Building on what children know (free article) - Early Childhood Australia

‘Take the child on from where they are now’ has long been a slogan in early childhood, but I wonder, as educators, if we always do it? My four-year-old granddaughter, Mia, is extremely capable with modern technologies; she can use a mobile phone and digital camera and browse a DVD to select particular scenes in a movie. She is not ‘print literate’, but she is ‘techno-literate’. I’m not advocating techno-skills for babies, but I am conscious that this competence may not be valued as she goes into preschool. She may well be told ‘that’s ok at home, but we do things differently here’. My second granddaughter, Maddie, when aged five, entered Prep and, when I asked what she was learning ‘at big school’, she said: ‘We do an awful lot of counting’. My concern is not just that the Prep curriculum is narrow; it’s that the fundamental premise of recognising and building on children’s existing concepts, skills and understandings was not part of the pedagogical mindset at school entry. References

http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-17-1-2011/building-children-know-free-article/

Observation, Assessment and Planning - Early Years Matters The EYFS Profile summarises and describes children’s attainment at the end of the EYFS. It is based on on-going observation and assessment in the three prime and four specific areas of learning, and the three learning characteristics, set out below: The prime areas of learning: 5 ways to win over parents to the importance of play in international EYFS "I’m not sending my child to school for them play all day. They should be learning properly!" Have you ever overheard comments like this?

Out now: a free information book explaining the coronavirus to children, illustrated by Gruffalo illustrator Axel Scheffler - Nosy Crow Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. Published by Nosy Crow, and written by staff within the company, the book has had expert input: Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine acted as a consultant, and the company also had advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist. The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds: • What is the coronavirus? • How do you catch the coronavirus?

Primary Plus English course (6-11 years) During the Covid-19 pandemic many of our teaching centres are closed. Classes will continue online and our teachers look forward to bringing their passion and expertise into your home. Primary Plus, developed by our team of English experts, will spark your child’s imagination, so they can express themselves with confidence that goes beyond their English language skills. Our new approach means your child will have a more rewarding learning experience, getting the most out of learning English at home with a combination of: The Key to Effective Classroom Management It’s a daunting but all-too-common sight for many teachers: A classroom full of rowdy students who are unable to focus on the lesson. Classroom management techniques may get things back on track, but valuable time has already been lost. Many experienced teachers know that making meaningful connections with students is one of the most effective ways to prevent disruptions in the first place, and a new study set out to assess this approach.

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.

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. So celebrating on the day itself is going to be difficult, doubly so for Reception classes who are on summer holidays. Here are our picks for some top tales that touch on various aspects of friendship that kids will love. 1 | Bubble Trouble Let’s lose the ADHD label and find the child When I trained as a primary school teacher 15 years ago, these were some of the words used to describe children with ADHD: ‘Difficult.’ ‘Challenging.’ ‘Disruptive.’ There were others, whispered by harassed-looking teachers in the staffroom or concerned parents at the school gates, but none seemed to be positive.