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In a rush? Here's the quick run-down.
Did you know that the daily happenings in your child’s setting have to be informed by something called ‘Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning’?
This means that everything at the setting, including the environments that your children are active in throughout the day, has been thought about and developed with these Characteristics in mind. They are the three characteristics that drive our teaching and signpost to us that a child is learning:
But why are they so important? And how can they help you understand your child’s development better during lockdown and beyond?
In this article, we are going to unpick why the Characteristics are important enough to be statutory for Early Years settings, why they really matter, and how we can watch out for and develop them at home.
Before we dive in, remember that your home is not a nursery or school, and will offer its own unique opportunities.
When we think of ‘teaching and learning’ it is easy to think about being taught to read, write and understand mathematical strategies. But it’s easy to overlook that there are skills and knowledge that are vital to develop and practice alongside more academic skills in order for it all to become embedded, practised, and investigated. These are the ‘Characteristics’ and another way of looking at them is to call them the skills we need for life.
Whilst all this might sound a little complicated, it doesn’t have to be. There is a great deal that can be done at home to develop these skills, and it’s just a matter of looking differently at everyday things you’re already doing, and making some small changes here and there.
The Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning are divided into three sections. They’re all interconnected and overlap with one another, and hopefully you’ll already recognise a lot of these characteristics in your children. All children demonstrate each of them at some time – provided they’re given the opportunities to do so.
When children are playing there are a great deal of important skills being developed. And the best part is that there is no need for expensive equipment or toys for this to happen.
How many times have you watched your child open a present, put the gift to one side and continue playing with the box and the paper? We might be a bit disappointed that our choice of gift is being temporarily ignored, but there’s no doubt it’s a delightful experience for the child.
This delight is shown in the ‘engagement’ they demonstrate in what they are doing. When a child – or adult for that matter – is really engaged in what they are doing, then they are focused and not easily distracted. Think about when you are reading or doing something you really enjoy. You’re not happy to be interrupted because you are concentrating – this means you are engaged with what you are doing.
There are three strands under this characteristic. They are:
You may well realise that you are doing a lot of them anyway and you don’t need a very big space, garden or lots of resources to play and explore.
Instead, look at the things you do and say everyday when you are together, and thread some ‘wondering’ questions into that routine.
For example, you can ask, I wonder:
The list goes on and on and you will think of many more too. Then comes the challenge of finding an answer and what you then do with the knowledge you have both gained together. To do so, it’s time to add ‘how’ to the questions:
I wonder how:
And again we have an endless list. Neither of you will know what any of the answers are going to be but you’ll be exploring and investigating together – and that’s what matters.
What all that means is you’re both engaged in active learning, which brings us nicely onto the next subject.
If you are engaged in what you are doing then you’re motivated to do more – that’s what keeps the learning active. So in many ways this second characteristic is about moving the thinking forward.
Once again we have three strands that explain this characteristic. They are:
We can see here how the characteristics of being engaged and motivated develop into the vital skills of persistence and resilience. Understanding that it doesn’t matter if things go wrong the first time, because we can usually have another go, maybe using a different method, or a tool. This can be a difficult enough skill for adults at times, but a vital one that we can model to children as we go about our day.
For example, if you are toilet training your child then it’s fair to say it won’t always go smoothly. But it will work in the end so accept the situation and work with your child, encouraging them all the way. By doing so, you’re modelling to them how it’s a challenge, but also celebrating the little successes along the way.
Don’t dwell on the mishaps – they are all part of the journey. Your Key Person at your setting will help with this too and hopefully, even though we’re distant right now, you can still stay in touch and share strategies with one another. This type of motivation and persisting when things don’t go right the first time can easily be modelled through play too.
Reflect on things like building with blocks; what happens if it all falls down? It’s frustrating, but rather than getting fed up, show how we can try again. Work with your child on what you might do differently this time. Perhaps take pictures as you go along to see what worked and what didn’t.
If you’re out and about perhaps there could be a challenge to balance on a wall, or race to the corner with a sibling – remembering that it’s not all about winning.
Notice the third strand in this characteristic is about helping children to enjoy what they have achieved, and to feel proud of what they have accomplished. Whatever it is, it’s important to note this is not about extrinsic rewards like stickers or treats. It’s about knowing that trying something and having a go is worthwhile too, which is why it’s so important to enjoy every small success. It’s about accepting the challenge – persisting with it is the reward.
You could define ‘critical thinking’ as helping children have their own ideas — thinking of ideas, finding ways to solve problems, or new ways to do things.
Here are some behaviours that exhibit critical thinking skills:
‘Critical thinking’ sounds like such a grown up skill, but the skills can be encouraged from very early on. Take getting dressed in the morning for example. Deciding what to wear is about solving a problem involving various bits of information. For example:
Even if you’re in a hurry, it’s still possible to build some problem-solving. This can be quick and informal — helping your child choose between a limited set of clothes for the day, or what to eat for breakfast, and the plates or bowls they might need. But you shouldn’t have an answer in mind before you present this challenge — keep it meaningful and open-ended.
Ideas always come from somewhere. They are based on experiences that we’ve already had that enable us to bring some experience to a new situation. For example, it’s a lovely sunny day. What does your little one want to do? Perhaps you might go for a walk to the park, sit in the garden, get the paddling pool out or have a water fight?
As adults, we have these ideas because we have had the experiences. But in order for children to have these ideas too, they’ll need to experience them first. These experiences do not need to be expensive outings, or new toys and equipment. For example, looking out of the window could provide the potential for all sorts of ideas, no matter what the view may be. It’s all a matter of recognising the little details and opportunities that are all around you.
Using the window as an example, let’s think about what you might notice to talk about with your child. Any of these could be the basis for a conversation, a learning experience, or an outing:
The crucial part of any experience are the interactions you have while you are together, whatever you are doing. Remember the ‘wondering questions’ from the first article? These are all about forming ideas. Once the ideas are flowing, the learning starts.
It’s not about trying to rush them to writing their name or counting to a million.
This was recently said to me by someone when I was explaining the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning to them. Too often, being in a Nursery or School is seen as just being about learning to read, write and count, but there’s a lot more to teaching and learning than this.
Let’s think of our children as capable learners, because they all are. They are all mathematicians, readers, writers, scientists and artists in various ways. Of course, we want our children to be able to investigate, explore and embed the skills and knowledge they gain at their settings — so we want to give them the skills to connect what they’ve already learned.
Let’s look at how what we’ve covered so far can help us. These five things are key:
It’s all about realising the meaning of what you are doing, and noticing the potential of what your child is demonstrating. Let’s just look at our routines as we’re waking up and getting ready for the day, and how we might find some ‘hidden skills’ in everyday tasks.
Often enough, all we need to support these core learning skills is a bit of structure. Here are some activities and questions you can use throughout the day to help your child start thinking and learning.
Your home and the environment you live in, wherever you live, are a powerful source of opportunities to explore the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning with your child. You will both be teaching and learning together when you become aware of these opportunities.
Dr Sue Allingham has both an MA and a Doctorate in Early Childhood Education from the University of Sheffield. She is the author of Transitions in the Early Years and writes regularly for Early Years Educator – EYE – magazine where she is Consultant Editor. Sue is also an independent consultant and trainer with her company Early Years Out of the Box Consultancy.
Guidance from the Danish Health Ministry, translated in full to English.
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The full recommendations from a working group of over 70 nursery chains in the UK.
Please note: here at Famly we love sharing creative activities for you to try with the children at your setting, but you know them best. Take the time to consider adaptions you might need to make so these activities are accessible and developmentally appropriate for the children you work with. Just as you ordinarily would, conduct risk assessments for your children and your setting before undertaking new activities, and ensure you and your staff are following your own health and safety guidelines.
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