| How can we develop young children’s knowledge and understanding effectively? |
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Research taster
You can help young children to progress by engaging in sustained shared thinking with them  . Sustained, shared thinking happens when an adult works with a child or two children to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, or extend a narrative etc. This seems to mean contributing to the thinking in a way that develops the children’s understanding, as in this example:A boy was watching various items floating on water: “Look at the fir cone. There’s bubbles of air coming out.” TEACHER modelling curiosity and the desire to go further: “It’s spinning round”. BOY: “That’s ‘cos it’s got air in it.” TEACHER, picking up fir cone and showing the children how the scales go round the fir cone in a spiral, then turning the fir cone round with a winding action: “When the air comes out in bubbles it makes the fir cone spin around.” GIRL, using a plastic tube to blow into the water: “Look, bubbles.” TEACHER: “What are you putting into the water to make bubbles?…What’s coming out of the tube?” GIRL: “Air”.
Your evidence
Whilst playing and talking to a young child you could, at an appropriate opportunity, reflect on how far current classroom practice involves sustained shared thinking. You could try to identify topics coming up in which one or two children are particularly interested and tape record a conversation with them. Alternatively, you could note down the things which the child says and any questions the child asks. Later on, you could reflect what the child’s conversation with you shows about his/her present understanding and identify the range of opportunities for sustained shared thinking that it wasn’t possible to develop at the time. Moving forward Having identified some opportunities for sustained shared thinking in current practices, you might like to think about additional experiences which you could offer the child to extend his/her thinking. You could then hold another conversation with the child, record the child’s responses, and reflect on what the child has learned since your previous conversation both about the topic you are sharing and about holding such conversations. Find out more  You can find out more about effective early years practices on the TLRP Effective Pre-School and Primary Education (EPPE) project website at: http://www.tlrp.org/proj/phase111/AssocEPPE.htmThe GTC’s Research of the Month summary ‘Researching effective pedagogy in the early years’, available at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics/rom_curriculum/pedagogy/ The GTC’s Research of the Month summary ‘What makes the difference in the early years of children’s schooling?’ Available at: http://www.gtce.org.uk/research/romtopics/rom_curriculum/childrens_schooling/ The Research Informed Practice Site on the DfES Standards website at: http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/research/themes/early_years/ |
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