Home
Forum
Articles
About Us
Tapestry

Articles

Articles Professional Learning Toolkit

General Articles

146 articles in this category

    The principle of inclusive education has dominated educational policy for nearly two decades and under the previous Labour administration inclusion was a key policy imperative. It was embedded within the Every Child Matters agenda (HMSO, 2003) and is…
    As adults, we tend to think about time in terms of chronology. Time is linear and ordered. The past stretches into the distance in one direction, the future into the other, and the present sits in the middle. We understand that the past can be recent…
    A common perception among the general public is that it is easy to teach young children mathematics. In this article, Professor Anne Cockburn, from the School of Education & Lifelong Learning at the University of East Anglia, discusses some of the p…
    Farmer MacDonald is getting older and his farm isn't what it used to be. Can he avoid closure after a stern letter from the ministry? Accompanied by a drama plan and tips for a role play area.
    Dee's series of irreverant lighthearted articles. Anyone who believes that Early Years education is too serious to laugh about might wish to pass this article by...
    A description of how one setting moved away from topic planning towards a more child-centred approach.
    Martine Horvath's belief that all children are born creative is one that many practitioners share. In this article she describes what creativity means in the early years and how we can support this crucial area of learning and development.
    A subject regularly raised in the FSF, this article gives advice on healty and tasty eating for young children. Makes your mouth water!
    Jacquie describes a whole group drama approach applied to bonfire night. "Learning through Imagined Experience" from an enthusiastic and experienced reception teacher.
    Continuing on from her article on imaginative roleplay, Lesley Hendy makes stories with her children!
    A mother's diary of her daughter Clemmie's development from birth to her first birthday. These snippets of Clemmie's learning and development were first published a few years ago as "Clemmie's Column". We republish them here as two articles for thos…
    Continuing Juliet Mickelburgh's diary of her daughter Clemmie's learning and development from her first birthday to her second.
    Another humorous article from the darker corners of Dee Hayday's experiences. The usual health warnings apply!
    The importance of play and of practitioners who are "playful"
    What do we mean by "good behaviour"? We are often quite clear about the behaviour that we don't want to see in our settings! Can we be proactive about this and plan consistent positive behaviour strategies where all children feel happy and secure and…
    A personal account of an exhilarating project to develop creative skills by Nottingham City Council.
    Q: How much evidence do I need? It’s a perennial question and one that is asked on an almost daily basis as moderation visits are underway.Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFSP) is based very firmly on the use of observation. Watching…
    In the last few years the use of social media has grown rapidly. It is now estimated that 65% of all adult Internet users access some form of social networking site. The most well known of the social networking sites are Facebook, Linkedin and Twitte…
    Martine Horvath identifies the significant features of the revised EYFS. She states that "It’s important to stress right from the very beginning that all our energies should be channelled into celebrating the positives, continuing to be the confident…
    Have you heard of the phrase ‘Nature deficit disorder’? Just recently there have been lots of reports, book releases, news articles, and interviews on TV and radio about the need to reconnect children to nature. Many of our children’s lives are well …
    In a series of three articles examining the characteristics of effective learning in the revised EYFS framework, Martine Horvath encourages us to consider how to support children's skills in independent learning. Including a link to an inspiring shor…
    Art is a rich and magical area of learning. It can open children’s eyes to the world around them and offer them new and exciting ways of seeing, thinking and doing. But this doesn’t just happen; presenting children with the opportunity to use clay, p…
    Helen Edwards attended the recent govnet event, featuring Sarah Teather, Liz Bayram, Ann Gross, Sue Robb, Liz Elsom, Cathy Nutbrown, and Dame Clare Tickell. Here is a summary of the main issues discussed.
    What is "Active Learning"? The High Scope approach defines it helpfully as ‘having direct and immediate experiences and deriving meaning from them through reflection’. In this way children can better make sense of their world. It’s in the doing th…
    In the third and final article on the characteristics of effective learning, Martine Horvath outlines the essential components of critical thinking and how we can support children to develop their creativity.