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Articles Teaching and Learning

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Cross-phase articles about teaching and learning

106 articles in this category

Educational Pioneers: Maria Montessori, 1870-1952

by Juliet Mickelburgh on December 16, 2010

In her lifetime, Maria Montessori was regarded as one of the foremost female educationalists and her legacy continues today in many Montessori schools worldwide.

Educational Pioneers: John Dewey, 1859-1952

by Juliet Mickelburgh on December 16, 2010

Dewey partitioned childhood into different stages of development, the first stage being from the ages of four to eight years. He believed that during this period the key factors for successful learning were play, conversation, physical activity and s…

Educational Pioneers: Rudolf Steiner, 1861-1925

by Juliet Mickelburgh on December 16, 2010

Like other educational theorists before him, Steiner divided childhood up into distinct phases. They fall in seven year cycles and are marked by physical changes in the child. He explained that the early years of childhood are a time of learning by b…

Educational Pioneers: Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, 1746-1827

by Juliet Mickelburgh on December 16, 2010

Pestalozzi realised that children feel safe and secure at home and that it was this atmosphere that was most conducive to learning. However, he founded a number of educational establishments as he was aware that not all children could spend time lear…

Educational Pioneers: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778

by Juliet Mickelburgh on December 16, 2010

Rousseau's understanding of the early years of child development as being a profound time in our lives is still relevant today. His appreciation of how much a child learns through finding things out for themselves, and of the role of observation and …

Using the TASC system in EYFS Settings

by Belle Wallace on January 11, 2011

Belle Wallace, creator of the TASC framework for developing children's thinking and problem-solving skills, explains how significant the relationship is between the acquisition of language and the development of thought.

Child-initiated Learning

by Juliet Mickelburgh on January 18, 2011

The last in a series of articles examining recent developments in our understanding of how children learn. Here, Juliet Mickelburgh looks at what is meant by child-initiated learning, its presence in the EYFS, and how it influences good early years p…

The Drawings of Reception Boys: Fantasy and Frustrations

by Emese Hall on January 18, 2011

Drawing is an activity that most young children enjoy and there is much evidence to show how it can offer them a powerful means of communicating their ideas, experiences and feelings. In this article, Exeter PhD student Emese Hall tells us about her …

Schemas

by Juliet Mickelburgh on January 21, 2011

What exactly are schemas, and how useful are they in providing the right learning environment for our very young children? This article brings together various definitions of schemas, followed by a brief description of named schemas and a discussion …

Which Came First, the Forest or the School?

by Sara Knight on September 6, 2011

Sara Knight, Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at Anglia Ruskin University, discusses the historical meanings of "schooling" and their relevance to today's young children. She outlines four ways in which we learn, and explains her concerns …

Every child is different: the individual and diverse ways that childre…

by Rory McDowall Clark on December 6, 2012

All children are different because each brings different experiences into the setting but this individuality and diversity is in itself a great opportunity for children to learn to value each other and to appreciate their own special distinctivenes…

Characteristics of Effective Learning: play and exploration in action

by Ruksana Mohammed on July 18, 2015

Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL) are a revived element in the current Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). CoEL advocate that in planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners must reflect on the different ways that …

Understanding and Developing Reflective Practice

by Penny Borkett on November 15, 2014

This article will focus on the need for early years practitioners to develop their knowledge of reflective thinking. It will focus on some of the history and theory of reflective practice considering and discussing how theory can help develop practi…

Objective-led Planning

by Alistair Bryce-Clegg on August 2, 2015

Many of the FSF members follow Alistair Bryce-Clegg's blog and have attended his very popular presentations. Following a discussion here about his innovative 'objective-led planning', we invited Alistair to explain this approach.

Give your book corner a makeover!

by Michael Jones on March 3, 2014

What children need in settings is a chance to spend quality time with an adult, with reading material that excites the children’s interests, in a space that is inviting.

Characteristics of Effective Learning: creating and thinking criticall…

by Ruksana Mohammed on June 25, 2014

This article is the third and final in our series on the Characteristics of Effective Learning, following on from Play and Exploration in Action and Active Learning in Action.

Children, play and digital technologies

by Christine Stephen on July 16, 2014

This article is about young children playing with digital technologies at home and in their educational settings. It draws on a series of research studies conducted at the University of Stirling over a period of 10 years with my colleagues Professo…

Choosing 'Next Steps' from your observations

by Kathy Brodie on October 14, 2014

It is not always clear how observations should be used to inform planning, assessments and evaluation of children's progress. Sometimes the huge array of choices can make choosing a next step a really confusing task.

Developing Sustained Shared Thinking to enhance the areas of Learning …

by Kathy Brodie on November 15, 2014

In this article, Kathy Brodie focuses on how sustained shared thinking can support each of the Prime areas of learning and development, as defined by the EYFS – Communication and Language; Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Devel…

Developing Sustained Shared Thinking to enhance the Specific areas of …

by Kathy Brodie on November 25, 2014

Kathy Brodie examines how Sustained Shared Thinking can be used to enhance the four areas of learning and development in the EYFS known as the Specific Areas: Mathematics, Expressive Arts and Design, Literacy and Understanding the World.

Individuality Matters: The Curse of Development Checklists

by Ruksana Mohammed on August 3, 2015

The use of milestones in the form of development checklists do not take on the individuality of each child. They are generic and imply that all children go through the sequential process. This article aims to introduce the concept of individuality of…

Creative Diaries: Taking a line for a walk

by Ruksana Mohammed on November 12, 2015

The provision of mark making opportunities can help children develop imaginatively, creatively and physically. Mark making is important for many reasons. It is a visible way for children to tell stories and express feelings, record what they have to …

Capturing Children's Sparks

by Ruksana Mohammed on October 12, 2015

It is often noted in literature that planning and teaching should be based around children’s interests. Through doing so, practitioners can enhance development and progress in each area of learning. The National Strategies for Early Years suggest tha…

'Listening to Young Children' Project

by Ruksana Mohammed on January 31, 2018

‘Listening’ in the early years is used to mean valuing and responding to children’s thoughts, ideas and feelings, offering genuine choice and involving children in decisions that affect their daily lives

Creative Diaries: Clay Work in the Early Years

by Ruksana Mohammed on April 22, 2016

“Only through the arts and by being creative can children explore the inner world of their imagination and feeling – the world that is uniquely them”. Sir Ken Robinson, Patron of Earlyarts. ‘One day a grandma was a parent helper teaching in one ar…

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Articles

Articles Teaching and Learning

106 articles in this category