Developing Good Practice

1. Developing Good Practice To Support School Improvement in The Foundation Stage Achieving Derry Bright Futures

2. Aim To develop a strategic approach to ensure an effective Foundation Stage

3. Objectives • Develop good practice to support school improvement • Explore the Rationale of the Foundation Stage • Develop an effective learning environment • Implement learning, teaching and assessment cycle

4. ADBF “The ADBF approach involves working with all schools in the DCC area. The focus is on supporting pupils, particularly those most at risk of underachievement, in a holistic way through partnership working.”

5. Aims of the Foundation Stage ‘The Northern Ireland Curriculum aims to empower young people to develop their potential and make informed decisions throughout their lives.’

6. Workshop Reflecting on your context; Identify one aspect of the Foundation Stage that you believe is proving to be the most successful And what evidence would you use to support this

7. The Principles underpinning the Foundation Stage ‘Young children learn best when learning is interactive, practical and enjoyable for both children and teachers.’

8. Coffee

9. Workshop What Are the Characteristics of an Effective Early Years Practitioner ?

10. The Role of the Adult • Adults can enhance the learning potential of an activity (or inhibit it) • The cognitive level of an activity is often raised when an adult is involved • Adults have the power to switch children on to learning or to destroy their natural exploratory drive

11. The adults role in supporting learning • Careful, considered and informed planning • Choice of resources • Questioning: effective & open-ended • Modelling, appropriate language and skills • Enthusiasm & interest • Knowing when or not to intervene

12. Can the adult inhibit learning ? • Asking too many questions • ‘Closed’ questions • Over-direction / adult taking over • Not giving the children enough time • Over-emphasis on the product rather than the process

13. Learning Partnerships Parents and carers are children’s first educators and learning at home happens in a natural and informal way. It is essential that there is open communication between school and home which is based on shared understanding and mutual respect.

14. Partnerships with other Professionals To allow for the exchange of information, it is important that good relationships are established with members of the community and the other agencies that contribute to the child’s all round development.

15. Transition • What do you know about the child on entry to Year 1 • What do you need to know about the child? • How can you manage this information effectively to support learning?

16. Physical Environment ‘Learning environments should be secure, interesting and challenging.

17. The Physical Environment • Attractive and welcoming • Be organised • Follow health and safety requirements • Appropriately resourced

19. Snack Time Snack time is more than the provision of food – it is a learning opportunity

20. PRINCIPLES OF EARLY YEARS EDUCATION

21. Play ‘Every child has the right to play’ The UN Convention of Rights of the Child Article 31

22. The Purpose of Play Play provides children with opportunities to experience learning in a meaningful and purposeful way. It is a means by which children can develop their skills and capacities to be effective learners.

23. Play Children should have opportunities to experience much of their learning through well planned and challenging play. Self initiated play helps children to understand and learn about themselves and their surroundings

24. Play ‘Play develops creativity, intellectual competence, emotional strength and stability, and and feelings of joy and pleasure, the habit of being happy’ Piers and Llandau

25. Play Workshop Learning through play -connecting the learning-

26. Leadership Next Steps Supporting development

28. Planning for Connected Learning

29. Learning Intentions Success Criteria Formative Feedback Reflecting about learning Planning Improvement Questioning Questioning Learning, Teaching & Assessment Cycle Input Questioning Questioning Learning Activity

30. Starting points • Curriculum requirements • Children’s interests/ experiences • Seasonal/ global/topical events • Media • Story/ music • Class visit/visitors • Artefacts

31. Plan Together • What do we already know? • What do we want to learn? • How will we go about this? • Who/what can help us? • How do we use our findings? • How will we tell others?

32. How do we do it? Plan Together What do already know? What do we want to learn? How will we go about this? Who/what can help us? How do we use our findings? How will we tell other? Curriculum requirements Children’s interests/ experiences Seasonal/ global/topical events Media Story/ music Class visit/visitors Artefacts Choose Starting points based on How do we do it? Identify Learning Activities That Demonstrate and Review Learning Meet curriculum requirements Involve decision making and problem solving Are practical and stimulating Promote ad challenge thinking Allow children to draw conclusions Allow children to present ideas and demonstrate learning What have I/we found out? What did I enjoy most? What did my friend find out? What will I/we do next? What might I/we done differently? How will I demonstrate my learning?

33. Planning • There is a requirement to plan discretely for Literacy and Numeracy • Requirement for a minimum of 3 planners Literacy, Numeracy and Topic /Connected Learning

34. The process of planning Planning for connected learning

35. Next steps Planning for improvement