How Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Mantle of the Expert support children’s agency in their learning
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 […]
Children’s pragmatic development
Elspeth Wilson, University of Cambridge, UK How do children learn to communicate well? Are they born little communicators or is their communicative development gradual? Children’s pragmatic skills include a wide range of abilities, from how to initiate a conversation and take turns, to understanding a metaphor or ironic comment. Research on child language acquisition shows […]
Challenging traditional concepts of teaching and learning through the introduction of woodwork in early childhood education and care
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 […]
Meeting the needs of high-ability learners in the Early Years
Jonathan Doherty, Senior lecturer in Teacher Education, Leeds Trinity University, UK An inclusive Early Years curriculum All children deserve the best possible start in life and the support that enables them to fulfil their potential (DfE, 2021). The EYFS champions equality and the principle that inclusion is a fundamental human right for every child. Inclusive […]
Our eco plans: A case study
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 […]
Understanding the World: A case study
Emma Lennard, Primary Curriculum Advisor, Knowledge Schools Trust, UK The Knowledge Schools Trust opened our first primary school in 2013 with a cohort of 60 Reception children. Now, nearly 10 years later, we have four primary schools within our trust and are growing. This case study will outline our approach to curriculum design and pedagogy […]
How can we improve parental engagement with minority ethnic families?
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 […]
Engaging parents in play
Polly Crowther, Co-Founder, Early Insights, ELE, East London Research School, UK What parents do at home makes a huge difference to children’s progress (EEF, 2021). We know that play is a powerful way for young children to learn, and we know that sometimes parents find play difficult (Gutman and Feinstein, 2008). Research into the barriers […]
Early Years leadership: Creating the enabling conditions for effective professional development
Rebecca Curtis, (Associate Dean, Learning Design) and Helena Moore, (Dean, Learning Design) Ambition Institute The important role that professional development and training can play in raising quality in Early Years provision is well reported (Callanan, 2017; Kalitowski, 2016; Mathers and Smees, 2014, OECD, 2012), just as it is for teaching quality (Fletcher-Wood and Zuccollo, 2020; […]
Developing socio-emotional intelligence is key to our wellbeing and effective practice
Camila Devis-Rozental, Principal Academic, Bournemouth University, UK This article explores the notion of socio-emotional intelligence (SEI) as an important aspect for Early Years educators. What is socio-emotional intelligence? Socio-emotional intelligence (SEI) is a term that I developed as part of my research on trainee Early Years practitioners (Devis-Rozental, 2017). SEI can be defined as: <Q>‘the […]
Early science: What is it and how do we support it?
Dr Sarah Earle, Bath Spa University, UK @PriSciEarle Why consider early science? The first images of science that come to mind often contain white coats, test tubes and Bunsen burners, but science is much broader than this. Scientists like David Attenborough and Jane Goodall study the natural world on location, while others look to the […]
How can we maximise children’s scientific learning?
Dr Julian Grenier, Headteacher, Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre, Director, East London Research School Young children are naturally inquisitive. Popularly, we say that some children are ‘into everything’. Academically, Alison Gopnik – one of the world’s leading experts on child development – talks about the baby as ‘the scientist in the crib’ (Gopnik et […]
Creating an effective learning environment, post COVID-19
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 […]
In it for the long haul: Building trusting relationships with parents
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 […]
‘I did it!’: Valuing resilience in the Early Years
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 […]
The Early Career Framework Handbook: 2nd Edition
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 […]
Decolonising and diversifying the curriculum in Early Years settings: A case study
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 […]
#ECSeries: Getting the Best Out of Boys (under 5) with Trefor Lloyd
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 […]
How are schools adopting pedagogies of play in Key Stage 1? Findings from research into practices of play at the transition and beyond
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), […]
Smarter by nature: Does research suggest that young brains can be nurtured by nature? If so, why hasn’t this influenced school curriculum and pedagogy?
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 […]