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| About the book |
The basis of this video and book Pack - StEPs - is a belief in the rights of the young child to appropriate opportunities to be children and to learn in playful and meaningful ways. It is also predicated upon a view that practitioners working with young children have equal rights to teach using playful strategies. Children and adults are responsible for making the most of the playful learning and teaching opportunities provided in quality early childhood settings and to ensure that the curriculum - statutory or recommended - is implemented efficiently and effectively. The view taken throughout is that there is no conflict between being accountable to parents, politicians or providers for children's learning and offering play experiences as the basis for that learning. Playful teaching and learning are discussed and exemplified throughout the two elements of the Pack. The video offers viewers a chance to see some of the practitioners who contributed to the Pack, in their own settings using aspects of StEPs to support their everyday teaching and learning. One of the major intentions of the Pack is that it should be used by practitioners and settings - or those undertaking training sessions with them - to both evaluate and extend play practices. The video, child development charts, planning sheets and other documentation, explained in various sections, support a variety of uses across a range of settings reflecting different backgrounds and ethos. Once the framework is understood, the StEPs themselves offer endless opportunities for development of quality learning experiences for children and for articulation, explanation and advocacy of quality practice by practitioners to parents, inspectors and those who evaluate settings. |
| About the authors |
Janet Moyles is currently Professor of Education and Research at the School of Education, Anglia Polytechnic University, Chelmsford. She is committed to the practices and processes of play as a vital way of learning and developing for all young children and the practitioners who support them. Janet has directed several funded research projects and written several publications including: Just Playing (1989), The Excellence of Play (1994), and Beginning Teaching: Beginning Learning (1995). Sian Adams is currently a researcher at the School of Education, Anglia Polytechnic University and a consultant on all aspects of young children's play and learning. Formerly a local authority adviser for early years, Sian has a variety of publications to her credit all in the sphere of practitioners' roles and reflective approaches to early years practice. |
| Table of contents |
Acknowledgements General introduction to the whole pack The practitioner-researchers How to use the pack's materials The accompanying video and how it may be used The six entitlements to play explanation and charts Curriculum links and learning intentions Every action tells a play story cameos of StEPS in action Child development charts References and annotated bibliography Index. Contributors: Jill Evans, Helen Geisler, Elizabeth Magraw, Pat Medland, Claire Orton, Deborah Pentecost, Susan Pickering, Vivien Robins, Gillian Simpson |
