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This title focuses on how to ensure your setting's physical space and equipment provides the most challenging and interesting environment for children in your care. This book covers: Assessing and improving the learning environment, making the most of your outdoor space and inclusive settings.
With the new EYFS in its infancy, this practical professional development title will take practitioners through the new policies and provide vital information and practical advice on how to implement it effectively. With their wealth of experience in the Early Years, Ann Langston and Dr Jonathan Doherty have all the expertise to make this an authoritative book that will be useful to anyone involved in Early Years education.
This title focuses on how to ensure your setting's physical space and equipment provides the most challenging and interesting environment for children in your care. This book covers: Assessing and improving the learning environment, making the most of your outdoor space and inclusive settings.
Shortlisted for the 2012 Nursery World Awards! Understanding the factors that contribute to a positive learning environment is vital for those working with children from birth to 3 years. Using extensive case study material, Ann Clare focuses on the experiences of babies and toddlers in various care settings, and the role adults play in developing creative and supportive environments. The effect on speech and language development is explored, with reference to recent research and initiatives. Information gathered from parents and childcare workers helps provide a deep consideration of parents′ childcare choices. Topics covered include: - the emotional environment - the role of adults in the environment - the physical environment - the creative environment - parents and the environment - observing and questioning This detailed study of current research and literature provides an invaluable source of information for those planning to work with babies and toddlers, as well as experienced childminders wanting to reflect on the care and learning they offer children and families. Ann Clare is an Early Years Foundation Stage Consultant in England.
Are you struggling with the complexities of assessment? Demystifying the process of assessment for learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), this book explains in straightforward language how to put principles into practice. Looking at models of assessment, the book draws heavily on examples of real assessments from practice, and the relevant theory is explained in context. Lessons from research are applied to best practice, and issues covered include: - self-assessment and peer assessment - collecting evidence as a basis for making judgements - how to track the child′s development in the six areas of learning - using assessment to inform future planning - summative assessment in the EYFS - involving parents and carers in the assessment process - using assessment to support children with additional needs - moderation Throughout the book there are plenty of practical examples from a range of early years settings, with case studies for the Birth to Five age range. Students, teachers, teaching assistants and those working towards Early Years Professional Status (EYPS) will find this an invaluable guide.
Carmen Mohamed, a lecturer in education at Leicester University, and Sarah Lissaman, an Early Years Consultant, have come up with a simple, self evaluation format, linked to the four themes of the EYFS for Early Year settings. Readers are guided through a series of factors, with accompanying statements at four levels, which enable practitioners and their managers to review their own practice and set targets for improvement, based on evidence, which they collect themselves.
Taking a fresh look at the role of creativity within the early years, this accessible guide explores what is meant by creativity and considers how creative skills, behaviours, and thinking can be identified and fostered in the individual child. Underpinned by the latest research and policy, chapters illustrate how creative attitudes can be adopted in all subject areas, and opportunities for creativity maximised. Creative Learning in the Early Years acknowledges the power of creative processes in helping children reach their full potential in the early years and beyond. Photocopiable work tools enable the reader to plan, observe, assess, and record progress as they develop playful and creative approaches, whilst practical advice and demonstrable examples are easily integrated into existing practice. Topics addressed include: recognising and encouraging creative tendencies stimulating the child’s imagination developing adult creativity and self-awareness creating enabling environments and creative spaces using documentation and planning to inspire creativity. An exciting and accessible guide which encourages exploration, experimentation, reflection, and development, Creative Learning in the Early Years will support current and future early years practitioners as they discover the rich opportunities opened by creative practice.
In the original book – Continuous Provision, Alistair Bryce-Clegg covered what effective continuous provision should look like and how practitioners could achieve it by linking their provision directly to assessment. This new title: The Skills, demonstrates that in every area of continuous provision (like sand, water, role play, small world etc) there are 'pure' skills that children can only learn in that area and there are 'facilitative' skills that children can learn through that area. Each of these 'pure' and 'facilitative' skills needs to be acknowledged, assessed and taught and this is the premise of this new title. In The Skill of Continuous Provision Alistair: Revisits (briefly) the principles of effective continuous provision Looks at each area of continuous provision in turn and identifies a range of 'pure' and 'facilitative' skills Shows how the provision itself (resources) should be leveled 'top', 'middle' and 'emergent' to meet the development needs of all children irrespective of how old they are. Gives some comprehensive examples of how to break those skills down into top, middle, emergent e.g. in 'Paint' he identifies skills that children need to learn when using paint like texturising, application, printing etc. He then takes each of those skills individually and show how a skill like printing could be broken down into three broad stages. Asks and answers questions like: What would really basic, lower level printing look like? What sort of resources would facilitate effective learning in this area of development? By the end of the book the practitioner should have a really practical guide to differentiated skill development in continuous provision.
Young children live in the here and now. If adults are to make a real difference to their learning they need to seize the moments when children first show curiosity, and support their next steps immediately. This book embraces the concept of planning "in the moment" and emphasises the critical role of the adult in promoting child-led learning, giving early years practitioners the confidence and insight to work and plan in the moment, and enabling the children in their care to live, learn, play and develop in the here and now. Planning in the Moment with Young Children maintains a strong link to practice, providing numerous examples of how practitioners can integrate spontaneous planning and rich adult–child interactions into their everyday practice and early years curricula. From timetabling to setting clear rules, creating enabling environments, keeping records and making use of a variety of materials, the book demonstrates the multitude of ways in which practitioners can encourage child autonomy and respond to the unique needs of each child. Examples from practice are rooted in theory, fully contextualised, and exemplified by original documentation sourced from the author’s own experiences and from a wide variety of settings. Key features include: over 180 full colour photographs to illustrate practice; photocopiable pages including planning sheets, documentation and activity sheets; advice on working with parents, individual children and groups; tailored guidance on working with children at different stages of development from birth to age 6 years; relevance to a range of settings, including childminders, pre-schools, nurseries and schools. When children are allowed to select where, with what, and how to play, they are truly invested in their play, they become deeply involved and make dramatic progress. This book is an outstanding testament to a responsive and child-led way of working in early years environments. Practitioners will be guided, inspired and supported to work spontaneously and reactively – planning as they go and celebrating the results!
