Viewpoint
More Sources of Information
Posted by
Kathy Brodie on October 21, 2012.
More sources of information
A large part of being a good practitioner – whether an EYP or Level 3 – is keeping up to date with information. If you are also studying for a qualification, such as a Foundation Degree or BA, it is essential to have reliable, good quality materials to hand.
With this in mind, I have gathered together a range of web-based sources of information that will support your own Continued Professional Development (CPD) and help on your course.
First up is the perennial Times Educational Supplement (TES), which can be found here.
This site has just completed its update to reflect the revised EYFS and has some really useful links for each area of Learning and Development. It also includes a professional and pedagogical Development button with great resources for preschool and Reception aged children.
Next is the amazing TED site, which can be found here.
Some fascinating, thought provoking talks by the very best in their area. Short of time – look for the ‘under 6 minute’ lectures. The full lectures are only around 15 minutes.
Search for “children” and you will find lectures on ideas as diverse as ‘how children teach themselves’, Alison Gopnik talking about babies, ‘5 dangerous things you should let your children do’, Steven Pinker discusses the thorny issue of nature vs nurture and, of course, Sir Ken Robinson on creativity, education and his unique view of life.
Caution: Do this on a day when you have plenty of time – the lectures are totally addictive and you may find several hours have gone by when you surface!
David Renfree has guest blogged for me on here before, but I would like to spotlight a really useful resource that David has developed, which he describes as “A search engine for finding reliable information on Early Years, Education and Social / family policy” .
By gathering a range of relevant sites, David has created a customised search engine, so you know that the results are going to be relevant to Early Years.
For example, put “scaffolding” into Google and then use David’s search on the right hand side of his site . See the difference?!
Just to change directions for a minute, if you are preparing to do some action research for your course, you may be interested in the national children’s bureau’s (ncb) Guidelines for Research with Children and Young People.
As well as the guidelines there are some very interesting models of involvement and further reading ideas.
Staying with interesting course material, check out the early childhood research and practice site where there are hundreds of peer reviewed journals. This is an American based organisation, but don’t let this put you off. It’s great for global perspectives and the tricky compare and contrast essays.
Whilst on the compare and contrast theme, the Open Early Years Education (Open EYE) campaign site here has some alternative viewpoints on the EYFS, amongst other things.
Finally, a bit of an unusual one for you. Try checking out BBC iplayer and search “child”. There have been a number of very interesting radio and TV programmes that offer views of childhood around the world and can be referenced in assignments.
Hopefully these will provide you with plenty of reading material.
If you have a favourite website, why don’t you let me know?
Children need to experience the sensation of touch. In this day and age most toys are plastic – smooth and uniform. How do you know what prickly means if you’ve never felt it? It is our responsibility as practitioners to give the children these experiences, in a safe, controlled environment. The treasure basket is full of sensations for the baby, from cold and heavy to wooden or shiny. Our role is to provide the experience and support the learning.