One theory all teachers with disruptive children should know about Imagine a classroom where children are unable to wait their turn or stay focused on their work. They are easily distracted, cannot remember basic instructions or hold enough information in their head to solve problems – skills teachers rely on in order to teach successfully. These behavioural issues are all examples of problems that can arise from attachment issues – based on the relationship between children and their main caregiver. Attachment theory is now one of the world’s most well-researched theories about human development. Research has shown that secure attachments create mental processes that enable a child to regulate emotions and attune to others. In turn, these processes support the foundation of “executive functioning skills”. Trauma takes its toll Insecure attachments develop if early interactions between a child and their parent or caregiver are more negative, more inconsistent or more insensitive. Making teachers aware
Don't Expect Toddlers To Behave Consistently — They Literally Can't One day, when my oldest daughter was not quite 2, she wouldn’t sit still to let me change her diaper. Squirrelly and writhing, she made a game out of staying half naked. She wasn’t fussing about it or anything — in fact, she was giggling maniacally. The problem was that we were running late. It was just once, and it was barely even hard enough to register. Once I gathered my wits, it dawned on me that I was punishing my daughter simply for being a goofy, growing, learning, experimenting almost-2-year-old. As soon as I accepted the fact that we were going to be late anyway, I pulled out my parenting toolbox and made getting her diaper and pants on into a silly game. It’s easy to forget that our little ones really are little, especially those first children who seem so big as they enter each new phase. It often seems like they know how to control themselves, though, right? But toddlers and preschoolers really are so little. I know parenting little ones is hard.
Early Childhood Education 5th Edition: Hodder Education Suitable for a wide range of Early Years and Childcare qualifications, this new edition of Tina Bruce's classic text will help build students' practical skills by drawing on the history of Early Years and the most recent educational theories. Now in its 5th edition, this trusted resource written by experienced and respected childcare author Tina Bruce has been updated to include the most recent theories and research, including new studies on language acquisition, attachment theory and self-regulation. Early Childhood Education 5th Edition is the perfect textbook for a wide range of Early Years and Childcare qualifications including BA Hons in Early Years Education and Early Childhood Studies, PGCEs and Foundation Degrees.
21 Of The Best Early Years Books For International Friendship Day We know that skills like empathy aren’t fully developed until later in a child’s life, which is why there are so many stories on friendship and how to treat people aimed at Early Years. International Friendship Day, then, is a great opportunity to share some of these amazing books with your children. It does, however, fall on Sunday 30 July. Here are our picks for some top tales that touch on various aspects of friendship that kids will love. 1 | Bubble Trouble Tom Percival (Bloomsbury, paperback, £6.99) Reuben and Felix are best friends, whose favourite thing in the world to do is to blow bubbles. Review: Bubble Trouble. 2 | Little Puppy Lost Holly Webb (Little Tiger Press, paperback, £6.99) Holly Webb’s debut picture book for a younger audience, tells the tale of a puppy who manages to become separated from his young human when he’s taken to the park for the first time, before being befriended by a lonely but streetwise cat, discovers his inner courage, and eventually finds his way home. 15.
Key Person & Attachment - Early Years Matters The Key Person Children thrive from a base of loving and secure relationships. This is normally provided by a child’s parents but it can also be provided by a key person. A key person is a named member of staff with responsibilities for a small group of children who helps those children in the group feel safe and cared for. The role is an important one and an approach set out in the EYFS which is working successfully in settings and in Reception classes. Records of development and care are created and shared by the key person, parents and the child. Why Attachment Matters What is attachment and why is it important for young children?
Whole Child Development Is Undervalued The question is how to make such an approach both systemic and sustainable. Whole Person Socio-emotional, physical, creative, and cognitive capacities are deeply intertwined and equally important in ensuring a child's wellbeing, learning, and growth. (That shouldn't be a surprise to anyone studying or supporting children's learning.) Nobel laureate James Heckman, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, has shown that the non-cognitive skills emerging in early childhood are among the strongest predictors of adult outcomes. The development of these qualities, which rely on an individual's self-worth and self-control, critically outperform any other positive measures of children's long-term outcomes, whether academically or intellectually. The most impactful way of supporting such skills is associated with helping children feel in control of their learning process. Whole Communities Whole Societies
This ‘Kindness Curriculum’ Is Free And Should Be Used In Every Classroom Imagine living in a world that valued kindness enough to teach it along with academics. Educators would teach kids to manage their emotions in addition to standard curriculum such as math and science. Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it? Well, the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has created a free “kindness curriculum” for kids, designed to do just that. It’s a mindfulness-based curriculum for preschoolers that will bring kindness into the classroom. “Faced with mental and physical health challenges at a global scale, we conduct rigorous scientific research to bring new insights and tools aimed at improving the wellbeing of people of all backgrounds and ages,” states the Center’s mission statement. So how exactly does that work? Using “Peace Wands” The children in this program use peace wands to help with conflict resolution. The child with the heart wand describes what they’re feeling “in their heart.” Creating ‘Kindness Gardens’ “Belly Buddies” “Mind Jar”
How Are Happiness and Learning Connected? As teachers, we also know that when students' affective filters or defenses are sky high, fight or flight responses will be modus operandi. A room full of defensive behaviors (withdrawn, angry) is a sad, unproductive place to teach and learn. Now let's flip it and take a look at how much more we are able to learn when we are in harmony with the people and things in any given educational environment. Hearts and Minds in Sync What does research show to be the opposite of the brain's fight or flight response? Co-founder of the NeuroLeadership Institute Dr. "Engagement is a state of being willing to do difficult things, to take risks, to think deeply about issues and develop new solutions. ...Interest, happiness, joy, and desire are approach emotions. Unfortunately, the hyper focus on standardized testing has gravitated many public schools so very far away from whole-child teaching and learning. Let's go back to Dr. In the Classroom Of course this is great news from the research of Dr.
Schema and Fairies - Kathy Brodie Early Years Training Schemas are one of those things that divide practitioners, like fairies at the bottom of the garden. You either believe in them and are in absolute awe at how amazing they are, or you just don’t believe they exist. It’s really interesting when you discuss this with people and it’s extra exciting when a ‘non-believer’ suddenly says “That describes my key child exactly!!” But first of all, let’s explore what a schema is. Athey (2007) defines schema as ‘patterns of behaviour and thinking in children that exist underneath the surface feature of various contents, contexts and specific experience’ (page 5). For example, for a child with a transporting schema, carrying (transporting) objects is the most important or engaging part of their play. Typically, a ‘transporter’ will pack everything into bags, prams or buckets and carry them around the setting. There are many different identified schema. So far, so good. But why hasn’t everybody else spotted these and made the connections?
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