Play_and_Exploration

Early Years Support Service EYFS Framework Guide Ways of Learning: Playing and exploring Introduction The new EYFS framework is based on the findings of the Tickell review of the EYFS, published in spring 2011. This placed a great deal of emphasis on the importance of practitioners recognising and understanding the ways in which young children learn in order to support them as effective learners. These characteristics of learning are an integral part of the three prime and four specific areas of learning, and describe the attitudes, skills, and approaches to learning which can be nurtured in the early years. The characteristics of effective learning are: ●● Playing and exploring – children investigate and experience things, and ‘have a go’. ●● Active learning – children keep on trying if they encounter difficulties, and enjoy their achievements. ●● Creating and thinking critically – children have and develop their own ideas, make links between ideas, and develop strategies for doing things. These three learning characteristics describe learning processes rather than outcomes. This means that how a child exhibits these characteristics should be observed as part of the formative assessment process. This will help practitioners to understand the child better, and be more equipped to support his or her development as a learner. Helping children to become effective lifelong learners The structure and content of the EYFS framework is based on evidence from developmental psychology (Whitebread, 2012) which highlights the central role of self-regulation in the early years as one of the key determinants of academic success later in life. The concept of self-regulation includes: ●● attitudes and dispositions for learning – the motivation, or ‘will’ ●● the ability to be aware of one’s own thinking – cognitive strategies, or ‘skill’. According to theories of intrinsic motivation, ‘will’ arises naturally within a child, and is demonstrated by a natural, inherent drive to seek out challenges and new possibilities. In support of this, the work of Carol Dweck and colleagues from Stanford University highlights the greater success of individuals whose motivation arises from a desire for mastery, rather than a desire for external reward. This is supported by Albert Bandura’s self-efficacy theory which highlights the value of individuals being able to: ●● view challenging problems as tasks to be mastered ●● develop a deeper interest in the activities they are involved in ●● have a strong sense of commitment to their interests and activities ●● recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments. According to Bandura, our beliefs and attitudes supporting self-efficacy form in early childhood, highlighting the importance of fostering these characteristics in young children. Playing and exploring This characteristic of learning focuses on a children’s engagement – with the resources they use, the environment they are in, and the people around them. It emphasises the importance of children having opportunities to actively construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world through the many different experiences they have. Ways of Learning: Playing and exploring © Optimus Education