In this reflective account I will be using Brookfield’s four lenses (The university of Sydney, 2015) to analyse how different historical perspectives have had an impact on pedagogy and practice in the early years field. Working on a group project my team looked at how forest schools have impacted on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS, 2015) I will also look at different other historical perspectives and pioneers such as Steiner (Pound, 2006), Froebel (Pound, 2006), Macmillan (Pound, 2006) and Rousseau (Pound, 2006).
After doing the exhibition on forest schools I have learnt a lot about pioneers who have influenced forest school. Forest schools initially started in the 1950’s in Sweden and a concept of the feature was later introduced
It was in 1996 that the first UK curriculum was introduced which was called ‘Desirable Outcomes’. Within the document were learning outcomes to be achieved by all children by the age of five and being a centralised system, an inspection scheme was also introduced. In this article Soler and Miller (2010) highlight how these changes were perceived to be shaping the early childhood curriculum from the outside rather than from within the early childhood community.
In this assignment I am going to compare previous and current pioneers that have and are influencing the current principles of early year’s pedagogy. For example how they are influencing the four principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). This assignment will get me to look at different views that theorist have to education and how they can be used in current practice. It will provide me with the information on how they influence early year’s pedagogy and current practice. Throughout this assignment I will be referencing from current reading that I am doing, these will range from eBooks to articles. I will be using nursery world articles to provide information about each pioneer and what their work has done for current principles in early year’s pedagogy.
This assignment is based upon my understanding of child development and children’s learning, considering the curriculum for the Early Years and the curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage/Key Stage One. I propose to outline a rationale for effectively continuing children’s learning, from the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year One and include strategies to support transitions, effective curriculum delivery and links between the EYFS and the National Curriculum. Throughout the assignment I will refer not only in general but also to how my research has help me as a practitioner help my setting to effectively continue children’s learning.
Early childhood education in Australia encompasses prior to school settings as well as the early years of
Chapter two discusses various theorists that helped to mold and shape early childhood education to where it is today. There are several different theorists that contributed to the development of early childhood education. Some of these theorists include Alfred Adler, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey. Each theorist developed a unique theory that has caused early childhood guidance and education to flourish like it has today. Without learning and building on these theories, early childhood guidance and education would never develop or change. The chapter explains how some theories may seem strange to the contemporary families, but these theories are the foundation of how early childhood education got to where it is today. The book goes
Early childhood education curriculums are becoming a national curriculum in most countries. With more governments and society thinking about education of under-fives we are seeing shifts in thinking and education to meet the changing world. We are developing children skills for the future to create a society where children feel they belong and can contribute to society. Curriculums are being influenced my social, political, cultural, historical and theoretical issues that are impacting different curriculums in the world. I am going to explore and develop my understanding about three different curriculums to recognise the different influences affecting curriculums. I am going to explore the curriculums of Te Whāriki: New Zealand, Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and Curriculum for Excellence: Scotland. This will allow me to develop an understanding of other curriculums which I have not heard about to discover other way to education that I have not been taught in teacher’s college.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum in England differs greatly in structure and content to the Te Whariki curriculum in New Zealand; this therefore makes for an interesting comparison. The EYFS was introduced in England, in 2008, by the DfE as a framework that ‘sets the standards for learning, development and care of children from birth to five’ (DfE, 2012). Alternatively, Te Whariki was founded in New Zealand, in 1996, based on the aspirations for children ‘to grow up as competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body, and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging and in the knowledge that they make a valued contribution to society’ (Ministry of Education, 1996). Throughout this essay, the EYFS
Why the early years framework emphasises a personal and individual approach to learning and development
In this essay I will outline the curricular systems for the 0-5 age group in England and Scotland. I will examine in detail the planning and assessment provisions of these systems which allow early years practitioners to gain insight into children's learning and to aid them in that regard. I will draw comparison between the practices of these two countries where possible, and provide criticism of each.
As early childhood educators we all have our own philosophies and approaches to education. There are several types of early childhood programs. Each program has its own philosophies, methods, and program goals. Every early childhood educator is unique making each early childhood program experience special. Consistently, early childhood programs offer educational foundations that prepare young students for their educational futures. In this paper I will focus on comparing and contrasting two programs that stood out to me, Ridgeline Montessori and the Whitaker Head Start.
The forest school approach embraces the outdoors as a learning environment for children to explore. It first originated in Denmark and was introduced to the UK in the 1950’s. This approach is important as it helps to raise a child’s self-esteem, confidence and also enable problem solving.
Parents and society as a whole are realizing the importance of the first five years. They are realizing that “school readiness” is important and that we can do better for our children. As an industry, that has given early childhood the opportunity to grow both in a business sense and in an educational sense. It has given schools, like Lily Academy, the opportunity to grow the brand and has also forced all early childhood educators to reevaluate their mission and their vision for what they do and how they do it. Because of the demand for early childhood education by parents, the industry continues to grow.
When an educator uses constructivist, and inquiry learning approaches students can express their questions with one another allowing them to build on their knowledge. This then assists the students to implement their critical and creative thinking, personal and social capability and intercultural understanding to take effect (School Curriculum and Standards Authority Government of Western Australia, 2015). Offering different experiences are essential when planning for early childhood student’s as this is a vital part of their learning
The factors from Forest Kindergarten that I found challenging was that there are no basis of health and safety. Also, the Pedagogue says that the children must use their brains and that they should be able to look after themselves. I found this hard as it is our responsibility to look after all children. Furthermore, I do feel this is a weakness of the Forest Kindergarten as they should protect their students within the kindergarten. The implications based for the
Would you ever let your four or five-year-old roam in the forest with twenty other kids and only one overseer? Would you ever let this serve as their Preschool and Kindergarten education? Surprisingly enough, this is a style of education that is sweeping through Scandinavian countries as well as other European countries. The concept is called a “Forest Kindergarten” and the purpose of this is to get young children more interested in learning. Also, they aim to allow kids to develop their motor skills in a natural way instead of in a normal classroom setting.