What is your enquiry catalyst?
How can we support Early Years educators support children’s literacy and numeracy through a more creative approach to teaching and learning?
To develop effective and sustainable models of ‘buddying’ and collaboration in Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), this covers the period from birth to the end of reception year. The project builds on the Communication Language and Literacy (CLL) Development work and Well Being and Involvement training already delivered in Gravesham and introduces the work of Forest School, Reggio Emilia, and collaboration with Future Creative partners.
Eight Future Creative partners have been working in collaboration with the 32 settings within Dartford and Gravesham over a period of a year. During this programme, Future Creative partners are supporting the Early Years practitioners to lead sessions at the Forest School, but to do so through responding to the surroundings and input of the children and parents rather than sticking to a lesson plan. This method encourages and supports both facilitators and participants to think creatively, to take risks, imagine new possibilities and engage with and involve others productively.
Outcomes and Sustainability
Throughout the programme, the Early Years practitioners have grown in confidence, learnt new skills and discovered an ability to be creative and trust in their imaginations. Working in collaboration with Future Creative partners, the Early Years practitioners have observed the value of using the outdoors as an extended classroom and have slowly moved towards a culture of assessing risk to enable rather than disable. As the programme has progressed we have observed a shift in the Early Years Practitioners’ understanding of planning and assessment. They have moved away from pre-planning and begun instead to use their spontaneous observations of the children to inform the way that work develops. Phase two, of this project began in September 2009. In this phase of continuation, Future Creative partners are supporting the Early Years Practitioners to embed the learning from the Forest School within their settings making the learning sustainable.