Category: Pedagogy 2

1. Who is disadvantaged with this approach and how?
2. Who is advantaged and how?
3. What am I challenged by?
4. What am I curious about?

 

1. The enquiry bases disadvantages children that are shyer, particularly children that have special needs. It isn’t scaffolded enough to teach the skills that are necessary, and in some ways already expects a lot of the children. However, it could be argued that children develop at their own pace, and that with support enquiry-based learning can be great for children of this nature.

 

2. I think confident and inquisitive learners are advantaged by this. As they carry out this type of learning they grow their independence. They develop many different skills through this.

 

3/4. I am challenged and curious by thinking how this works in practice. I am trying to think of what types of activities would be implemented.

• What values are present within Early Years Education?​

One value that I believe everything is based around is making everything child-centred. During this age children develop enormously; and making things child-centred enables this development. Play in the classroom is fundamentally, and is valued very high in Early Years Education. I think that creating a valuable play experience for children is very valued. Creating meaning in their play that enables them to create their own discoveries.

• What practices are promoted to enact or realise these values?​

There is a pedagogical cycle that best represents the way that these values are enacted. There is no first stage of this cycle but one stage is observation. Teachers need to ‘listen with their eyes and their ears’. They need to ask themselves what these behaviours, actions and emotions mean about a child’s development. Documenting these is important. The cycle can then move onto the responsive and intentional planning. Taking these observations and deciding what parts of their learning are working well, and need to stay. Also deciding which parts need to change. The final part of the cycle, and arguably the most important is the facilitation. Notice that the word is not teaching, as we in keep with the values. Children need a variety of spaces (including outdoor). Experiences should also be flexible and sensitive; reconginziing that every child is different.