Elfy Posted March 14, 2008 Posted March 14, 2008 Hi I have just completed the third and final day of my CASE training today and was wondering whether anyone else on here was using the materials and what they thought about them. Specifically, if you are using the Early years materials, how do you feel they support the foundation stage curriculum? For those who don't know they are a series of materials designed to support science through speaking and listening activities, with packs aimed at Early Years (Reception), Year 1 and Year 3 and 4. Hope there is somebody out there..... Elfy x
Guest Posted March 14, 2008 Posted March 14, 2008 Elfy have never heard of this course before but it sounds great can you tell us a bit more about it. I would love to know more, as I know quite a few children who would enjoy more science based activities at pre-school!
Guest Wolfie Posted March 14, 2008 Posted March 14, 2008 Sounds really interesting - would love to know more please!
HappyMaz Posted March 14, 2008 Posted March 14, 2008 Me too - I know our science provision needs a bit of an overhaul! Maz
Guest Posted March 15, 2008 Posted March 15, 2008 did a google and found this site with more info and case studies. HERE Peggy
Elfy Posted March 16, 2008 Author Posted March 16, 2008 Well...... the course was to train us in using a pack of CASE resources. The early years pack includes 15 activities that are designed for use with children in small (4) mixed abilty groups. The groups are meant to stay the same and ideally your wouldn't do the activity if a child in the group wasn't there. You are meant to do the activities in the right order, ideally once a week. They are mostly problem solving activities usually without a correct answer aimed at provoking discussion. There are five main aspects ( I think I have got this right) to each task - 1. Concrete preparation - where you talk about what the children already know realted to the task or show them real objects relasted to the task. 2. Social construction - this focuses of teaching team skills and how to work successfully as a group. 3. Cognitive challenge - the tasks are not designed to be easy and should make the children really think. 5. Bridging - connecting ideas with other aspects of daily life 4. Meta Cognition - verbalising thought process and talking about how they know what they know and talking about how we have completed the task. On the whole I think it is really good as a concept and the way of working has whole curriculum impact because of the social skills and the questioning and meta cognition and I am fully in support of it as a tool in Key stage one and two. However I feel slightly uncomfortable with the early years stuff as I question how it supports the foundation stage curriculum as it is a precribed, adult led activity that isn't from the children's interests or necessarily what they already know (althought the materials are young child friendly). There are also some organisation issues and although nice activities feels like another thing we have tpo fit in that chips away at the children's time to be following their own interests - trying not to be negative, but also don't want to be coming away from my early years principles Would be really interested to hear from anyone else who uses it in their school? Elfy x
Recommended Posts