Module 3 Reflection: Early Years Transcript

Situation: there are a group of children around the table, some are boys, some are girls. They are mark making.

Ava: Look what I made

Leo: Mine is better than yours

Early Years Officer (EYO): Ooh look at that Ava, I can see lots of shapes on your page. Leo, yours is looking lovely too. Isla, how are you getting on? What a lovely bow you have in your hair today.

Isla: I‘m drawing my daddy!

EYO: I can see that. It is very neat and you are holding the pencil very well. Where is your daddy’s hair? Your daddy’s got really curly hair. Ooh Abdul, look at that! You have put so much effort in, what will that be when you are finished?

Abdul: I don’t know.

EYO: Perhaps you could have a wee think.

EYO: But you were sitting so nicely before and trying really hard. Let’s try again

EYO: Abdul, please don’t do that to Isla, she is trying to draw her daddy’s hair.

(Abdul carries on nudging Isla, Isla is showing signs of irritation)

EYO: Abdul, you’re going to need to stop disturbing Isla as she is behaving very nicely and trying to get on with her drawing. I am going to need you to show kind hands and calm down.

(Leo starts to copy Abdul’s behaviour)

EYO: Leo, is there something else you would rather be doing? Your drawing has lots of clear shapes on it, can you tell me the names of any of the shapes?

Ava: They’re just being stupid boys

EYO: Ava, they are not as interested as you are and are getting a little distracted. Everyone has different things they like to do and it’s not just boys who might act like this.

Leo: This one is a square, this one is lots of circles aaaaaaand… (trails off)

EYO: You have done a fantastic job of naming those shapes Leo.

Referring back to what you read in the introduction, can you spot any patterns in the way that the EYO is providing feedback by gender?