Early Excellence is running a series of workshops in 2010 that reflect the ongoing development of the EYFS and the challenges practitioners have identified so far. Its programme focuses on a range of roles, such as early years consultant, children's centre teacher and advisory supporter, and explores how these can be extended under the EYFS.
A series of one-day workshops addresses key areas for early years consultants. 'Supporting Practitioners to Monitor, Self-Evaluate and Challenge Their Own Practice'
highlights the importance of giving clear messages about quality and considers some of the key areas causing confusion under the EYFS.
A complementary workshop addresses how to become a quality trainer, exploring ways training sessions can be designed, led and evaluated to ensure maximum impact.
Topics include how to plan and pace an effective day; different ways to present information; how to promote participants' confidence and promote group discussions; how to explore a range of learning styles and how to understand group dynamics, and identify ways to motivate practitioners.
Stories and rhyme
Early Excellence is also offering a set of workshops on curriculum development. 'Developing Enabling Environments for Communication and Language: a focus on using interactive stories and rhymes as a stimulus for learning' examines these as an element of national initiatives such as Letters and Sounds and Every Child A Talker.
The aims of the course are to promote confidence in a range of storytelling techniques, identify ways to make the best use of props and puppets, explore techniques of learning and memorising stories and look at how to use stories and rhyme as a basis for reading, writing and imaginative play. A companion course, 'A Focus on Using Rhymes and Rhyming Texts as a Stimulus for Learning' takes this a step further, to extending vocabulary, speech and thinking.
Trainer Ros Bayley says, 'Once practitioners are comfortable with story and rhyme as a vehicle for learning they can begin to spot opportunities to use it productively. Rhyme is assimilated in the psyche almost effortlessly and can be used creatively to help children learn.'
Participants are encouraged to identify ways of getting feedback from teams that challenges their thinking.
It underlines that practitioners need particular skills and techniques to use stories and rhyme in a meaningful way.
