Keels_ Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Hello, I hope everyone is coping well. I'm due to start university in September (BA Early Childhood Studies). I purchased two textbooks (suggested purchases from the reading lists) just to start having a read over the summer and get myself back into the swing of 'study' - but I haven't got a clue what I'm doing anymore! It has been a good 10 or 11 years since I completed my level 3 diploma. Everything and nothing seems important haha. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Keeley 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinthinguk Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 when I was studying I would use highlighters to pick out key phrases and key quotes, statements and references. I studied with the OU and they have lots of fantastic study hints and tips, I also used you tube to help me with my note taking, there are lots of tutorials on there. I also invested in a couple of helpful guides to studying from amazon. You will find that once your course has started you will be guided in what to read, generally with a focus so that you can narrow down what you are reading into specific topics which helps. I also brought a couple of essay writing books to help, I had not really ever written a proper academic essay so that was daunting so the books were very helpful. Good luck and enjoy being a student again x I did my foundation degree with OU and it took me 4 years. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keels_ Posted July 6, 2020 Author Share Posted July 6, 2020 Thank you for your reply, I’ll definitely check out YouTube and have a look on amazon for some guide books - it is very scary after such a long time but I’m equally excited. Thank you for your well wishes 😊 How long ago did you complete your degree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Hello Keeley, What an exciting time ahead for you: I'm quite envious! You don't say whether you've been working in the early years at all, but I'm guessing you have and possibly still are? So, you probably don't need to spend much time looking at the EYFS and Development Matters documents (although the new EYFS update came out last week) I'd focus on reading articles from quality sites- including this one (and our other site www.tapestry.info)! Have a look at Early Education, in particular, and if you can afford any subscriptions, I'd go for Early Years Educator (EYE) and Teach Early Years. Really accessible, interesting articles about current issues in early years, and always focussed on best practice and what is right for each and every child. I'd read 'How Children Learn', by Nancy Stewart, if you do nothing else. 🙂 I'd practice taking some notes whilst you're reading- it's such a useful skill to have, and will help you immensely when you get your first assignment. Pick out headings and phrases that stand out for you, and write a couple of comments or questions every now and again. Get those brain cells working again! And finally, I'd think about what reflective practice means to you. Do you engage in it in your current role? Do your colleagues and managers support staff engagement in this? Have a think about your setting, or the one you worked in last and how it was arranged and why. What was good about it? What didn't quite work? What would you have done to change it? Have you got a summary of what you'll be studying? And what are those two books you've bought already? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinthinguk Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 5 hours ago, Keels_ said: Thank you for your reply, I’ll definitely check out YouTube and have a look on amazon for some guide books - it is very scary after such a long time but I’m equally excited. Thank you for your well wishes 😊 How long ago did you complete your degree? I stopped at foundation and did not do the 2 extra years for BA, since starting my course, my husband had sadly become disabled and my daughter had also become in need of more support and I could not commit to any more study. It was definitely the right decision for me. I did my foundation degree over 4 years. I enjoyed studying very much and am very pleased I did it later in life. It seems daunting but you will soon get into the flow of it all. I was very disciplined and timetabled my study to fit around my work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keels_ Posted August 16, 2020 Author Share Posted August 16, 2020 On 06/07/2020 at 15:59, Helen said: Hello Keeley, What an exciting time ahead for you: I'm quite envious! You don't say whether you've been working in the early years at all, but I'm guessing you have and possibly still are? So, you probably don't need to spend much time looking at the EYFS and Development Matters documents (although the new EYFS update came out last week) I'd focus on reading articles from quality sites- including this one (and our other site www.tapestry.info)! Have a look at Early Education, in particular, and if you can afford any subscriptions, I'd go for Early Years Educator (EYE) and Teach Early Years. Really accessible, interesting articles about current issues in early years, and always focussed on best practice and what is right for each and every child. I'd read 'How Children Learn', by Nancy Stewart, if you do nothing else. 🙂 I'd practice taking some notes whilst you're reading- it's such a useful skill to have, and will help you immensely when you get your first assignment. Pick out headings and phrases that stand out for you, and write a couple of comments or questions every now and again. Get those brain cells working again! And finally, I'd think about what reflective practice means to you. Do you engage in it in your current role? Do your colleagues and managers support staff engagement in this? Have a think about your setting, or the one you worked in last and how it was arranged and why. What was good about it? What didn't quite work? What would you have done to change it? Have you got a summary of what you'll be studying? And what are those two books you've bought already? Thank you very much for your reply, I will be sure to take a look at your tips and advice. I’ve been really fortunate, both a colleague and my manager have given me lots of books to help me along my way. I had purchased Lifespan Development and Child Observation for Learning and Research - both were suggested purchases for separate modules this year. I am currently a supervisor in a preschool, coming up to 2 years after a 4 year sabbatical to stay at home with my boys 😊 Its interesting that you mention reflective practice, I’m going to have a meeting with my manager on Friday and am going to try and pitch In The Moment Planning to her. It will be a “radical” change but to me it’s an absolute no brainer. I’m researching and drawing out all my main points (considering making a power point haha) - perhaps this is practice for uni?! Thank you again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keels_ Posted August 16, 2020 Author Share Posted August 16, 2020 On 06/07/2020 at 20:59, twinthinguk said: I stopped at foundation and did not do the 2 extra years for BA, since starting my course, my husband had sadly become disabled and my daughter had also become in need of more support and I could not commit to any more study. It was definitely the right decision for me. I did my foundation degree over 4 years. I enjoyed studying very much and am very pleased I did it later in life. It seems daunting but you will soon get into the flow of it all. I was very disciplined and timetabled my study to fit around my work. Thank you for explaining your experience. I hope your husband and daughter (and you of course) are all okay 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted August 18, 2020 Share Posted August 18, 2020 Keels- let us know how your talk goes about In the Moment Planning. 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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