15
Areas of
learning and
experience
Constructing a curriculum for the under fives
9. In its report Educational Provision for the Under Fives ESAC reiterated the view of the White Paper Better Schools (1985) that the education of young children is founded in play. It also stated that 'although this principle for three and four year olds does not differ according to the form of provision that is being made, nor by the age of the children in the group, the perceptions of parents change'.
10. The introduction of the National Curriculum for children of statutory school age may affect considerably the perceptions of parents about the purposes of pre-school provision and the education of under fives in primary classes. Children from different settings embark on their compulsory schooling well prepared for the various requirements of the National Curriculum and may indeed have covered some of the early work. For example, most can listen attentively and respond to stories, and some can already read or write their names. It is clearly important to define, for parents and others, a curriculum for the under fives which enables children to develop their abilities, and also to set reasonable expectations of the different circumstances under which it is provided.
11. As ESAC also pointed out, 'it is not the form of provision alone which is likely to indicate its effectiveness but the degree to
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which it is set up and run in line with certain quality criteria'. Our purpose has been to focus upon such criteria for the curriculum for under fives. We consider that while some providers may be more able to offer better conditions for some things than others, all should be capable of offering a broad balanced curriculum which provides children with a successful bridge from home to school, promotes their all-round development and prepares them for later learning.
12. In Chapters 6 and 8 we draw attention to the importance of planning the curriculum for under fives and to the assessment and recording of children's achievements. All of this should be helpful to parents, serve the purposes of making activities responsive to the children's changing educational needs, and secure continuity and progression in the curriculum.
13. It is widely acknowledged that young children benefit from activities which bring together several areas of learning at the same time. This is apparent when they are learning from such activities as cooking, shopping and making things and in their indoor and outdoor play.
14. These integrated activities have a high value for promoting children's knowledge, skills and understanding in all aspects of the curriculum. Furthermore they engage children in co-operative and independent ways of working which help them to develop sound interpersonal skills and social relationships. Clearly, some activities have a higher value for integrated learning than others and some things may need to be taught more or less discretely for part of the time to help children acquire the particular skills and competence they need to accomplish a task. For example, adults often teach children how to use tools such as handsaw or scissors, or to mix colours to best effect, after an appropriate time has been given for them to write numbers or form letters and write their names.
15. Good practice owes much to the interplay between the effective planning of the educational activities and the informed judgements of the adults who function as teachers in responding to the children's learning. With young children, effective planning and teaching is also receptive to new interests and sufficiently flexible to cope with changes in both the pace and the direction of learning as they show what they can do and understand.
16. It is important, too, for the adults to ensure that girls and boys have a fair share of opportunities and access to all aspects of learning and experience throughout the curriculum irrespective of the type of provision through which it is made available.
17. What follows are some broad guidelines for informing planning for those involved in constructing a programme for the under fives. These cover the areas of learning and experience referred to in Chapter 5. In each case there are brief examples of work which illustrate some of the important skills, understanding and knowledge within an area; for example mathematics, and describe some cross-curricular elements within the activity.
Aesthetic and creative
18. Art, craft, design, music, dance and drama promote the development of young children's imagination and their ability to use media and materials creatively and to begin to appreciate beauty and fitness for purpose.
19. From an early age children enjoy and respond to sensory experience. They explore and experiment with materials, making patterns, pictures and models; they make sounds and music; they engage in role-play and drama; and make up mimes and movement sequences. They also listen to music, sometimes responding rhythmically, sometimes quietly entranced; they listen to poems, songs and rhymes learning to appreciate the sounds and rhythms of the words; they look at pictures and other works of art, at buildings and bridges and begin to develop their aesthetic awareness and understanding.
20. Children under 5 should have access to a wide variety of materials and activities and be encouraged to develop skills and to express their ideas and understanding in many ways. Adults play an important part in helping children to refine and extend their skills by:
- talking with them about their work;
- encouraging them to look and listen carefully and to observe detail;
- teaching them how to use tools skilfully and safely;
- encouraging them to experiment and, ultimately, to select appropriate media and materials for the work in hand;
- helping them combine materials to achieve a satisfactory outcome.
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21. Young children frequently make sound-making instruments and use these and other tuned and untuned percussion to reproduce sounds and rhythms, sometimes linked to a story or a poem. Movement and drama are closely linked to sound-making and music and, given the appropriate resources, children incorporate these activities in their dramatic and imaginative play.
22. Young children's musical abilities will also develop when they have regular opportunities to learn a repertoire of rhymes and songs and listen to a range of music.
23. Some experiences offer rich opportunities for children to use and extend their aesthetic and creative abilities. The following example is from a nursery:
Three 'clowns' from the local drama centre visited the school. They gave a short performance, talked to the children and, using face paints and mirrors, created clown faces for some of them. Subsequently some of the children painted clowns, they mixed their own paints and the teacher encouraged them to remember the exact colouring, make-up and clothes. Another group chose from a selection of drawing materials, scraps of fabric and paper to create clown faces on stick puppets. With the teacher's help, other children made a simple puppet theatre from a cardboard box. They made curtains that closed and simple 'props', composed a background of sounds and gave a performance incorporating impromptu dialogue. The children recalled the original performance, using elements of it in their own, but also invented other dramatic incidents. |
24. Experiences of this kind contribute to other areas of learning and experience, not least those of language and technology. They also help children to make judgements about the work of others and to learn more about the characteristics of various media such as paint and sound.
Human and social
25. For young children human and social learning and experience is concerned with people, both now and in the past, and how and where they live. It is the earliest stage in the development of skills and ideas necessary to the understanding of history and geography.
26. Young children are naturally interested in people, in their families and homes and the community in which they live. From an early age they are aware of the work that members of their families do and often reflect this in their role-play. Adults can help children to gain greater understanding of the lives of others by providing appropriate resources for such play. Learning through play, and through other experiences such as visits to various workplaces, about the lives of shopkeepers, nurses, doctors, police officers and others provides an important foundation for the later understanding of the interdependence of communities.
27. Many young children are curious about the past. They are interested in old objects; in what things were like when their parents, teachers and helpers were children; and in what they were like as babies.
28. Adults can help satisfy this curiosity, and in so doing help children to develop a sense of time and change, by providing collections of artefacts from bygone days; inviting older people to tell the children about their early lives; and by talking about events in their own lives and those of the children and their families. Experiences such as that described later in the section on spiritual and moral learning do much to help such understanding.
29. Carefully chosen poems and stories can also help children to develop an understanding of people and events in different times and places. Well-illustrated picture story books with text that is free from gender and racial stereotyping help children to appreciate and respect ethnic and cultural differences.
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30. The following example is typical of the work that takes place on the theme of 'myself and my family' in many pre-school settings:
The health visitor had called in to see some of the newly-admitted children and had remarked how much some of the children had grown since last she saw them. This event stimulated well-focused discussion about how old individual children were, how tall and strong, and how small they had once been. Parents were asked if they could supply photographs of the children as babies and any other memorabilia they might have relating to the children's early years. A comprehensive display was assembled including birth certificates, baby clothes, toys, rattles and photographs, sometimes of the children alone and occasionally of family groupings showing several generations. The children were keen to identify themselves and their family belongings: the adults encouraged them to tell each other about them. Captions added to the display recorded the children's speech: 'That's me and that's my teddy'; 'When I was little that blue dress was mine - a long time ago'; 'That's my great-grandma, she's very old, when she was little they didn't have televisions'. Because the adult had recorded the speech accurately, the children were able to recall what they had said and 'read' the captions. In this way the children extended their knowledge of print and understood both that speech can be written down and print can be read. |
31. Children are deeply interested and gain great pleasure as well as increased understanding from such experiences that have their roots in the lives of their families, in their homes, in the community and in their own early life.
Language and literacy
32. For the purposes of planning language activities, this fundamentally important area of the curriculum for the under fives may be usefully sub-divided into four modes: speaking, listening, reading and writing.
33. Most children will be adept speakers and listeners by the time they enter pre-school provision. Many will be familiar with favourite stories read to them at home. They will have learned nursery rhymes and TV jingles. Some may be able to recognise their own name in print and be capable of writing it or making marks on paper which closely resemble words. A few children may be capable of reading and writing simple sentences.
34. By contrast some children may be less advanced in these respects on entry to pre-school provision. They may be reluctant to communicate with adults and, as yet, unable to listen attentively even for short periods of time. Their speech may be limited to far fewer words than many others of the same age. Some children will be competent speakers of a language other than English and they will need skilful help to master English while retaining their mother tongue language.
35. Given the wide range of differences in their performance on entry to pre-school provision those who teach them will need to assess the children's existing competence for the purpose of planning a language programme with continuity and progression in mind.
36. Adults working with under fives are well placed to observe and record their responses on a day to day basis and to judge their language needs accordingly. For children of this age the balance of language activities across the four modes is likely to be weighted in favour of speaking and listening. This is achieved on a one-to-one basis between a child and an adult, through language activities in small groups and sometimes between an adult and all, or nearly all, the children in a whole class or playgroup. For example, a good story read by an adult from a well illustrated book may engage the attention of a whole group or class. In these circumstances, although the children may be at very different levels of language competence, well chosen literature enables the adult to link the spoken and the written word in a context of high interest and to fire the children's imagination. In this way experience is shared and listening and speaking are intensified. Similar outcomes stem from common experiences provided, for example, in singing, moving to music or from visits to places of interest.
37. Effective groupwork is a powerful means of developing children's language. Children need to talk with adults and each other about their experiences. They need opportunities to plan, to question and to answer; to recall and to report, to reason and to reflect. They benefit greatly from experiencing how adults use language well as a stimulus and model for their own spoken language. They also need to extend their early knowledge of print in the home and elsewhere through seeing their speech recorded, through using writing materials and sharing books with adults and each other. In these ways they begin to understand that print has meaning and that reading is an important and pleasurable activity, and some will develop early writing skills.
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38. The following example of effective language work with under fives is from a nursery class:
The adults set up a simple shopping arcade with a cafe, a supermarket and a clothes shop. They were careful to include a balanced selection of items which reflected the ethnic backgrounds of the children such as fruit and vegetables from the Caribbean and clothes from India. The children shopped with their friends and called in at the cafe. Writing materials were provided and they discussed what they needed to buy. Before setting off, some went on to write out shopping lists using their own invented symbols. The goods in the shops were clearly labelled, purchases were made and the shop assistants wrote out 'bills' for the customers. At the cafe menus were available, orders were taken and noted on pads and again 'bills' presented. Thus the children began to understand the conventions of print. The adults participated in the play, encouraging children to take on the various roles, to use the writing materials provided and to talk intensively about the things they bought and the meals they ordered. The children became adept at persuading each other and the adults to agree with their choices. In the course of the play the adults introduced number rhymes such as 'Five currant buns in the baker's shop'. Later the children enjoyed listening to the story of 'The tiger who came to tea' recalling what they had ordered in the cafe and suggesting what they might give a tiger for tea. |
39. In work with under fives nearly all activities offer opportunities for developing children's language. Indeed, the development of children's language abilities at this age relies on making the most of opportunities and well-timed interventions in their play as well as planning activities which have more predictable language outcomes.
Mathematics
40. Young children's experiences provide a ready basis for learning mathematical ideas. Regular events such as climbing stairs, preparing meals, singing nursery rhymes, shopping, and travelling by bus or car, provide early opportunities for children to learn to count and use mathematical symbols. For example, some children aged two can answer 'How many fish fingers do you want?' with an appropriate response - 'Lots', 'None', 'Two'. Using words and other symbols to convey ideas of quantity is important to children's early mathematical experience. The gradual transition from the use of words such as 'lots', 'big', 'heavy' to more precise mathematical vocabulary in correct contexts 'we need 100 grams of flour' - is an important competence that young children begin to acquire in pre-school provision.
41. For the purposes of extending their mathematical experiences learning can be planned within five broad areas: shape; space and position; patterns and relationships; comparison (measures); and numeracy. The relationship between practical activity and the development of an appropriate language to support the understanding of mathematical ideas is central to this area of the curriculum.
42. All children need to learn a variety of mathematical concepts and processes if they are to understand and appreciate relationships and patterns in both shape and number; and to describe them clearly and precisely. An important element of young children's mathematical development is the exploration of everyday materials and equipment. Through using materials such as bricks, boxes and construction kits, children develop
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basic ideas of shape, space and position. When adults share and discuss these experiences using appropriate mathematical terminology, young children readily learn to refer confidently, for example, to edges, corners, surfaces and elevation.
43. In their play with toys such as cars, farm animals or pegboards, children often show a detailed awareness of order and pattern. They sort by colour, shape, size or other features, and often impose pattern and symmetry on their completed arrangements. By talking about the patterns the children make, the adults can help them to understand relationships such as longer and shorter, top and bottom, or right and left. The ability to seek and recognise patterns and relationships is important to mathematical competence.
44. As children refine their ideas of shape and size they inevitably learn to make comparisons, to appreciate simple measures and recognise the need for quantification. Common activities such as baking provide numerous opportunities for children to develop and use ideas of measurement. Similarly, sand and water play give children experiences of weight, length, capacity and area.
45. Many young children are very familiar with numbers and their symbols, often through learning nursery and number rhymes such as '1, 2, 3, 4, 5, once I caught a fish alive' or 'Five little speckled frogs'. They see numbers on buses, cars, doors, clocks and timers, in shops and supermarkets. They like to count stairs and steps. Adults help them to establish one to one correspondence by providing other opportunities for counting and matching such as setting the table or playing simple games such as dominoes and lotto.
46. The following is an example of effective mathematical activity with a group of under fives:
Six children were to make iced cakes for a birthday party. The children chose a recipe from the simple picture cards made by the teacher. They 'read' the ingredients and matched their requirements to the stock in the food cupboard. They decided they needed sugar and margarine but estimated, with adult help, that they had sufficient of everything else. They looked at the price labels and suggested how much money was needed. They took out the 'cooking money' purse and selected appropriate coins to use in the shop, 50p and £1, and expected to come back with some change. They were then taken to the corner shop to purchase the necessary goods. When the children returned, with the help of an adult, they followed the sequence illustrated on the recipe card, counted, weighed and mixed the ingredients and produced a cake mix. The group decided that it was important to make enough cakes for all who would attend the party and counted out the appropriate number of cake cases. They filled extra cases with the surplus mixture and ended up with more cakes than there were people. Later they were helped to ice the cakes, to count them out on to plates, in sixes, to cut in half the extra cakes and finally to lay the tables for the other children. These children used mathematics extensively throughout the activity; they counted, measured, shared, estimated. matched one to one, used real money, allocated space and worked collaboratively in solving mathematical problems at an appropriate level of difficulty. |
47. Thus a great deal of valuable experience and learning can be given to children before the age of five which establishes early confidence and competence in mathematics and provides a sound basis for progress.
Physical
48. The area of physical learning and experience for young children is concerned with developing manipulative and motor skills, physical control, coordination and mobility. It involves knowledge of how the body works and establishes positive attitudes towards a healthy and active way of life.
49. Young children usually show great interest in increasing their own physical skills and often exploit opportunities adventurously. Effective pre-school provision builds on these trends through indoor and outdoor activities that are safe while encouraging the children to respond confidently to physical challenges.
50. A successful programme for under fives provides opportunities for the development of:
- increasingly fine control through the use of large and small equipment; learning to use paint brushes, pens, pencils and other tools safely and with increasing precision, and modelling and construction materials with increasing dexterity and skill;
- control, coordination and mobility through opportunities to climb, run, jump, hop, skip, swing and balance; to manipulate large toys, building blocks, planks, steps, plastic crates and the like; and to respond physically to stimuli such as sounds, songs, music and stories;
- an understanding of how to keep healthy through, for example, eating sensibly,
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caring for teeth and hair and engaging in physical activity.
51. Much of the programme can be achieved through well planned indoor and outdoor play activities. These should offer children opportunities to design and make large and small structures, to explore and experiment with basic materials such as paint, clay, wood, sand and water and to increase their physical skills through large scale movement in space and upon appropriate apparatus.
52. The following example of well planned and resourced play promoted physical learning and experience for under fives in a nursery class:
In addition to the fixed climbing equipment. a wide variety of materials and equipment was provided in the outdoor play area. These included planks, steps, boxes, plastic crates, waste materials and dressing up clothes. The children decided to make a boat using the scramble net as rigging. They worked co-operatively deciding how to organise areas of the boat for sleeping, eating and working. They lifted wooden blocks and planks setting them out to form a space for each activity. Using waste materials they made telescopes and flags. Equipment was carried from the domestic play area to furnish the eating and sleeping areas. The children took turns to carry out various tasks, cooking the meals discussing what they would need to eat to be strong climbing the rigging to be the lookout and raising and lowering the flag. Subsequently they were taken to see some boats in the local harbour and recorded what they had seen using a variety of drawing, painting and modelling materials. They listened and responded in movement and dance to sea songs and music. |
53. Opportunities to develop physical skills and understanding are inherent in most of the activities of young children. Adults need to see that the provision offers a good range and balance of physical demands. They also need to guard against certain resources for physical education, such as large scale climbing frames and craft tools, becoming the exclusive domain of boys. On the other hand they may need to ensure that activities such as home play are not dominated by girls.
Science
54. Well before the age of five, most children show interest in a wide range of biological and physical phenomena. For example, they are easily engaged in play with sand and water. They mix colours and investigate the properties of materials. They quickly learn that some materials are hard and others are soft, some are flexible and others are rigid. They notice that heat changes things, that ice melts and that light comes from different sources such as wax candles and electric bulbs. They take delight in caring for living things and watching how animals and plants behave. They watch the action of automatic washing machines and microwave cooking. Many will see their parents and older brothers and sisters using pocket calculators and home computers, and possibly be encouraged to do so themselves.
55. In short, for young children, as for others, the world of science and technology is inescapable.
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Successful pre-school provision builds upon children's early scientific interests and experiences by introducing practical activities which enable them to use all their senses to observe carefully, notice patterns, predict outcomes and test their ideas. Throughout these activities opportunities for discussion, questioning and recording by drawing, painting and modelling are crucially important for helping young children towards early understanding of science and to begin to work scientifically.
In a nursery class a group of 4 year old children investigated aspects of flotation. They compared materials that floated with those that sank. From a collection of everyday materials they selected a house brick and put it into a large bath of water. They felt the vibration on the sides of the bath as the brick quickly sank and hit the bottom. They said that the brick sank because it was heavy. The nursery nurse gave them a hollow but equally heavy glass brick and asked whether it would float or sink. After feeling the weight of the glass brick, all the children predicted that it would sink and were very surprised to find that it floated. They decided that some heavy things would float. The children were then each given large balls of plasticine which they put into the water and watched sink. The nursery nurse made a boat shape from one of the balls of plasticine. The children were asked to guess whether it would float or sink. They were divided in their opinions but all of them were delighted when the 'boat' floated. They each made boats from plasticine and after playing with them for some time they rolled them into balls and sank them. |
56. Much of the learning and experience in science in these early stages stems from helping children to observe and describe everyday events, to notice the sequences in which things occur and the effects that take place when one or more element in a situation is changed. Much valuable learning of this kind can be developed through the resources commonly found in good pre-school provision such as the materials available to the children in the example above. An effective programme will include a balance of physical and biological science activities.
In a play group one of the helpers brought a collection of fruit from the local market which included a pineapple, a starfruit, a large plantain (banana), a coconut an apple and an orange. The children, some from Afro-Caribbean families, were asked if they knew the names of the fruits and were invited to handle them. They were intrigued by the shape of the starfruit. They compared the surfaces and the textures and described how they ate the fruit at home. They drew pictures of the fruit before cutting some and peeling others to see what was inside. They counted the segments of the orange and looked at the 'star' shape produced by cutting the starfruit in half. They tasted pieces of each fruit and decided which was their favourite flavour. Throughout these exchanges the children were encouraged to focus their attention on the characteristics of each of the fruits, to observe and carefully describe the similarities and differences that they noticed. When necessary they were given new words to help them and encouraged to refine their comments to make their descriptions more accurate, for example, in describing the shades of colour on the apple. |
Spiritual and moral
57. Most children have the support of caring families through which they are helped to develop self confidence and an understanding of right and wrong. Some, however, are less fortunate and will have undergone abnormally stressful, emotional and social experiences in their family lives that hinder their development.
58. Effective provision for the spiritual and moral areas of learning and experience is concerned with developing understanding about the significance and quality of human life and the formation of social and personal values. It secures an ethos in which under fives can reconcile social and emotional conflicts and build good interpersonal relationships.
59. By the age of three or four, most children will have taken part in celebrations and ceremonies such as birthdays and marriages. Some will have joined in religious celebrations such as Christmas, Divali, Eid-ul-Fitr or Hanukkah and be aware of the rituals or special foods associated with them. Some may come from homes where prayers and readings from religious literature are everyday
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events. Festivals often provide valuable opportunities for under fives to share celebrations with parents and other members of the community. Through these events children hear religious language, take part in role play and drama, and begin to gain some understanding of the importance of religion in people's lives.
60. Children's experiences in their immediate and extended families provide a basis from which the adults working with under fives can help them to explore ideas, for example of fairness, forgiveness, sharing, dependence and independence. Everyday educational activities, including the use of stories, rhymes and songs, enable children to work co-operatively and to take responsibility for their own actions.
61. Developing respect for others, for themselves, for other living things and for their surroundings are important basic elements in this area of the curriculum which good social relationships in pre-school provision can do much to establish.
62. Children's self esteem is profoundly influenced by the regard in which they are held by others and the way they are treated in day to day activities. A sense of personal worth can be encouraged through conversation or practical activities related for example to the use of the senses, or the expression of likes and dislikes which explore similarities and differences between the children themselves and others. Children are helped to understand how people and things change and influence their own and the lives of others. The way in which adults respond to the events in children's lives and help other children to benefit from them is illustrated in the following:
David, a 4 year old, had been eagerly awaiting the birth of his baby sister. He was very excited on the day she was born and was eager to tell the other children all about her. The baby's early days were discussed in detail and on the day after she was christened, David's mother brought Sarah in to meet the children. The baby was dressed in her christening robe, a family heirloom with exquisite embroidery. All the children sat very quietly as David and his mother told them about the Christening, about the robe which had been worn by babies in the family for nearly 150 years and about the Christening cake decorated with roses and ribbons. Sarah's visit was the starting point for much discussion of Christening and about babies in general. The children brought in photographs of themselves as babies and one brought in her own Christening robe. A local clergyman came to explain his role in the church service including a demonstration of the use of water to make the sign of the cross on the baby's head.
For several weeks afterwards the children's play focused on this event. Dolls and dressing-up clothes, including Christening robes, were used for role play and the water tray became a focal point for the bathing of dolls. The display of photographs and garments stimulated much interest and conversation.
The children began to learn something about an important religious event at an appropriate level. They experienced something of the joy and meaning of Christening and understood that it was a very special day for the family. They learned more about their place within their own family and something of the significance and continuity of family life. |
Technology
63. As with science, young children will meet technology in many forms before they enter pre-school provision. In their homes they are likely to have used the remote control to switch on the television or video; they may have seen microwave ovens, digital clocks and push-button telephones; and they may have played with calculators or used computers for games or even simple educational programs. Effective pre-school provision takes account of the children's interest in such equipment and develops it through the provision made for imaginative and investigative play including telephones, programmable toys and remote control cars. In some instances the children's experience of music is extended through the use of simple electronic keyboards. With careful guidance some children are able to use computers in their pre-school group. Some see their cakes baked in a microwave oven and help to set the controls. All of these experiences develop their physical dexterity and further their interest in, and understanding of, technology.
64. The closeness of science and many aspects of technology is only too obvious. However, the two essential elements of technology that ought to feature in the curriculum in the early years are designing and making activities. Wherever possible children should be encouraged to respond creatively to design problems and develop an interest in improving what they have made.
65. The aesthetic elements of designing need to be considered so that children are encouraged to make things which are not only functional but also artistically appealing and elegant within the scope of their capabilities.
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66. Young children's play often involves them in designing and making things, some of which like sandcastles are short lived while others may be more permanent structures such as houses made from blocks or cars made from boxes. Much designing at this stage involves trial and error. For example, young children often construct things crudely from basic materials such as two sticks taped together to make an aeroplane that owes far more to imagination than precision engineering.
67. Development in this area of the curriculum relies heavily upon a wide range of appropriate resources being available so that the children can select materials according to purpose and experiment with different ways of solving design problems. Much can be achieved through the use of low-cost scrap materials. However, these alone are usually too limited and should be supplemented by more sophisticated materials which offer children the opportunities to fix together wheels and axles, join structures with large and small scale nuts and bolts and use simple gear arrangements and tools, as the following example illustrates.
68. In addition to refining their skills in designing and making the crane the children learned how to negotiate with each other, to reason and to think logically. Such activities will offer rich opportunities for children to develop skills, knowledge and understanding across many areas of learning and experience. It is important for adults to ensure through their planning and resourcing of a programme of integrated work, and through their involvement in it that children learn from these experiences.
The children in a nursery class had been watching the demolition of a building across the road from their inner city school. In their play with the bricks they imitated this, building up the bricks and knocking them down. Through discussion with their teacher they gradually refined their play, building more complex structures, and eventually decided they ought to have a 'crane with a heavy ball' to knock down their building, The teacher gave them a large construction kit with wooden pieces of various lengths and plastic nuts and bolts. They first joined several long pieces together in a single strip and found that it would not stand up. After some discussion they realised it needed to have two sides and be fixed to a base. With some help they built a new structure and attached it to a base. They then fixed a simple pulley at the top and a reel and handle at the bottom. After some experimenting the children decided that a small solid rubber ball would demolish the wall best and were faced with the problem of fixing it to the string on the pulley. They tried tying the string round the ball and sticking it on to the ball, but without success. Seeing their difficulty the teacher offered them a small net bag, The children quickly realised they could put the ball in the bag, tie it up and fasten the string to the bag. The crane was completed and the children tested it out, adjusting the height of the ball until it hit the building at the right place to demolish it. The play became more complex, the children added wheels to the base so that the crane could be moved about the 'building site', and replaced the ball with a hook so that they could lift 'building materials'. |
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16
Adults working
with the under
fives and their
families
69. The extent to which adults working with the under fives and their families possess different areas of knowledge and understanding, skills and attitudes will vary according to the role of the worker and the training they have received. Given the differences in type, quality, level and aims of training courses, those working with under fives may be well-qualified in certain aspects but less familiar with others. The following set of summary statements outlines attributes which a group of adults working in an educational setting should possess in order to provide a high-quality educational experience:
Knowledge and understanding
- understanding of the way young children learn;
- understanding the range and importance of play in the education of the young child;
- understanding of the way children acquire language;
- understanding of what is necessary to ensure the provision of quality experiences;
- understanding of the varying roles of adults working with young children and the crucial nature of the role of parents as first educators;
- understanding of factors affecting ease of transition and continuity of experience and ability to employ strategies to avoid discontinuity;
- knowledge of the range of provision, services and contexts in which under fives may be educated;
- knowledge and understanding of the needs and characteristics of young children;
- knowledge of the earlier experiences of children, their home circumstances and any special educational needs;
- curriculum knowledge and understanding of appropriate experience for under fives and ability to relate this to National Curriculum requirements;
- knowledge of recent research and understanding of its implications in relation to the provision of quality experiences for young children.
Skills
- the development of particular skills, interest and expertise in a subject or curriculum area and awareness of appropriate strategies for work with young children;
- skill in planning and implementing the curriculum in order to ensure breadth, balance and continuity with the National Curriculum;
- organisational skills and strategies for effective learning;
- observational skills and effective recording, monitoring and assessment of the curriculum;
- interactive and communication skills - child/child, child/adult;
- management and leadership skills;
- skills in collaborative working, including working with parents and with other professionals;
- skill and ability to provide, or facilitate the provision of, equal opportunities for all under fives notwithstanding differences of race, gender and educational need.
Attitudes
- high expectations of children and self;
- genuine liking for, and sensitivity towards, children and readiness to value them as people in their own right;
- respect for, and appreciation of, the contribution of other adults - parents, colleagues and other professionals;
- a commitment to develop a partnership with parents - with a shared sense of purpose, mutual respect and a willingness to negotiate.
70. The complementary nature of the roles of those involved requires appropriately differentiated training which will not seek to impart the skiffs outlined above to all in the same measure. The fact that many teachers of the under fives will have undertaken a course of training lasting for four years and leading to honours graduate status should mean that they are able to take a lead in determining the quality, range and appropriateness of curriculum experiences for 3 to 8 year olds, particularly but not solely within the school setting. Other roles will require other skiffs, and workers at all levels have their own important parts to play.
[page 48]
References
1. Department of Education and Science:
A Survey of the Quality of Education for Four Year Olds in Primary Classes
Report by HM Inspectors, 1989
2. Margaret M Clark:
Children under Five: Educational Research and Evidence
Gordon & Breach, London, 1988
3. Examples include:
The Education of Children Under Five
HMI Aspects of Primary Education series.
HMSO, London, 1989
Curriculum Matters 2: The Curriculum from 5 to 16
HMSO, London, 1985
The Teaching and Learning of History and Geography
HMI Aspects of Primary Education series. HMSO, London, 1989
The Teaching and Learning of Mathematics
HMI Aspects of Primary Education series. HMSO, London, 1989
The Teaching and Learning of Science
HMI Aspects of Primary Education series. HMSO, London, 1989
4. House of Commons Education, Science and Arts Committee:
Educational Provision for the Under Fives
HMSO, London, 1989
5. Report of the Committee of Enquiry into Special Educational Needs (Warnock Committee)
HMSO, London, 1978
6. Section 1(2), Education Reform Act 1988
HMSO, London
7. Curriculum Matters 2: The Curriculum from 5 to 16
HMSO, London, 1985
8. The Education of Children Under Five
HMI Aspects of Primary Education series. HMSO, London, 1989
9. The Early Years Curriculum Group:
Early Childhood Education
Trentham Books, Stoke-on- Trent, 1989
10. G Pugh and E De'Ath:
Working Towards Partnership in the Early Years
National Children's Bureau, 1989
11. Audrey Curtis:
Curriculum for the Pre-School Child
NFER, 1986
[page 49]
12. National Curriculum Council:
A Framework for the Primary Curriculum
1989
13. PPA Guidelines:
Good Practice for Full Daycare Playgroups and Good Practice for Sessional Playgroups
Pre-School Playgroups Association, 1989
14. Department of Education and Science:
Combined Provision for the Under Fives: The Contribution of Education
Report by HM Inspectors, 1989
15. E Ferri et al:
Combined Nursery Centres
Macmillan, 1981
16. National Children's Bureau: Under Fives Unit:
Young Children in Group Day Care; Draft Guidelines of Good Practice 1990
17. House of Commons Education, Science and Arts Committee:
Achievement in Primary Schools
18. National Curriculum Task Group on Assessment and Testing: A Report
HMSO, London, 1988
19. Denise Hevey:
The Continuing Under Fives Muddle! - survey for the Voluntary Organisations Liaison Council for Under Fives
1986
20. House of Commons Education, Science and Arts Committee:
First Special Report - Educational Provision for the Under Fives
Observations by the government and Local Authority Associations
21. DES Circular 3/84:
Initial Teacher Training: Approval of Courses
DES, London, 1984
22. DES Circular 24/89:
Initial Teacher Training: Approval of Courses
DES, London, 1989
23. House of Commons Education, Science and Arts Committee:
Final Report - Educational Provision for the Under Fives
Vol II, Minutes of Evidence and Appendices
24. Bob Dunn MP to the House of Commons during a debate on the Education Reform Act:
House of Commons Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 22 March 1988, Column 281
25. The Effects of Early Education
A report from the Child Health and Education Study.
Osborn and Milbank, 1987
26. G Pugh:
Services for Under fives: Developing a coordinated Approach
National Children's Bureau, 1989
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