The Specialist Practitioner

[clarap]

 

HELLO SERIOUS HELP NEEDED PLEASE. I am currently working on a research project. The project asks to demonstrate your specialist understanding of an aspect of early years practice and education. Then identify and critically discuss selected source material. Then present information and findings to peer group in a fifteen minute presentation including questions.

 

 

 

To get to the point I have gathered loads and loads of info sent out questionnaires and conducted two interviews. I want to say that play is soooo valuable within the foundation stage and have parents backing that it is, before becoming a fs unit we were a nursery attached to a school.

 

 

I just cannot think of a hypothesis I also want to use the theorist Elkind who argued that the curriculum needed to be an appropriate curriculum child centered. I am going to talk about the pioneers Maria Montessori, Froebel, Steiner who all recognised play and the value of it.

 

 

 

Sorry to go on but am presenting next wk my tutor not very helpful, like previously said have all info just not got a bloody question to present and argue. Think I have been working on it for too long and brain is now not functioning properly.

 

 

 

 

Would appreciate any replies am feeling desperate. Hope you understand all of the above.

[Guest tinkerbell]

The government is all on to get children into schools at the age of 4 (recent TES article) because they feel these children make more 'progress'.

Could your argument be about schools making sure that the curriculum for these 4 year olds is The Foundation Curriculum play based not watered down National Curriculum etc.

Tinkerbellx

[clarap]

Yes that good idea but still cannot think of a questionto propose all info title glad you understand where i am coming from my tutor certainly didn't.

 

The questions I asked parents were 1. are you aware of changes in the governments attitude towards early years education.

 

Then I asked parents of children previous to the Foundation stage what were there expectations for there oldest children who did not experience the FS were there expectations met then I went on to ask the parents what are your expectations now, if expectations have changed why do you think it is.

 

 

 

All the replies that came back suggested that there younger children are learning lots lots more through play within the setting and that being a foundation unit is marvellous.

[clarap]

Think I have found a good question but need to reword it as it comes from a brill book contemporary issues in the e yrs.

 

 

Still need to get across the point that play is sooo valuable, the question is What do you consider to be the values which should underpin the curriculum in the early years. Need the peer group to be convinced that all areas of development are of the upmost importance and that we learn through play as some are still convinced worksheets are appropriate and are not into child iniitated activities. See am going onto another point now think i need sleep.

[JacquieL]

I think that it might have been easier to pose you hypothesis first and then test it. Your evidence would then be gathered to support your theory, but you would add some critical analysis and explain your arguments against that. Your questionaires could have been focused to get answers to meet your hypothesis, or not. What you need to do now I think is look at what you have discovered, and turn it on it's head into a question? For example if parents have expressed their satisfaction with a play based curriculum and show that they are aware of the FS curriculum and how children can learn actively through play then your hypothesis could be about that. If you are only doing a 15 presentation I think you need to do something straightforward without too many different issues involved, or it could become very confused.

Something like:

"It is an advantage to children in the Foundation Stage when their parents understand the importance of play to their learning and development?"

 

Or better perhaps

"It is an advantage to children in the Foundation Stage when the adults working with them are Early Years trained practitioners"

 

Best of luck.

[Guest]

May confuse and not help but any evidence of what effect NON play curriculums have on young childrens development may help your argument ie: chalk and talk. look at Koln for learning styles.

Children as thinkers and not conformists.

 

I agree with Jacquies comments and it is also a shame your tutor is not very supportive.

 

Good luck, maybe walk away for as lobg as time allows and have a look at what you've done with a refreshed mind.

 

Peggy

[Guest]

Now I know this will be contentious, but I do have to admit that I don't see worksheets, as being as evil as we all make out. At home, we have lots of art and craft resources etc, and for historical reasons quite a few old worksheets, which I thought I would recyle for drawing on. However quite by choice, on occasions, my chidren will choose to do the worksheets themselves. It does tend to be the very open ended ones that give the most enjoyment, but all the same they are still worksheets. Does that make me a bad mother?

[JacquieL]

No of course not. If you do a search you will find a few discussions on worksheets on different threads, which are very interesting. Sometime it's not what you do it's the way that you do it.

 

I think what we are looking at on this thread is an academic hypothsis for a presentation, and that practitioners who understand the issues of early learning are likely to be better placed to make judgements for their children's learning.

[clarap]

Thankyou Peggy and Jacquiel did walk away and not look again until this evening. I did have a really good hypothesis but again tutor not keen. Have turned it on its head and am well on with it now thankyou very much.

 

 

Regarding worksheets we do find them useful for example when looking at lifecycles i was just thinking out loud and was extremely stressed thankyou again