Learning, Playing and Interacting - Good practice in the Early Years ...

4 The National Strategies | Early Years
Learning, Playing and Interacting – Good practice in the Early Years Foundation Stage
Thinking about pedagogy
Being an effective adult in helping children to learn involves being both skilful and thoughtful. Many
Early Years practitioners shy away from using the word ‘teaching’ to describe their work with children,
perhaps because of the perception that teaching implies a particular ‘top-down’ or formal way of
working with children. In fact, teaching is much broader and more subtle than that, and covers the many
different ways in which adults help children to learn. The more we are aware of our practices – what we
do, why we do it, its impact on children and their learning – and the more we reflect, learn and develop
our practice, the more effective we will be. This is developing our pedagogy.
Pedagogy is the understanding of how children learn and develop, and the practices through
which we can enhance that process. It is rooted in values and beliefs about what we want for
children, and supported by knowledge, theory and experience.
From Stewart, N. and Pugh, R. (2007) Early Years Vision in Focus, Part 2: Exploring Pedagogy, ©Shropshire County Council. Used with kind permission.
Pedagogy covers many things that practitioners believe and know, and all the interactions they have
with children, families and caregivers. The themes and commitments of the EYFS provide guidance
across broad elements of pedagogy, including child development, working in partnership with parents,
the importance of relationships, understanding the areas of learning, play, and establishing secure
emotional and challenging physical environments.
Find out more
The EYFS materials, including the Principles into Practice cards, CD-ROM, and Practice guidance for
the Early Years Foundation Stage, contain further guidance across these areas which are essential to
effective pedagogy.
Go to www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/nationalstrategies and search for ‘Early Years’.
This publication focuses on one part of the larger picture – the adult’s role in supporting, stimulating and
extending learning through supporting and initiating experiences, and interacting skilfully with children
in play and planned activities.
Playful approaches and successful outcomes
For babies and very young children, few would question the central role of play and exploration within
close, respectful relationships to support early development. At these youngest stages throughout all
activities – from changing nappies to walking to the shops – practitioners should also focus on their
crucial role in interacting sensitively and skilfully to support and enhance learning.
Practitioners with children of nursery and reception age sometimes feel uncertain about providing an
appropriate combination of child-initiated and adult-led activities, and balancing open-ended play and
exploration and direct teaching in adult-led activities. The EYFS and the Early Learning Goals (ELGs),
however, provide sufficient flexibility for practitioners to follow children’s interests, respond to their
ideas for developing play activities, and provide structured activities (which can also be playful) to teach
specific knowledge and skills.
00775-2009BKT-EN © Crown copyright 2009