Early Years’ Matters
Autumn 2007
www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears
12
Editorial
In this issue …
In this issue I am delighted to have Adam Ingram, Minister for Children
and Early Years, say what we all know – The Early Years do Matter – as he
writes about the Scottish Government’s plans for the future. The last 10
years have seen a transformation in provision of pre-school education.
What will the next 10 years bring?
The Early Years do Matter
2
Remember, Remember 30 November
3
Curriculum for Excellence Update
4
We have the continuing update on Curriculum for Excellence
developments and I hope you will discuss the draft experiences with
colleagues as they are published. I am particularly pleased to be able to
bring you information about exciting practice in Langholm Nursery Class
and in Angus – there is extremely good work happening in Scotland now
and, being fortunate to attend international conferences such as
EECERA, I have learned that the world is looking with great interest at
developments here. Are we too modest about our good practice?
But we cannot sit back complacently – neither HMIE nor the Care
Commission will allow us to do that – and their proposals to publicise
quality, aligned to the new SSSC benchmark standard, bring challenges
we can meet.
Learning and Teaching Scotland is hosting new approaches to
collaboration through the Early Years Online Discussion Forum. There is
the ‘Handy’ campaign asking for your suggestions for appropriate
experiences to publicise the need for hand hygiene and the ESRC asking
for your thoughts on the way forward on Critical Issues for Pre-school
Education. Please contribute.
Langholm Nursery Children Learn about Hair
6
The Child at the Centre
10
Positive Behaviour Team
11
Investing in our Children’s Futures 12
Grading is Coming
13
Physical Education Conference
13
Moving Image Education
14
National Hand Hygiene Campaign
16
Critical Issues for Pre-school Education:
Towards a Research Agenda 16
European Early Childhood Education
Research Association
17
Supporting Young Children and Families:
New Directions for the Work of the
Bernard van Leer Foundation
18
Learning and Teaching Scotland Update
19
Saturday Seminar
20
Thank you to the children of Coatholm Nursery
School and Jigsaw Nursery Centre, North
Lanarkshire Council, for the paintings
Eileen Carmichael, Development Officer – Early Years
1
The Early Years
do Matter
While the long-term agenda is still taking shape, the
specific commitments that we have already made show
the level of commitment that this government has to early
years.
Teacher input
A 50% increase in pre-school education entitlement for
3- and 4-year-olds will mean we can enhance the
universal core of pre-school services and support
improved outcomes for all children. One of our first
announcements was the first step to 475 hours of
pre-school education from August this year.
Alongside increased pre-school provision, we are making
a big push to improve children’s learning experiences
in early years. We want to increase teacher input in
pre-school education, reduce class sizes in early primary
to 18 children and improve the qualifications and
professionalism of the early years workforce. We want to
place a particular focus on deprived areas, where
research suggests high quality services can make the
biggest impact.
Adam Ingram, Minister for Children and Early Years
The approach taken by this new Scottish government
echoes the title of this publication. Simply put, we believe
the early years of a child’s life are important in their own
right and have a crucial impact on outcomes in later life.
As a government and a society, the support we give to
early years and early intervention has the potential to
make an important contribution to the kind of country we
want Scotland to be: one which is smarter, wealthier and
fairer, healthier, safer and stronger, and greener.
Long-term early years strategy
Delivering on the early years is at the forefront of our
initial priorities for this government, which is why we have
already announced the development of a long-term early
years strategy to improve outcomes for all children,
focusing on pre-birth to the age of 8 years old, which will
be published in 2008. I believe this is an opportunity to
develop a truly groundbreaking new direction for the
early years in Scotland that can enhance our future as a
nation.
2
We have already announced new teaching posts in June:
300 fully qualified teachers who did not yet have full-time
posts for next term will be employed in pre-school
establishments and primaries and an extra 250 teachers
will also start training this year, entering schools from
August 2008. At the same time, work continues on
developing an SCQF Level 9 qualification for managers of
early years and childcare services. Work has also begun
on developing an integrated qualification and
professional development framework to help staff at all
levels to develop their careers. (See page 12)
Curriculum for Excellence will remain a key part of the
approach to improving children’s learning experiences,
and I know that early years and teaching staff welcome
the renewed focus on active learning. The early and first
levels will be the foundation on which to build the
opportunity for each individual child to be a successful
learner and a confident individual, able to be an effective
contributor to society and a responsible citizen.
And our ambitious plans don’t end there. We also want to
develop services for parents, support nurture groups and
develop an early years teaching degree. This is an
exciting time for early years.
Scandinavian model
While the new government has some big ideas for early
years, we are keen to learn from other countries and I
have a particular interest in Scandinavian models of
integrated education and care. Anyone who has been
there will have been struck by the seamless combination
of high quality education with a flexible, all-day, affordable
service that meets the needs of working parents. The
Scandinavian countries also work at a community level to
provide a supportive environment for children and families
that provides a positive experience of childhood. I believe
there is a lot we can learn about our attitudes and
approach to designing services for children and families.
Remember,
Remember 30
November!
Moving forward
I know that everyone working in the education and
childcare sector is committed to delivering high quality
services which develop the potential of our children. I
also know that many of you will be keen to get involved in
shaping the early years strategy and are impatient for
change on some aspects of this agenda. There is much
to do to put our plans into action and I look forward to
continuing engagement as we work together to improve
the chances of all our young people.
Adam Ingram, Minister for Children and
Early Years
Ministers have already been getting round the country,
visiting a number of pre-school, school and childcare
services and meeting local authorities, childcare
partnerships and other stakeholders. We are listening to
the priorities of frontline staff and those who plan
services, and will continue to do so as we move forward.
celebrations across the country promise to be
Our patron saint St Andrew holds a special
place in the hearts of those living in Scotland. St
Andrew’s Day is a time when everyone can join
together in an annual celebration of Scotland’s
diverse culture. This year St Andrew’s Day
bigger and better than ever – why not be part of
the celebration and plan activities for the
children in your early years setting? We want
everyone in Scotland to join together on 30
November for a national celebration of our
country’s heritage and be proud of Scotland’s
diversity and success. I know that lots of schools
already celebrate this day with a fantastic range
of exciting activities such as learning traditional
dancing at ceilidhs, tasting haggis, linking with
schools in other countries, singing Scottish
songs and creating stories and poems. Some
invite parents along to join in or go out into the
community to learn about their local traditions
and raise funds for local charities or twinned
schools in other countries. I would encourage
everyone from children in the early years to
university students to join in the celebrations.
For ideas on how to celebrate your own local
successes visit www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/
Education/Schools/CelebratingSuccess. Here
you can find out what other children and young
people are up to and visit great sites to help you
plan your celebrations. Let everyone know what
you’re planning: friends and family, the local
community and the local press. Please let us
know about your activities and send your
photographs or videos to our website, or tell us
what you are doing via email on
celebratingsuccess@scotland.gsi.gov.uk.
A self-portrait by Kirsty – aged 4
3
Curriculum for
Excellence – Early
Years Update
Kathleen Robertson, formerly Early Years
Professional Adviser
Work on Curriculum for Excellence continues to be a
major focus for the teams at the Scottish Government and
at LTS. While the writing teams at LTS focus on writing
draft experiences and outcomes, the engagement team,
area advisers, development officers from LTS and
professional advisers from the Scottish Government have
been engaging with educators around the country to
seek their views on the emerging work.
The main areas of the work which I wish to update you on
in this article are Building the Curriculum 2 and the draft
experiences and outcomes.
Building the Curriculum 2
The second document in the Building the Curriculum
series, Building the Curriculum 2 – Active Learning in the
Early Years, was published in March 2007. A hard copy
was sent to every early years centre and primary school
in the country. It can also be found on the LTS website
and can be customised to use as an evaluation tool to
review practice. The document focuses on what we mean
by active learning, including how we can use active
learning to support children to develop as confident
individuals, successful learners, responsible citizens and
effective contributors. Active learning is described as:
•
spontaneous play
•
planned, purposeful play
•
investigating and exploring
•
building on events and life experiences
•
focused learning and teaching.
Building the Curriculum 2 also poses reflective questions
to help practitioners consider what active learning might
look like in practice. These include such issues as:
•
progression in children’s development and learning
•
supporting continuity in learning and development in
moving to P1
•
progression through the curriculum
•
the role of staff in supporting learning
•
creating an environment for active learning resources
time
•
involving parents
•
professional development.
Local authorities, primary schools and pre-school settings
should become familiar with this document and use it as
a tool to develop their practice in line with the
expectations of Curriculum for Excellence.
Draft experiences and outcomes
Splash painting by Lucy – aged 3
4
While schools and centres across the country work on
developing methodology, the writing teams at LTS
continue to work on developing the draft experiences and
outcomes across the curriculum. These are subject to a
rigorous quality assurance process which includes input
from the four partner organisations – the Scottish
Government, HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE), LTS
and the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Most
importantly, representatives from early years centres,
schools, authorities, universities, colleges and other
stakeholders ensure the voices of the profession are an
integral part of the process.
As you are aware, the draft experiences and outcomes
are being described across eight curriculum areas
although they won’t of course be delivered as discrete
subjects. The curriculum will continue to be delivered in
an integrated way to support children’s learning and
development across the early level.
Sample draft outcomes for illustrative
purposes only
I have developed positive relationships and can
interact with and relate to others in different
ways.
Within my everyday experiences and play, I
make choices about where and how to work
and who to work with, and can share my
preferences.
I can collect objects and ask questions to
gather information, organising and displaying
my findings in different ways.
The draft experiences and outcomes are being released
for engagement with the profession over the next few
months. Science and numeracy are currently available
online. These are initially for your consideration and
reflection. Your feedback will be sought when more
curriculum areas are released. At this stage most
experiences and outcomes are still work in progress and
change regularly as part of the quality assurance
process.
Using my senses, I have experienced, described
and recorded the weather and changes in the
environment. Through discussion I can relate
these to the seasons and show how these affect
me.
With this in mind I will give you a flavour of what draft
experiences and outcomes might look across the early
level. Practitioners should use their own knowledge of
young children’s development and learning to plan for
progression. Experiences and outcomes are deliberately
broad to provide scope to reflect children’s needs and
interests at all stages. When the entire curriculum is
available you will see that many of the draft experiences
and outcomes will merge to provide the integrated
approach to learning which underpins good practice.
I have enjoyed exploring different ways that I
can move my body, discovering how to
manage and control it and finding out how to
use space and resources creatively.
These draft outcomes represent a tiny sample of the work
in progress. Many are likely to change and of course
further amendments may be required as a result of the
engagement process.
I use listening and talking as I take part in
conversations and discussions, asking questions
and sharing ideas or information.
I have freely and spontaneously created
images and forms based on what I experience
in the world around me.
During play and everyday experiences, I have
explored technologies around me in order to
discover the things they can do and the ways I
can use them.
The outcomes and experiences are a small, albeit
important, part of Curriculum for Excellence. We can all
be reflecting on and aiming to improve our practice to
take account of the purposes and principles,
concentrating on how we support children’s learning. In
this way we will be prepared to engage with the draft
outcomes and experiences as they emerge.
The Rainbow Cat by Hannah – aged 4
www.curriculumforexcellencescotland.gov.uk
5
Kate Nicolson of Langholm Primary School has documented
this project as the nursery children learn more about hair
‘Janie does this to me to
when she cuts my hair . . . ‘
First
We had a discussion to find
out what we knew about hair.
We talked about who cuts
our hair, what you can do to
hair, things you might find at
the hairdressers and what
you might do while you are
waiting.
We shared our experiences
of having our hair cut:
I go to . . . (Luke)
‘That’s to see if it needs cut’
Things at the
Hairdressers
Hairdryer, scissors, brushes,
sinks, seat, mirrors, curlers,
shower things, a couch and
lollipops were some of the
things we knew were in a
hairdresser’s shop.
We visited a salon to find out
more and saw Philip having
his hair cut with clippers.
At first he kept his eyes
shut tight. When he opened
them he said,
‘Mum won’t recognise me!’
6
We took some photographs
ourselves . . .
. . . and did drawings of what
we saw.
We looked at Mrs Bell’s
colourful hair. We saw red,
yellow, gold, brown and black.
How did she get those colours
in her hair?
We played at being
hairdressers in the nursery,
wetting, curling
Big hairdryers
There were lots of
suggestions and Philip thought
that the hairdresser sprayed
it on with different colours
of spray.
combing, drying –
great fun.
Someone getting her hair
washed
Millie’s mum with her scissors
Then we practised on a reallife model.
7
Our Hairdresser’s Shop
We decided to set up our
own nursery hairdresser’s
shop. We talked about what
we would need – towels, clips,
a diary to take appointments,
Some parents and P6 buddies
visited and chose new
hairstyles.
chairs, mirrors, magazines . . .
a book of hairstyles to choose
from and
Don’t forget the kettle for
tea and coffee,
an electrician on hand to fix
broken hairdryers.
The
hairdresser
writes how
much you have
to pay, so we
did too and
matched the
toy coins with
the real money
from our snack
tin.
8
Our Investigations
We used our senses to
investigate some hair
products – looking . . .
We thought one looked like
apple juice and smelt like
perfume. It felt soft and
runny.
Finn and Juliet guessed
shampoo.
After that we looked more
closely at ourselves –
our eyes, ears,
Then we discovered what
happens when we add cold
water to our hair products.
‘It’ll turn into water,’
predicted Sam.
nose, mouth and eyebrows
touching . . .
Charlie thought it would go
bubbly.
– and painted portraits of
ourselves using the right
colours for our eyes and hair.
smelling.
Finally we celebrated a
‘Hairy Red Nose Day’.
9
The Child at
the Centre
Kate Cherry, Her Majesty’s Assistant Chief Inspector of
Education, writes about this recently revised publication.
The new edition of The
Child at the Centre was
published on 5 June 2007.
HMIE has had very
positive responses to the
document from a wide
range of people and
sectors working with
children in the early years.
Appreciation has been
expressed for the
continuing high profile
being given to early
education and the positive
support the revised
document will give in
raising standards even further through self-evaluation.
The document ensures that the child really does remain
at the centre and even more focus is put on positive
outcomes for all our children. Getting it right from the start
is essential in contributing to long-term outcomes. High
quality pre-school provision gives children a positive start
in life and has a strong impact on children’s future
attainment and achievement. All early years workers play
a key role in providing high quality learning experiences
for young children. The revised Child at the Centre
reflects the changing context for early years education,
including curriculum changes in Curriculum for
Excellence, the increased focus on transition from preschool education to early primary, partnership working
with other professionals and agencies, and leadership at
all levels. It builds on existing good practice in early
education across Scotland and internationally.
Who should use The Child at the Centre?
The Child at the Centre can be used in all settings
providing early education and childcare. It will be useful
for staff working with younger children as well as with
those aged 3–5 years. The document has been
developed from the first edition to enable staff working in
both pre-school and early primary education to use the
indicators. The framework of this edition has close links to
the new How good is our school?. This will enhance the
self-evaluation links across pre-school and primary
school stages and support consistency and progression
in how children learn as well as what they learn. Teachers
in primary schools will find it helpful when evaluating
provision in the early primary stages. All who are in a
position of assuring quality in early education will find the
document helpful. HMIE will use the indicators when
inspecting pre-school centres and primary schools from
January 2008.
Why The Child at the Centre and How good is our
school?
The Child at the Centre quality indicators enable staff to
evaluate the quality of the experiences for children as
active learners engaged in purposeful play. Staff will find
the additional exemplification in the illustrations for each
indicator helpful in evaluating their provision. Their
learning has to be relevant, meaningful and challenging.
The revised editions of The Child at the Centre and How
good is our school? are based on a revised framework of
indicators which help you to work out where your early
education centre and school is in improving its quality
and aiming for excellence. Both documents offer
continuity with familiar ‘brand names’ and, importantly,
they support the range of sectors and audience to meet
the needs of children and young people aged 3–18.
HMIE support for the new version of The Child at
the Centre
HMIE’s early education team has been presenting
dissemination seminars and workshops during August
and September across Scotland with the very good
support of all education authorities, the Scottish Council
for Independent Schools and LTS. The mixed pre-school,
primary, and additional needs audiences have been
provided with a support pack containing presentations
and workshop materials which can be used with staff in
pre-school centres and schools. Additional posters and
indicator leaflets are available on request from
enquiries@hmie.gsi.gov.uk and The Child at the Centre
document can be downloaded from the HMIE website
www.hmie.gov.uk.
A last word on self-evaluation
Self-evaluation is not an end in itself. It should lead to
improvements in the educational experiences and
outcomes for children, and to the maintenance of the
highest quality where this already exists. The Child at the
Centre will support centres as they take their Journey to
Excellence.
www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears
10
Positive Behaviour
Team
The Scottish Government is committed to creating
positive and peaceful learning environments, and to
promoting positive behaviour. Its Positive Behaviour Team
is currently working in partnership with local authorities
and schools to support the introduction and embedding
of approaches which encourage and nurture positive
relationships in schools. Many of the whole school
approaches and curriculum programmes are relevant to
early years.
The Positive Behaviour Team of eight members, led by
Maggie Fallon, has a remit to disseminate and support
the development of approaches to promoting positive
behaviour throughout Scotland. It does this through
pilots, research, disseminating information, providing
training and training resources, and supporting ongoing
implementation.
Each team member has a local patch of three to four
education authorities. Through the team, nursery, primary
and secondary schools and education authorities can
access training and ongoing support to develop their
implementation of approaches to positive behaviour,
including use of approaches such as staged intervention,
restorative practices, The Motivated School, the Social
Emotional Learning Framework (SELF), solution-oriented
approaches, and the Being Cool in School programme.
Information about these can be found in the Initiatives
section of the Better Behaviour Scotland website. The
team’s aim is to ensure that there is awareness across
the education community of the commitment to
promoting positive behaviour, spanning both operational
and strategic levels.
Positive Behaviour Team Manager
Maggie Fallon: Maggie.fallon@east-ayrshire.gov.uk
Central (Stirling, Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, West
Lothian)
George Marcinkiewicz: George.Marcinkiewicz@
falkirk.gov.uk
Comhairle Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland Islands
Associate team members (please email Maggie Fallon
in the first instance)
East (Dundee, Angus, Fife, Perth and Kinross)
Derrick Bruce: derrickbruce@tiscali.co.uk
Lanarkshire (East Dunbartonshire, North
Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire)
Lorraine Hunter: lorrainehunter@gmail.com
North (Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Moray,
Highland)
Jim Kane: jim.kane@highland.gov.uk
South East (Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian,
Borders)
Terri Kelly (please email Maggie Fallon)
South West (South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, North
Ayrshire, Dumfries and Galloway)
Liz Harvey: liz.harvey@east-ayrshire.gov.uk
West (Argyll and Bute, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde)
Maureen Fairgrieve: maureenfairgrieve@hotmail.com
West Central (Glasgow, West Dunbartonshire,
Renfrewshire)
Alan McGinlay (please email Maggie Fallon) More information can be found at
www.betterbehaviourscotland.gov.uk
If you have any items you wish to showcase on the
website, please contact your local team member.
11
Investing in
our Children’s
Futures
Three key elements
The standard sets out three key elements which leaders
and others in the sector need to inform their professional
action:
•
professional values and personal commitments
•
professional skills and abilities
•
professional knowledge and understanding.
Timescale
Launch of the Benchmark Standard for
Childhood Practice
Creating a single, integrated qualification and
professional development framework for early years and
childcare workers was one of the key proposals resulting
from the National Review of the Early Years and Childcare
Workforce. In August 2006 Scottish Ministers asked the
Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) to take forward
this work.
Professional recognition
Frances Scott, the SSSC’s professional adviser, who
supported the project, commented: ‘The qualification and
professional development framework will support early
years and childcare workers to follow a skilled career path
within the sector, helping workers to be recognised as
professionals. This is good news for workers, children
and their parents as evidence shows that the best
experiences for children come from the best qualified
staff, including where the manager has a degree level
award.’
The SSSC was tasked with completing the development
of the integrated qualifications and professional
development framework by September 2007. This work is
complete and the framework – known as the Standard for
Childhood Practice – is being officially launched on 31
October 2007 in Edinburgh at an event to be attended by
Adam Ingram, Minister for Children and Early Years.
Defining a standard
The first step in the process undertaken by the SSSC was
to define a benchmark standard. The SSSC worked
closely with key stakeholders to determine the standard
and 72% of professionals asked by the Scottish
Government felt that level 9 on the Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework (SCQF) was the correct level for
managers in day care of children services.
Employers and course providers will continue to play an
important role in the process to ensure the new awards of
360 credits at SCQF level 9 provide opportunities for
managers, practitioners and workers.
12
The award is expected to be rolled out in autumn 2008 by
universities, colleges and training providers in Scotland.
Longer term, all early years and childcare managers will
be required to gain new awards of 360 credits at SCQF
level 9 for registration with the SSSC. This is expected to
come into place in 2011. You can keep in touch with
developments on the implementation of this requirement
and the different learning options available to managers
in early years and childcare through the SSSC’s website,
newsletter and eBulletin.
Frances is clear about the benefits of the new framework:
‘Importantly, this standard aims to help strengthen
leadership in the sector and improve career opportunities
and pathways for early years and childcare professionals
including those new to and already working within the
sector.’
About the Scottish Social Services Council
The SSSC is responsible for raising standards in the
Scottish social service workforce. It was established in
October 2001 under the Regulation of Care (Scotland)
Act 2001. It is responsible for registering people who
work in social services and regulating their education
and training. Part of its role is to promote careers and
enhance professionalism in the social service sector,
including the early education and childcare sector.
You can contact Frances Scott at the SSSC on 01382
207154 or frances.scott@sssc.uk.com. Updates will
be posted on the SSSC website www.sssc.uk.com.
Grading is Coming
As of next April the way the Care Commission inspects services is changing – by implementing
a fair and easy-to-use grading system for all care services, including daycare of children.
Quality Assessment Framework
The new system, known as the Quality Assessment
Framework, will make it easier for parents of children to
make informed decisions about a service based on
different aspects of the quality of care provided.
It is also designed to make the inspection process more
streamlined and beneficial for the provider by reducing
the amount of information requested every year and
encouraging online submission of information.
Every service will receive a grade from 1 to 6, with 6
being excellent, on four key quality themes:
•
Quality of Life/Experience
•
Quality of Environment/Information
•
Quality of Management and Leadership
•
Quality of Staffing.
This means that each service will have a range of four
grades for each inspection, for example 5, 3, 4 and 6. To
receive the top grade in all categories, services must
provide evidence that children and their parents have
been consulted on aspects of care to improve the service
provided.
Positive feedback
The first stage of the pilot project to test the new system
has already been completed and the second stage is
now under way. The pilot involves daycare of children
services from local authority, private and voluntary
sectors.
Ronnie Hill, Director of Children’s Services Regulation at
the Care Commission, said: ‘We consulted extensively on
this and the strong feedback has been for a clear and
unequivocal ‘grading’ of services. The pilot projects are
playing a vital role in continuing to inform the new system
and the feedback from providers who have taken part in
the project has been very positive.
Between now and April we will be running forums,
workshops and other events with service providers to
detail the new system and to help them achieve the
highest possible grades. Our Care Commission officers
are also happy to discuss the new system with providers
in advance of its implementation.’
Physical Education Conference
Learning and Teaching Scotland will host the National
Physical Education Conference 2007, Moving Physical
Education Forward, on Wednesday 19 December at
Stirling University and Management Centre.
The conference is free and consists of a keynote address,
national updates, workshops and an exhibition, providing
delegates with the opportunity for professional
development, sharing of best practice and exploring new
ideas.
Excellence; Mike Jess, Association for Physical Education
Scotland; Nick Morgan, Glow; and a representative from
Sportscotland regarding Active Schools.
Workshops
A number of workshops will be specifically focused on
physical education provision in the early years.
For details of the workshops and booking arrangements
please go to the LTS Physical Education website.
www.LTScotland.org.uk/physicaleducation/index.asp
Keynote presentation
Alan Mclean, Chartered Educational Psychologist with
Glasgow City Council, will present ‘Promoting Motivational
Resilience within Physical Education’.
National updates
Keep abreast of national developments by listening to the
updates from Dr Matthew Lowther, Scottish Government;
Donnie Macleod, HMIE; Morna Crombie, Curriculum for
The Swimming Worm by Shauneen – aged 4
13
Moving Image
Education
Mairi Flood
A number of mysterious
events have been happening
around Angus. A small girl in
a red cloak reported seeing a
wolf at Lethnot School and
three little pigs were seen
boarding a miniature railway
train. Meanwhile, news
reporters at Maisondieu
School were trying to unravel
the mystery behind some lost
puppets, involving a gang of
pirates and stolen treasure.
Nursery pupils at Lethnot and Stracathro and P1 and P2
pupils at Maisondieu School have been involved in a
moving image education (MIE) project. Over the past
year the schools have kindly agreed to work in
collaboration with Scottish Screen to trial some ideas for
a model of MIE for 3–7-year-olds which is currently being
developed.
Film detectives
Initially, the children became Film Detectives, watching
films, discussing them and analysing them using the
three Cs (character, colour, camera) and the three Ss
(story, setting, sound). At Maisondieu this learning was
then transferred through planning and creating miniature
settings that were photographed and edited into short
film montages with appropriate sound effects added.
During the spring term, pupils discussed their favourite
films and television programmes to agree on a topic to
plan and collaboratively create play experiences. 14
A mermaid’s bedroom
The P1 class designed puppets of their favourite TV
characters, drew backdrops and built a puppet theatre.
Other puppets were brought in from home and the
teacher developed the context using storyline principles,
resulting in a search for lost puppets that were eventually
located on a desert island. They made ‘Lost’ posters,
wrote postcards and invitations and created an island
play area in the classroom.
Lightning McQueen from Cars meets Sporticus
from Lazytown
After discussing and recording their views, the favourite
film in P2 was Pirates of the Caribbean. The children
researched, designed and made part of a life-size pirate
ship to play in. They created pirate names for themselves
and brought in toys, books, models, maps and drawings
they had made at home to have pride of place on their
pirate display. Letters arrived from the mysterious Captain
Red and treasure to hide from the infamous Captain
Whitebeard. Learning experiences were developed
around this theme and the children explored genre and
characters of their chosen film through developing their
questioning skills. One Monday, when the children arrived
to find there was a
broken window,
they provided very
imaginative
explanations, all
involving
Whitebeard and a
treacherous parrot.
After a request
from Captain Red,
the pupils even
press-ganged
some of the P1
puppets into a life
on the sea.
Reporting the news
In the P1/2 composite class the children decided to look
at the Deal or No Deal game show and the roles required
for the show. They created the props and acted out the
game in the correct sequence of events. This involved
problem solving – how to create and cover boxes,
investigating and writing large and small numbers, and
taking turns in the various roles within the game. Next,
they turned their attention to the news, watching and
talking about the roles in these programmes and splitting
themselves up into news reporting teams. Over the
summer term the children watched an information DVD
supplied by STV; then the individual news teams created
title pages for their team, paying attention to the pictures
chosen to convey their identity. We then worked on open
and closed questions to develop reporting skills.
In the final term the pupils combined all the knowledge
and skills they had gained to create short films. P1 used
live action and animation to tell the story of the missing
puppets, while P2 used the same film techniques to
create a pirate tale of stolen treasure. The P1/2 class
researched and created Maisondieu School News.
During filming all the classes had many opportunities to
act out roles and operate the camera, discussing shot
types and why we might use them. They became adept
at putting up the tripod and placing the camera on it. At
the editing stage they learnt to play selected clips, how to
drag them onto the editing timeline in the correct order
and to narrate the story.
Enthusiasm and purpose
There are 66 learning outcomes in A Curriculum
Framework for Children 3 to 5 and we covered at least 58
during this learning journey. A similar number of
outcomes were met from the 5–14 guidelines and all four
capacities of Curriculum for Excellence were addressed.
Handing over ownership of the experience to children
injected enthusiasm and purpose to their learning and it
was a meaningful experience for them because it:
Making the films
Meanwhile, the children at Stracathro and Lethnot
nurseries had decided to make films of The Three Little
Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. These projects centred
on the children’s interests and ideas, hence the piggies
left home by train. Next, the children created group
storyboards containing detailed drawings, collages and
photographs. They discussed characters and drew
costume ideas, researched photographs of wolves, and
investigated different fabric to decide exactly how the
main characters should look. Fabric and dressmaking
patterns were duly bought and the children enjoyed
looking at the pictures, letters and numbers on these.
Locations were decided on and the children composed,
typed and signed letters of request and they listened to
the replies we received.
•
linked with their prior experiences and interests
•
was delivered holistically with all skills, knowledge
and attitudes interwoven as in real life
•
developed their understanding of the media, enabling
them to use it as a tool to communicate with others.
In conclusion, the staff involved noted that the children
had demonstrated a high degree of motivation and pride
in their work; they had worked collaboratively as teams,
making sure that everyone was involved. Children who
had previously been reluctant contributors became
involved and found their voices, and some who had
previously not been keen to write became keen and
wrote more than before. Finally, handing over ownership
of this holistic learning journey to the children injected
enthusiasm and a purpose into their learning.
On Monday 25 and Tuesday 26 June 2007 the children
celebrated their experience by showing their films to their
families and invited guests; over 250 people attended this
event. It was a wonderful evening and all our guests
applauded the children’s achievements.
15
National Hand Hygiene
Campaign
The Scottish
Government's National
Hand Hygiene
Campaign was
launched in January
2007 with the aim of
raising awareness of
the important role
hand washing plays in
preventing the spread of germs and reducing avoidable
illness.
As part of the campaign, a children's pack has been
Critical Issues for
Pre-school Education:
Towards a Research
Agenda
A series of seminars sponsored by the
Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC), the Scottish Government and
Learning and Teaching Scotland (October
2007–08)
Convenors: Christine Stephen, Lynn Ang,
Liz Brooker
l
some posters and stickers of Handy
Since the mid-1990s pre-school educational
provision has expanded rapidly and ‘going to
nursery’ is now a taken-for-granted part of children’s
educational careers. This seminar series is a
timely opportunity for policy makers, providers,
practitioners and researchers from across the UK to
take stock of what we know about young learners
and look at what we still need to explore to make
a difference to children’s educational experiences
before they begin primary school.
l
a range of Handy activity materials, including reward
Early Years Online will publish a report on each of
charts and stickers
the four seminars and the research that emerges,
and you will be able to contribute to the debate by
commenting, in the discussion forum, on the issues
raised during the seminars.
produced, containing a range of hand washing related
materials designed to help young children learn about
hand hygiene.
The pack, which was developed with the help of Learning
and Teaching Scotland, contains:
l
a short DVD featuring a cartoon character called
Handy
l
suggestions for follow-up experiences.
All of the materials are free to be copied for use by
educational establishments.
Hard copies of the pack have been distributed to local
authority and partner nurseries and publicly funded
primary schools across Scotland. If you need additional
copies, they can be downloaded (in both English and
Gaelic) from the campaign website:
www.washyourhandsofthem.com/campaign/
campaign_childrenspack.html
A new forum about the National Hand Hygiene Campaign
has been set up on the Early Years discussion forum.
Please use the forum to post questions and any ideas
you may have for using the resources and encouraging
children to make hand washing part of their everyday
routine. www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears/
eydiscussionforum.asp
Myself by Gemma – aged 4
16
European Early Childhood
Education Research
Association (EECERA)
2007 Conference, Prague
From 29 August to 1 September, over 750 delegates from
52 countries attended the 17th EECERA Annual
Conference in Prague.
The theme of this year’s conference – Exploring
Vygotsky’s Ideas: Crossing Borders – was addressed by
five keynote speakers and 140 symposium presentations.
The conference had six main strands running through its
programme:
The facilitative role of adults and peers in child
development
introduction to literate practice is replaced by a focus on
‘narrative competence’.
The fourth keynote session explored ‘Vygotsky on Human
Nature and Human Development’. James V Wertsch from
Washington University in St Louis, USA, spoke about the
difficulties encountered in translating Vygotsky’s ideas
into a fundamentally individualistic cultural setting.
In the final keynote address, ‘Vygotsky and Early
Childhood Education in Italy’, Susanna Mantovani from
the University of Milan explored Vygotsky’s ideas about
play, imagination and creativity and how these influenced
and interacted with the ideas and experiences emerging
at this time in Italy, including those of Reggio Emilia.
Details of the conference are available on
www.easyprague.cz/eecera2007.
East meets West
The conference provided a unique forum for contrasting
and comparing Eastern European and Western
approaches, enabling researchers and delegates to
explore issues whilst celebrating diversity.
Language as a tool of interaction and cognitive
development
Art, culture and development
Assessment, testing and its applications
The Scottish contribution
Inclusive education: embracing diversity
Policy and practice
Scotland was represented by around 20 delegates,
including Eileen Carmichael (LTS Development Officer –
Early Years), co-author with Juliet Hancock (Stirling
Council) of the chapter on early education in Scotland in
the recently published Early Childhood Education and
Care: Policy and Practice, which formed part of the basis
for a symposium on ‘Policy of Early Education in Different
Countries’ led by Margaret Clark, Newman College of
Higher Education, and Thomas Moser, Vestfold University
College, Norway.
Keynote addresses
Keynote speakers were invited from Russia, USA, the
Netherlands and Italy to address the international
audience.
Elena Kravtsova from the Russian State University for the
Humanities delivered the first address, ‘Vygotsky and his
Non-classical Psychology’; her intention was to
demonstrate that the future of modern psychology lay in
the constructive approach in non-classical psychology.
Keynote 2, led by Elena Bodrova of Mid-continent
Research for Education and Learning, USA, focused on
the Vygotskian approach (response) to the challenges
facing East and West in providing high quality early
childhood education in a climate of pressure to introduce
academic skills at a progressively younger age, to the
detriment of traditional early childhood experiences and
activities.
The third keynote speech was delivered by Bert van Oers
of the Free University, Amsterdam. His theme was
‘Helping Young Children to Become Literate: The
Relevance of Narrative Competence for Developmental
Education’. He explained the Dutch Vygotskian-based
approach known as ‘developmental education’, where
the traditional focus in schools on reading as an
Crossing Borders
Ideas were explored and explained; existing beliefs were
sometimes challenged and at other times confirmed.
EECERA provided a wonderful opportunity to appreciate
what is happening across the world and confirm that,
worldwide, Jock Tamson’s Bairns grapple with similar
trends and challenges.
Our challenge is to remain open enough in our ideas to
cross borders in our thinking and learn from each other.
EECERA Prague created for all participants their own
‘zone of proximal development’.
EECERA 2008
Next year’s conference will be held in Stavanger,
Norway, on 3–6 September, when the theme will be
‘Reconsidering the Basics in Early Childhood
Education’.
17
Supporting Young
Children and Families:
New Directions for the
Work of the Bernard
van Leer Foundation
Marion Flett
One of the underlying themes of all these projects
illustrates the Foundation’s commitment to ‘enhance
opportunities for children 0–8 years growing up in
circumstances of social and economic disadvantage
with the objective of developing their innate potential to
the greatest extent possible’.
Worldwide involvement
The Bernard van Leer Foundation has supported
innovative projects and programmes in early
childhood care and education over a period of
some 40 years and in many countries throughout
the world.
Projects in Scotland
In Scotland, that has included four major projects:
l The Voice of the Parents in the Western Isles,
supporting playgroups for pre-school children at a
time when no nursery provision existed
l The Under-Fives Centre at Craigroyston Community
High School in Edinburgh, where parents involved in
the work of the Centre were able to access childcare
when participating in adult education activities in the
school and the community
l The Partnership Project in Priesthill in Glasgow,
which sought to involve parents in a more
meaningful way in their children’s early education
and then to disseminate good practice more widely
across the West of Scotland
Octopus by Shauneen – aged 4
18
l Young Families Now in Aberdeen, which developed
a community-based approach to the provision of
learning opportunities for both mothers and children
and again to disseminate the results of the work
more widely through a broad-based training initiative
in the Grampian area.
Within a framework of direct grants to field-based
organisations, the Foundation supports a wide range of
programmes including, for example, home-based peer
group support programmes for young mothers in the
Caribbean (Roving Caregivers Programme); funding
community-based organisations in Kenya to provide
quality community-based early childhood development
programmes for some 50,000 children aged 0–8 through
the Kenya Community Development Foundation; the Zakir
Husain Centre for Educational Studies in India, providing
education in mother tongue and other tongue to facilitate
tribal children’s transition to school; and the development
of playgroups and mothers’ centres for families with
young children in Eastern Europe where the State
apparatus of childcare provision has been dismantled.
European networking
The second important strand of the work is to act as a
knowledge-sharing organisation linking research, policy
and practice in the field of early childhood. In Scotland, for
example, the Scottish projects were supported to join
together in establishing the Scottish Early Years and Family
Network, which is now incorporated into the University of
Strathclyde as the Childhood and Families: Research and
Development Centre (CAF). In Stirling it supports a
documentation project to enrich children’s learning,
building on the principles of children’s participation. CAF is
a member of the European DECET Network (Diversity in
Early Childhood Education and Training), which seeks to
promote social inclusion and respect for diversity in early
childhood provision through the training of professionals,
policy development and research initiatives. It also
supports publications such as Children in Europe and a
new series being produced in co-operation with the Open
University called Early Childhood in Focus. The theme of
the first issue in 2007 is Attachment Relationships: Quality
of Care for Young Children.
This kind of work illustrates the Foundation’s change of
emphasis in its approach to adopt a more Child Rights
oriented perspective in its work in the light of the UN
The Foundation’s main objective continues to be that of
developing and supporting programmes which create
significant positive change for children up to the age of 8
who are growing up in circumstances of social and
economic disadvantage. It continues to support
initiatives in both the industrialised world and in
‘developing’ countries, recognising that there is much to
learn from the exchange of ideas across different
countries and regions.
Further information on the work of the Foundation and its
publications can be found at www.bernardvanleer.org
Learning and Teaching
Scotland update
Learning and Teaching Scotland is delighted to welcome
Jean Carwood-Edwards, formerly Head of Early
Education and Childcare at James Watt College,
Greenock, and Anne Leckie, Headteacher of Woodhead
Primary School, South Lanarkshire Council, to the Early
Years team.
It’s a Sunny Day by Rebecca – aged 3
Convention on the Rights of the Child and the
publication of General Comment 7: Implementing Child
Rights in Early Childhood in 2005. In order to maximise
the impact of the work supported by the Foundation, the
Board of Trustees made a decision in 2006 that the
number of countries in which it worked would be
reduced although it would still cover a number of
different regions of the world, including Europe, Africa,
Asia, the Americas and the Caribbean.
A further reorientation in the work is that it is now
thematically based in three significant areas:
l Successful Transitions from Home to School is
about ensuring that young children enjoy a rich
learning environment from birth, both at home and
in other provision up to and including the early years
of primary education.
l Strengthening the Care Environment focuses on
supporting the conditions which allow parents and
other caregivers to promote the all-round health and
wellbeing of young children, including their social,
emotional, physical and cognitive development.
l Social Inclusion and Respect for Diversity
addresses the issues of structural discrimination
which overtly or covertly discriminate against
children’s and families’ rights to access services and
explores how the values of inclusion and respect
can become a reality in young children’s lives both
in service provision and in the wider community.
We have been visiting some of the excellent practice
to be found in Scotland and this newsletter contains
only a few of our findings. We are delighted that many
people are now contacting us to tell us about their
practice and hope more will do so.
You can contact us at:
Jean Carwood-Edwards:
j.carwoodedwards@LTScotland.
org.uk
Anne Leckie:
a.leckie@LTScotland.org.uk
Eileen Carmichael
e.carmichael@LTScotland.org.
uk
Early Years Online has been
shortlisted for an E-Learning
Award in the category of
‘Excellence in the production of
learning content’ by E-Learning
Awards, the magazine for the
learning organisation e.learning
age (www.elearningage.co.uk/
goawards.htm). Eileen
Carmichael, Development Officer,
and Rebecca Pitman, Content Editor, gave a
presentation in London in October and the results will
be announced on 8 November. The competition is
strong and we are delighted to have reached this
stage.
19
Saturday Seminar
Involvement, Interaction and
Co-construction of Meaning
in Conversation with Ferre Laevers and Scottish
practitioners
The fifth in the series of Learning and Teaching Scotland’s Early Years Saturday Seminars will be held on 1 December
2007, in the Trades House, 85 Glassford Street, Glasgow.
The Saturday Seminars, usually held in May and November each year, are designed to encourage debate and
discussion on key topics within the early years community, through presentations, debate and conversations with the
audience.
Attendance will count towards continuing professional development entitlement.
Delegates attending the December event will get the opportunity to engage with Professor Ferre Laevers of the Centre
for Experiential Education, University of Leuven, who is widely known for his work on children’s emotional wellbeing and
involvement. He has recently been working with practitioners in Scotland and this seminar aims to explore involvement
per se and Scottish approaches in particular.
Booking a place
The fifth in this series of seminars follows on from the very well received previous seminars, which had delegates from a
wide range of backgrounds. To book a place at the December seminar, complete the booking form at www.LTScotland.
org.uk/earlyyears or contact Customer Services, tel: 08700 100 297; email: enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk.
A report on the December seminar will be added to Early Years Online.
We look forward to seeing you in December!
The Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe
The Consortium of Institutions for Development and Research in Education in Europe (CIDREE) will publish its
2007 yearbook on 15 November during the CIDREE General Assembly in Aarau, Switzerland. These
yearbooks always deal with one specific topic and are produced by several CIDREE members working
together. This year the subject is Education of the 4–8-year-old and the yearbook will have contributions from
Austria, Belgium, England, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland. Further
information is available from www.cidree.org.
www.LTScotland.org.uk/earlyyears
20
Learning and Teaching Scotland, The Optima, 58 Robertson Street, Glasgow G2 8DU
T: Customer Services 08700 100 297 E: enquiries@LTScotland.org.uk
www.LTScotland.org.uk