Foundation Learning resources

Celebrating the curriculum

This is a new resource that unpacks the main elements of the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings.

A series of conversations with practitioners who share their experiences of introducing the curriculum. This resource comes in six parts and is perfect for discussions in team meetings or for you to follow in your own time.

To receive a copy of the Resource, click here.

To watch the video clips, click on the specific video below:

To receive a copy of the resource, click below.

Introduction

Examples

Templates

Interpreting the assessment arrangements

This resource will support you to understand how, why, where and when to observe and assess children’s progress and how to follow the process of notice, analyse and respond to children’s interests.

To receive a copy of this pack, please order here.

Here is a new resource from Mudiad Meithrin and Powys local authority on ‘Cynefin’. This resource will support you in interpreting the meaning of ‘The place where we feel we belong’ and what this might look like to young children. We have included songs, experiences, books and some Welsh vocabulary.

To receive a copy of this pack, click on the poster above.

Making Maths Purposeful and Meaningful

This is the first part of a new resource that explores mathematical concepts and discusses how to introduce these concepts to young children. The second part of the resource will explore these concepts in greater depth and will share good practice from Mudiad Meithrin settings. Click on the poster for more information.

Click on the posters to download.

An introduction to pedagogical approaches

You may have heard the term ‘pedagogy’ on numerous occasions. It is referred to many times in the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings.

The term pedagogy is defined in the curriculum as:

‘the method or practice of teaching’

When we talk about pedagogy in the early years, we mean ‘how’ we teach, or all the things that enabling adults do to foster children’s learning and development.  This includes:

• The enabling adult – warm, trusting relationships with knowledgeable adults support children’s learning more effectively than any number of resources. A knowledgeable practitioner can decide when to stand back, when to interact, and what to offer the child.

• The effective environment – the environment we create in our setting, indoors and outdoors, should be central to children’s authentic experiences. We should continually monitor and review the effectiveness of the environment and adapt accordingly. During the early years, exploration of the environment is a key driver for development. Through exploration of their environment, children begin to develop a sense of belonging and an appreciation of the world around them.

• Engaging experiences – the experiences we offer in the early years should be hands -on, purposeful and meaningful to the child. They should encourage children’s independence, offer risk, challenge and opportunities to experience success along the learning journey. They should be rooted in real-life, authentic contexts, to engage children in deep levels of involvement and long periods of uninterrupted active learning.

The principles of effective pedagogy are embedded throughout the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings. We need to ensure that the learning environment provides consistent opportunities for the following:

• play and play-based learning – play is a fundamental right for all children. They have a strong intrinsic need to play. Through play and playful experiences, children find ways to explore a range of emotions and learn about the world they inhabit with others.
• being outdoors – being outdoors is particularly important for young children. It supports social, emotional, spiritual and physical development, as well as well-being.
• authentic and purposeful learning – relevant and meaningful experiences that are rooted in real-life contexts will enable children to make connections, apply knowledge and consolidate skills. Real-life experiences can enable children to take the lead in asking questions, identifying problems, taking risks and finding solutions.
• physical literacy – it is essential for us to lay the foundations of physical literacy in the early years through modelling positive attitudes towards movement and providing an environment that gives children the opportunity to explore, practise and consolidate a wide range of physical movements in a variety of contexts.

Many early years theorists have developed different pedagogies – your Cylch Meithrin/day nursery may decide to adopt a specific pedagogy. It is always worth researching and reading about the pedagogy you are interested in as this will ensure you are choosing it to directly benefit the children you are caring for. You can use any of the following pedagogical approaches within the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings and adapt to your own setting.

** Mudiad Meithrin does not endorse any specific pedagogical approaches. We have included some examples for information purposes only.

For further information please contact:

Judith Grigg BEd (Hons) MAEd, Lead Officer Foundation Learning.

judith.grigg@meithrin.cymru

For more information click on the poster above.

This case study has been designed to take you on a reflective journey on how to change your practice to a more child-led, holistic approach surrounded by calm, neutral environments using authentic and purposeful resources. It aims to share ideas and inspiration on how one cylch has changed its approach from the use of plastic resources in bright, over stimulating environments to enabling environments that are full of magic and wonder and the impact these changes have had on young learners.

Click on the case study for more information.

Click below to see a postcard on messy play;

Click below to see the leaflet on Things to do with your children during Autumn;