Katie Stafford, a teacher on Africa Mercy ship, shares a glimpse of her experience in a floating school. Katie answered these questions from aboard the ship, now docked in Madagascar. What pulled you to serve as a teacher in such an unusual, mobile location? Well, I have always had the travel adventure bug. I wanted to see the world . It’s also…
Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children’s environments that work by Jim Greenman Greenman devoted his life’s work to studying, understanding, and constructing environments for young children. He published articles and smaller works over the years but this text is a crowning compendium of his findings and passion. Though as lengthy as a textbook, it reads conversationally. Components of nurturing environments are carefully developed,…
Addressing the Centre’s Emotional Climate Adapted from Attentive & Attuned: Knowing and Serving in the Early Education Program, pp. 37-49 (Baer, Maher, Leak) Attunement begins with me. I can be intentional about forging relationships with the individuals in my class. But to cultivate those attuned relation ships and to display the posture that draws children in, I must first prepare…
Now the Lord God had planted a garden in Eden, in the East; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8 The importance of the learning environment is very widely acknowledged. The influential ECERS programme is explicit: it is the Early Childhood Environmental Review which prompts our reflection on all that surrounds the young, from the…
A glimpse into the classroom of Elise Hopkins When early years educators speak of the field in a comprehensive context, it is impossible to ignore the trends and accomplishments of settings in the global south. New Zealand, a gem in Oceania, gently leads the way with their quiet insistence to connect, support and develop the family unit. New Zealand’s Ministry…
Observing Young Children The role of observation and assessment in early childhood settings S Smidt, (2015). Abingdon: Routledge. Smidt offers us in the short compass of 90 small pages an introduction to the subject which makes reference to almost everything. The important names are all there: Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner and so on. There is reference to sustained shared thinking, scaffolding…
O Lord. You have searched me and you known me! You know when I sit down; and when I rise up. You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139: 1-3 In Psalm 139 we find a beautiful description of the Father’s detailed knowledge of…
Monitoring well-being and involvement by Rev Peter Michell In the UK the most immediate association made with assessment is the Early Years Foundation Stage and the ‘outcomes’. We also think of endless laborious record keeping. This first association has to be called into question because it is not the only kind of assessment and it is not the most important either. If…
We know that each of the children in our care is uniquely created by our loving God and Father and that He has a plan and a purpose for each of their lives. We know that their needs and interests and learning styles will be different. Psalm 139 says: “For You shaped me, inside and out. I am Your unique…
Play therapy provides a place for children to express and explore their thoughts , fears and emotions in a safe child-friendly way. Instead of merely relying on words (which children can find very difficult ), the therapy uses play and creative expression as a form of communication. It is a multicultural tool that enables children to strengthen their self esteem and…
