don’t enjoy traditional paper reading (Picton, […]
Ruth Beck, Manager, Chagford Montessori Nursery School, UK The revised Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) (DfE, 2021b) requires practitioners to design a curriculum addressing specific learning and development requirements. This piece investigates the developmental stage theory and sociological theory within the EYFS, with particular focus on the effects of introducing woodwork to an early childhood […]
James Boddey, Director of Busy Bodies Child Care Centre, UK In early 2021, our kindergarten decided to make a concerted effort to be more considerate towards the planet, focusing on how we could do more to reduce our waste, to educate children and families on environmental issues and to make small steps towards a brighter […]
Laura Piper, Early Years Advisor, East Sussex County Council, UK This project aimed to improve practice and introduce research and professional reflection in 36 baby rooms over two years. Each setting had a practitioner lead, with 146 practitioners and 600 babies involved in total. The practitioner leads undertook small-scale research on their self-chosen aspects of […]
Tania Choudhury, Sheringham Nursery School Over the years, extensive research has determined just how important parental engagement is at any stage of a child’s development, perhaps more so in the early years. However, there appears to be limited research to capture how schools work to engage minority ethnic families in particular, and more specifically families […]
Janet Goodall, Associate Professor, Swansea University, UK When I was asked to write the editorial for this issue of the Chartered College of Teaching’s journal, I was flattered and very happy to do so, having been an advocate and supporter of the Chartered College since its earliest days. And the topic, of creating effective learning […]
Jean Gross, independent consultant and author, UK Nicola Noble, co-headteacher, Surrey Square Primary School, UK; Trustee, Magic Breakfast, UK Liz Robinson, Co-Director, Big Education, UK; Trustee, National Literacy Trust, UK A large body of research (Castro et al., 2015) has found substantial associations between students’ attainment and the extent of their parents’ engagement with their […]
Verity Downing, Early Years Practitioner and Doctoral researcher, UK Practicing resilience is an ongoing and ever-changing life project, yet, by the time students leave the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and progress to Key Stage 1, it is expected that they will be ‘confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance’ (Early […]
25% off for members! Teaching is a career-long journey of professional learning and development. The Chartered College of Teaching is on hand to help you every step of the way. This handbook guides you through all aspects of the Early Career Framework (ECF), supporting you through the full two-year programme. It is both useful and […]
This case study is part of a series of short online learning courses on decolonising and diversifying the curriculum. Chartered College of Teaching members can access this learning for free. This is a case study from Module 4, ‘Approaches to decolonising and diversifying the curriculum’, of a series of 6 online courses. The module includes a variety […]
Getting the Best Out of Boys (under 5) Gender differences have usually been put down to brain size; the different speed of development; testosterone, and other biological differences. However, recent neuroscience findings have questioned many of these old theory assumptions and offer an alternative way of looking at the issues and the implications on day-to-day […]
Polly Crowther, Co-Founder, Early Insights; Evidence Lead in Education, East London Research School; Teacher, UK Victoria Blake, Development Lead, Teach First, UK Rebecca Webster, Senior Lecturer and Primary School Teacher, UK We know that ‘Play is one of the most important ways in which young children gain essential knowledge and skills’ (UNICEF, 2018, p. 7), […]
GEMMA GOLDENBERG, PHD RESEARCHER, UEL, UK; RESEARCH AND LEARNING SPECIALIST, CHARTERED COLLEGE OF TEACHING, UK My first teaching job was at an inner-city primary school with a tarmac playground on the rooftop because there wasn’t enough space at ground level. Despite the lack of nature on site, it felt counterintuitive to persuade children to sit […]
Verity Downing, Early Years Practitioner and Doctoral Researcher, UK Stuart Boydell, Key Stage 1 Teacher, Chartered History Teacher and Historical Association Primary Committee member, UK The 2021 academic year saw the new ‘Development matters’ (DfE, 2021) come into force. In light of this, teachers were encouraged to consider how they create a bespoke Early Years […]
LYN CHALLENDER, EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT TRUST, UK Early Years interventions for less advantaged children are hugely important for promoting children’s success later in their education and into adulthood, and the role that Early Years practitioners play is critical. The Early Years Professional Development Programme (EYPDP) is a two-year initiative, funded by the Department for Education (DfE) […]
In this video, Gemma Goldenberg provides a guide to navigating a research paper.
In this video, Gemma Goldenberg and Sam Sims discuss their tips for honing your search to locate the most useful research.
What and how should we teach young people? There are lots of claims about what is and isn’t effective, many of which you will have come across. For example, there are claims that extending the school day improves pupils’ learning, increases attendance, and adds to teacher stress. How can you know which of these claims […]
Researchers from UCL Institute of Education, Sheffield Hallam University and Durham University have developed a set of self-assessment tools to help teachers and schools to evaluate their levels of research engagement. These are designed as practical tools to encourage teachers and school leaders to consider their engagement with research evidence, and the areas you may […]
