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Posted by
Kathy Brodie on September 2, 2014.
One of the great joys of holiday time is catching up on the shows that you just don’t seem to have time to listen to or watch during the working week.
Thus it was that I managed to finally listen to the series on BBC Radio 4 called The Educators. In it, Sarah Montague interviews ‘the people whose ideas are challenging the future of education’, and where better to start than with Sir Ken Robinson. I’ve written before about Sir Ken’s video made at the TED lectures and how his humour and observations help make the point.
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Posted byKathy Brodie on July 15, 2014.
Stuart found he had a natural ability to work with children from a young age. He has worked his way up the career ladder, to be Deputy Manager at Rochford Day Nursery in Rochford, Essex.
His positive attitude and helpful solutions shine through in this interview, epitomised by his thoughts about young children needing to be ‘Happy, Healthy and Safe’.
Here he talks about his research into gender specific toys, being short listed for the Nursery World Practitioner of the Year and gives some good advice for all practitioners who may be considering a career in Early Years Childcare.
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You can Follow Stuart on Twitter: @Starburst_stuie
and you can find his setting at http://www.therochforddaynursery.co.uk
If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes too – it helps to promote the podcast and get it to reach a wider audience.
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Posted byKathy Brodie on June 18, 2014.
I’m thoroughly enjoying the new series from Critical Publishing books. The latest one, Developing as a Reflective Early Years Professional, deals with the highly elusive and complicated concepts of reflective practice and reflection.
Chapter 1 is by Carol Hayes and is all about reflective practice. There are some great examples of a range a reflective models and how these link to early years. One of Carol’s thoughts struck me particularly – the use of the word practitioner suggest ‘doing’. We all know settings (whether Nursery, childminder, nanny or teacher) are all about doing, but maybe there should be times when we consider ourselves thinkers, reflectors or researchers.
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Posted byKathy Brodie on May 26, 2014.
I had the great pleasure of returning to Birmingham recently. This was to so do some training with a group of enthusiastic and knowledgeable practitioners on Observations for Assessments.
One of the techniques that I had chosen to focus on was Learning Stories. Margaret Carr was promoting Learning Stories as a method for assessment over 10 years ago, so it’s not a new idea. However, it is an opportune time to return to them as the discussion about how to assess children looks to return (BBC Website).
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Posted byKathy Brodie on May 11, 2014.
This week I have been reading all about the different aspects of the Characteristics of Effective Early Learning, in a book of the same title. This is an excellent book, edited by the very knowledgeable and enthusiastic Helen Moylett.
The book has 8 very different chapters, based around the Characteristics of Effective Learning as described in Development Matters (the underpinning knowledge of child development for the EYFS in England). There is a chapter on each of the 3 characteristics: playing and exploring; active learning and creating and thinking critically.
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Posted byKathy Brodie on April 23, 2014.
I have written a couple of posts already about the excellent Linda Pound books – How Children Learn Book 1 and Book 2. I am frequently asked if there are any more, so I’m very pleased to say that there are also 2 further books in this excellent series:
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Posted byKathy Brodie on April 21, 2014.
The new EYPS Standards have been unveiled.
The 39 have been reduced to 8, with subclauses. They can be found here
On the whole, they reflect the previous Standards, but without the confusing overlap and repetition. There is a logical progression (almost Bronfenbrenner-like) through the Standards, culminating in the all important leadership aspect. Most satisfyingly they are NOT just a rehash of the QTS standards!
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Posted byKathy Brodie on April 11, 2014.
Conor Bathgate is the Deputy Manager at Lisson Green Community Nursery, in Westminster, London. In this interview he talks about being a young man in Early Years (he is only 21 and already a Deputy Manager); his research on cohort tracking and how to identify the areas of good practice; and how overcoming difficulties at work in a professional way has increased his self-confidence.
Conor has an extremely positive attitude to both his own job role and the Early Years sector in general. This is summed up in his own words “My job makes me so happy”. This is a real feel-good interview – enjoy!
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You can find more information about London Early Years Foundation (LEYF) at: http://www.leyf.org.uk and Conor’s Nursery at: http://www.leyf.org.uk/find-a-nursery/westminster/lisson-green-community-nursery/welcome
Follow LEYF on Twitter: @leyfonline
And do follow Conor on Twitter: @ConorBathgate
If you enjoy the podcast, please leave a review on iTunes too – it helps to promote the podcast and get it to reach a wider audience.
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Posted byKathy Brodie on March 18, 2014.
Twitter and your CPD
As time goes on I’m finding more and more that I’m turning to Twitter for my CPD for the latest news, reviews, reports and information.
Twitter has 6 distinct advantages over traditional ‘Googling’ or checking websites obsessively:
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Kathy Brodie on September 10, 2014.
Conor Bathgate is the Deputy Manager at Lisson Green Community Nursery, in Westminster, London. In this interview he talks about being a young man in Early Years (he is only 21 and already a Deputy Manager); his research on cohort tracking and how to identify the areas of good practice; and how overcoming difficulties at work in a professional way has increased his self-confidence.