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Articles Teaching and Learning

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Cross-phase articles about teaching and learning

106 articles in this category

When are persistent behaviour issues problematic from a well-being poi…

by Jane Evans on December 6, 2018

When should we worry about persistent behaviour issues from a well-being point of view? What should we be curious about and what can we, as teachers, do to be supportive?

Behind the Gingham Curtain

by Alistair Bryce-Clegg on December 18, 2017

Time to throw open the gingham curtains and use what we find behind them to create a space that gives our children the freedom to be independent, motivated learners who can choose from a range of engaging and challenging resources that will promote…

Next steps, choose wisely

by FSF Rebecca on August 14, 2017

This is the first article in what will be a series examining questions such as ‘What are next steps?’, ‘Who decides which next steps are appropriate?’, ‘What is the best way to record next steps?’ and ‘How often should next steps be reviewed?’

The process of Reflective Practice

by Dr Jen Colwell on October 2, 2019

This article is the second in the series looking at Reflection and its role in Early Years Practice. Reflection is a cyclical process. It isn’t something we ‘finish', we will always be seeking new information and new perspectives about some part o…

Reflective Practice: What is Reflection, why should it inform our prac…

by Dr Jen Colwell on July 17, 2019

This article is the first in a series looking at Reflection and its role in Early Years Practice. In this paper we focus on the theory of reflection, what the potential benefits may be and what it requires of practitioners. This series of art…

Cherry Garden Branch Maps - a different approach to assessment for chi…

by Stephen Kilgour on November 18, 2019

Stephen Kilgour, SEND Advisor and Outreach Teacher at Tapestry, tells us about a brand new, unique assessment tool for children with learning differences and disabilities.

Planning next steps in the moment

by Anna Ephgrave on March 21, 2017

Planning for individual children is a statutory requirement. However, such plans do not have to be written down. A skilful practitioner is making several hundred “in the moment” plans every day.

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…

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.

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.

The benefits of introducing STEM in the Early Years

by Natalie Bent and Denhue Harris on November 15, 2022

Natalie Bent and Denhue Harris share their reflections and ideas about why we need to nurture STEM in our early years settings.

What does Reflective Practice look like?

by FSF Rebecca on July 17, 2019

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? [Little Snow-White. Grimm. 1812] Generally, we view reflections as being things personally ‘reflected’ back to us: when we check our ‘look’ in a mirror ready for a night out or when …

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…

The Practicalities of Next Steps

by FSF Rebecca on September 13, 2017

It comes up on the FSF sufficiently often that I have begun to wonder if we, in early years, are perhaps looking for ‘an answer’ – the Next Step ‘Holy Grail’ as it were. Sensibly, we all know that there cannot be an answer, children are all different…

Reflective Practice: Research Methods

by Dr Jen Colwell on October 2, 2019

If you would like to know more about how collecting evidence can support your reflective practice, or if you would like to explore the different research methods you can use in your setting, this is the article to read! Being familiar with researc…

Putting the theory into practice

by Alistair Bryce-Clegg on May 17, 2018

Quality Early Years practice comes from an understanding of child development and also a belief that children should play the principle role in leading their learning. What we do and how we do it is built on centuries of theory, research and succes…

Understanding and Supporting Children’s Behaviour

by Kathryn Stinton on October 1, 2018

I’m fascinated by children’s behaviour and the possible reasons behind it. It can be tempting to just look at what’s on the surface (the behaviour we see) and ignore what’s happening underneath (the underlying causes) but this only leads to short …

An early years practitioner in the Millennium: Challenges of technolog…

by WChurchill on March 1, 2017

I spent over twenty rewarding and stimulating years as a classroom teacher in the North of England and for the most part as a senior manager responsible for the early years foundation stage (EYFS). I delighted in working with children and parents an…

Development Matters: A landscape of possibilities, not a roadmap

by Nancy Stewart on May 27, 2016

How many times have you thought that it would be easy to use Development Matters as a 'tick list'? Which managers have had heated meetings with staff who say that 'ticking off' aspects makes it so much easier to plan next steps? I know that here at…

Supporting Children’s Speech, Language and Communication Skills

by Kathryn Stinton on March 15, 2018

Having worked with children with speech, language and communication difficulties for twenty five years I am constantly surprised when I meet typically developing pre-school children with whom I can hold complex conversations. Children who are abl…

“Working with multilingual children in the Early Years.” Dr Rose Drur…

by Kate Cahill on February 15, 2017

From Spring 2017, all schools will be required to assess and report on English proficiency in the Department for Education (DfE) census for any child with English as an additional language (EAL). As this will include children in maintained nursery sc…

Artificial Intelligence and What it Means for our Children’s Future

by Richard Waite on October 16, 2023

Early years educator and technology enthusiast, Richard Waite, takes a closer look at how we are preparing children in the early years for a future of rapidly changing technologies, including AI.

Foundations in Phonics: How pre-phonic skills impact on success in rea…

by Emma Spiers on December 6, 2022

Early reading and Phonics expert Emma Spiers takes a closer look at pre-phonics, and the importance of building a strong foundation for future phonics learning.

How can knowledge of child development inform your approach to Intent…

by Jenny Barber on October 6, 2019

Child development is essential knowledge for everyone working in early years. It helps everything make sense and it enables better practice in supporting children; you know what is right for the child, you understand them and their individual needs…

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 …

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Articles

Articles Teaching and Learning

106 articles in this category