| How can we improve the quantity and quality of our interactions with young children? |
|
|
|
|
Research taster
You can explore young children’s thinking and develop their understanding by including an investigative element in the activities you do with them. In this example, the teacher used an opportunity presented by the children: GIRL 1: “We found a coconut, teacher.” TEACHER: “Well done! Oh it’s an acorn, if we planted it what do you think it would grow?” GIRL 2: “A flower.” TEACHER: “If it came from that tree what would it grow?” ANOTHER CHILD: “Don’t know!” TEACHER: “OK, let’s get a pot, some stones and soil and plant it to see”. (Goes off with five children.) “Which way up do you think? I think on its side it will have the most chance. What do you think it will grow into?” OTHER CHILD: “A tree.” TEACHER: “Mmmmm, I wonder what kind?” 
Your evidence
To find out how often you seize opportunities to develop children’s understanding, you might like to devise a simple observation sheet to record the different kinds of contacts you make with individual or groups of children during a section of the school day. You could ask a colleague to record (perhaps using a tally system), the nature of your interactions with the children in your class, for example whether the interaction was instructional, managerial or social and which pupils you made contact with. Your colleague might also record whether you or a pupil initiated the interaction, and how often you took the opportunity to probe the children’s understanding by asking questions or found a cognitive match of task, etc. You might like to discuss with your colleague the patterns, quantity and quality of the contacts you made with the children. How do you interpret what you have found? Moving forward Having explored the general pattern of conversation you should have a better sense of where opportunities to include an investigative element might lie. You could explore with your colleague how investigative activities could feature more often in your future plans. 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/ |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
