Unicef Report on Childhood

December 13, 2008

I read with no surprise the results from the Unicef report, and the resultant reporting in the Times yesterday (11th December 2008). When all the hype and comment has been cleaned away the nugget of truth left is that a child from a disadvantaged background does not benefit from poor quality day care. Hardly earth [...]

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How Children Learn. Book 2 by Linda Pound

December 13, 2008

As the title suggests this is the follow on book from How Children Learn by Linda Pound and is laid out in the same style, with key dates in the side margins and good, clear headings. The references are many and varied, and, more importantly, easy to find! The major difference with this book is the [...]

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Are you a Sparkly Thinker?

December 5, 2008

At a recent conference about children’s thinking the presenter, the acclaimed author Marion Dowling, made a comment about why it is so important that we should understand children’s thinking processes and how we can then use this in our work. As she stated – “we can’t compel children to engage”. I’m sure every practitioner can [...]

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Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development by Marion Dowling

November 25, 2008

This is the second edition of a book first published in 2000. What a lot has happened since then, with the Laming report, Every Child Matters and the EYFS. Despite this I think Marion Dowling has written an incredibly relevant book with the bonus of being in an easy to read format. In this book she deals in [...]

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Teachernet – a great source of free Early Years material

November 14, 2008

Did you know you can get a lot of the Government’s publications free, online, from teacher net free publications. These can either be downloaded or posted out to you (no postage either!) with the only caveat being that quantity is restricted. Why would you want more than one copy of Letters and Sounds or the [...]

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What is the purpose of an EYP network?

November 2, 2008

As more and more practitioners achieve Early Years Professional (EYP) Status it will be essential for newly registered EYPs to continue to expand professional expertise. The EYP network can be an excellent way to achieve this. In Cheshire there is a thriving and growing network, led by Alex Sefton and Kim Kellock, where EYPs have [...]

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How Children Learn Book 1 by Linda Pound and Kathy Hughes

October 19, 2008

This is an amazing reference book – clear, concise and very enjoyable to read. I actually took my copy as holiday reading and thoroughly enjoyed it! It is a book about educational theorists who have shaped the way we view children’s learning over the years, compiled in chronological order. The reader can appreciate how one [...]

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Nobody, Nowhere by Donna Williams

October 17, 2008

This book will almost ceratinly make you think about autism in a totally new way. Donna Williams had a very difficult childhood which she has documented with extreme frankness. It is written in separated paragraphs which I initially found broke the flow of the writing, but as I got used to it, and read the [...]

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The Jumbled Jigsaw by Donna Williams

October 16, 2008

This is the second book I have read by Donna Williams and I am just as impressed, though for different reasons. The first book I read was Nobody, Nowhere and is her autobiography (see earlier article) whereas this one is a text book which covers the very many and varied aspects of autism and its [...]

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Letters and Sounds

October 12, 2008

Are you able to fit ‘Letters and Sounds’ into your daily routine? The Rose review of early reading was completed in 2006 by Sir Jim Rose and one of the recommendations was for high quality phonics work. ‘Letters and sounds’ is part of the government’s response to this. Essentially it is a series of activities [...]

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