National Curriculum In The Early Years

The child-centred principles of early years education - which emphasize play and holistic learning - are being challenged by the implementation of a subject-based National Curriculum. The contributors to this book explore this challenge and offer some ways of meeting it practically and productively. Issues covered include: pedagogical issues, such as the cross-curricular, topic-based teaching; teacher's attitudes to subject knowledge; assessment issues, including baseline assessment at the age of five; and parental attitudes to the National Curriculum and its content at Key Stage 1.

What does the National Curriculum mean to pupils and teachers at Key Stage One? How have teachers and children coped with the ongoing changes? How has subject teaching altered in infant classrooms? In A National Curriculum for the Early Years, Angela Anning and her team of contributors set out to examine these issues. Infant teachers and their pupils were the guinea pigs for the introduction of the National Curriculum over a five year period. Despite many reservations about a subject-based curriculum for young children, teachers struggled to interpret the National Curriculum Orders into a workable, if not manageable, curriculum in their classrooms. The contributors to this book, each experts in a subject discipline, have kept in close touch with practising and intending infant teachers as the National Curriculum was operationalized in primary schools. They have used their teacher networks, as well as research evidence, to tap into the strategies used by infant teachers to cope with the planning, delivery and assessment of the National Curriculum subjects and the effects of government policy changes on young children's learning. Together the contributors provide a timely analysis of subject discipline based education for young children and look ahead to the prospects for those subjects at Key Stage One in the second half of the 1990s. This book will be essential reading for anyone involved in the education of young children.

This practical and accessible book explores ways of developing continuity and coherence in children's learning from three to seven years old. It is based around three case studies in which tutors on Initial Teacher Training courses worked with early years practitioners in three different pre-school settings, each linked to a primary school. The book describes how they successfully managed to plan and teach integrated themes across the age-range in the context of the requirements of the Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum. Each case study has a different focus: * science, design and technology *' the arts' - including an ICT strand * 'the humanities' - including a physical education strand English and mathematics dimensions run through each theme.The book is alive with discussion of children's art, language, drama and music, captured as field notes, writing, drawing, and as video tape. Each chapter concludes with suggestions of ways in which readers can develop the ideas in their own contexts. This book will be invaluable reading for students on Early Years courses, Early Years practitioners, and tutors and mentors in early childhood education.

′[T]his second edition book is a welcome contribution to the early years literature base, providing much needed information and a somewhat innovative response concerning how effectively to translate the Early Years Foundation Stage into practice′ - Early Years `This second edition of Learning in the Early Years has been fully updated to bring it in line with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage...The presentation and style...is very readable and accessible and as such the book provides an excellent resource for students and experienced early years practitioners alike′ - Early Years Update Praise for the First Edition: `It was a joy to read this book... This book provides a wealth of ideas for reflection, as well as guidance to promote knowledge and skills essential in early years teaching.′ Dario Pellegrini, Educational Psychologist `I found it hard to put it down. I particularly liked the way it followed through into Key Stage 1′ - Who Minds `An important contribution to difficult work′ - Elizabeth Quintero, The Steinhardt School of Education, New York University This fully updated Second Edition of ′Learning in the Early Years 3-7′ has been written to support early years practitioners understand and implement the new curriculum guidance document ′The Early Years Foundation Stage′ (DfES, 2007). In this book, Jeni Riley clearly explains how to meet the requirements of the EYFS document and how this relates to the National Curriculum and the Primary National Strategy: Framework for teaching for literacy and mathematics. Offering informative and inspirational guidance on planning learning and teaching opportunities across the curriculum, this book will help you to promote social, intellectual, aesthetic, spiritual and physical development in your setting. Topics covered include: - appropriate and lively ways of working with young children - developing subject knowledge - supporting children for whom English is an additional language - the role of adults when interacting with children to support learning - the place of information and communications technology - the transition between the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The book also draws on recent research on child development, on how babies think and on effective learning and teaching for children aged 3-7. All early years students and practitioners will want to have this book to hand to guide them through the new guidance and to support them daily to implement successful practice. Jeni Riley, Reader in Literacy in Primary Education, Institute of Education, University of London.

This work, designed to be used as a basic textbook for student teachers taking B.Ed and PGCE initial training courses: provides an accessible but rigorous treatment of early childhood education, integrating ideas and practice; acts as a springboard for students' further study; arose out of the concerns and needs expressed by students themselves; and has been written from a well-known centre for early childhood studies. Practitioner examples are included throughout, together with selected readings.

This volume identifies and explores high quality work (and what shapes it) in early years education. It shows us children and adults variously working and playing, talking and communicating, learning and laughing, caring and sharing in a rich tapestry of case studies which highlight quality experiences and interactions. Every chapter is based around a particular case study, each one tackling a different issue: the curriculum, play, assessment, roles and relationships, special needs, partnerships with parents and equal opportunities. All the writers work together in early years education on a day-to-day basis enabling them to pool their different expertise to create a balanced but challenging approach. They give inspiring examples of, and outline underlying principles for, quality work and ask important questions of all those involved in the education and care of young children.