Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network: Third Call for Student Papers – January 2018 Please insert this form at the start of your work. Please email your submission to Dr Jackie Musgrave [email protected]and Dr Nikki Fairchild [email protected]Student Name Lois Mc Ateer Name of Institution Stranmillis University Title of submission The Importance of Supporting transitions in the Early Years Level of study Level 4 Word count 1085 words Tutor name and signature Dr Brenda McKay-Redmond DR BMKR [email protected]
Transcript
Early Childhood Studies Degrees Network: Third Call for Student Papers – January 2018
Please insert this form at the start of your work.Please email your submission to Dr Jackie Musgrave [email protected] and Dr Nikki Fairchild [email protected]
Student Name Lois Mc Ateer
Name of Institution Stranmillis University
Title of submission The Importance of Supporting transitions in the Early Years
The Importance of Supporting Transitions in the Early Years.
Transitioning for a child into a new setting from home can be stressful, frustrating and upsetting. Adjusting to a new building, new resources, adults, children and routines is vital though for children to be able to thrive, learn and develop as they should. It is important for children to feel safe in their new setting as the NSPCC (2018) supports how children should be provided with safe and effective care. If a child does not feel safe and comfortable in a setting, they will not be empowered with the fundamental elements in which to learn. It is our job as Early Years Practitioners to support the pastoral dimension of a child’s thinking to consequently up hold the academic dimension. Upon observing The Children (NI) Order 1995, the welfare of the child is paramount and so for practitioners to fully scaffold a child’s learning and development, the child’s safety must come first. Creating a transition booklet available to both children and their parents before the child joins the setting, would allow for children to feel more at home and in turn, safe. Macartney (2012) {cited in Tillett and Wong, 2018} supports this, stating how children feeling like they belong is fundamental to their learning foundations. Synonymous to this thinking is Hohmann (2018) who feels the priority is about teaching values, norms and social behaviour, further relating to how a transition booklet could aid children’s development. A transition booklet featuring pictures of the child’s new setting would help children familiarise with their new teacher, resources and surroundings. CCEA (2007) supports this in The Curricular Guidance for Pre-School Education NI, by recommending the use of pictures to help children adapt to the change. If provided prior to the transition stage, parental involvement can be encouraged as they can engage with the booklet alongside their child at home. By creating the booklet in a story like format, the child can much more naturally talk about their feelings towards their own transition as the booklet creates a relatable scenario. It could further be improved when the story within it features a character, such as ‘Butterfly Bear’. When children then enter the setting, they can be encouraged to come in with the desire of wanting to meet the bear from the booklet. Hall and Robinson (2003) {cited in O,Connor, 2013} stresses the need of familiarity, which in turn promotes positive behaviour as children cope with distressed feelings, which the booklet provides. The transition booklet is structured in such a way that it pictorially represents the child’s daily routine within the setting. The story like format further enhances a child’s transition by helping them relate to the routine and familiarise themselves with it. Tours & Dennis (2015) state how children will feel more comfortable and less stressed when they are familiar with their routine; ultimately promoting positive behaviour and a greater level of happiness, allowing for learning and development. The booklet can be useful to the staff in promoting positive behaviour as they can use the resource’s pictures as illustrations to remind children of the daily routine if they are unsure of what to do (Steen, 2011). The pictures could be used to distract children from any negative behaviours, therefore promoting positive ones. A transition booklet can also present some underlying messages to children through the story. It is important to reinforce that all the children will be unique but also friends, aiding diversity and inclusion. Maccartney (2012) {citied in Tillett and Wong, 2018) states how an inclusive learning environment for a child with a disability is pivotally constituted through the sense of belonging the child feels. The booklet can also be of use in supporting newcomer children by helping them become familiar with their surroundings. Their parents can help reassure the child on their new setting from the comfort of their own home and in the child’s first language.
Vygotsky (1998) {cited in Daniels, 2017} advocated how the transition to school provides opportunities for learning and development and so it is our responsibility as practitioners to support this transition as best we can. As part of my Early Childhood Studies Degree at Stranmillis University I had to create my own transition booklet. I was placed in a Nursery School and I enjoyed considering the photographs to use and how to write the story so it best reflected the new children in their new Nursery. The Principal of the nursery then decided to implement the booklet as part of their transition policy within the nursery and my Transition Booklet “Butterfly Bear” got published. Along with the Principal, staff and children I worked and transformed during my placement. Undertaking this Transition Booklet project I engaged in conversations with the Principal and class teacher to reflect on what the school would find useful in terms of the content of the booklet. I took ownership of the project and planned the booklet to reflect routines of the day and setting. I created a relatable object for the children to engage with and “Butterfly Bear” was created with its own school uniform. I ensured that the finished product would be embedded into the school’s existing transition programme. Like a “Butterfly”, I have grown in confidence throughout my time in Nursery School and I hope I will never hide my wings and I will continue to fly high in my chosen profession!
The front cover of my transition booklet
References
CCEA (2007) The Curricular Guidance for Pre-School Education, Belfast: Department of Education.
Children (NI) Order (1995).
Daniels, H. (2017) Introduction to Vygotsky, London: Routledge.
Hall, N. and Robinson, A. (2003) Exploring Writing and Play in the Early Years, London: Routledge.
Hohmann, U. (2018) ‘Found in translation: an analytical framework to explore national and regional Early Childhood Education and Care systems,’ in Early Years, 38(1):pp1-13.
Macartney, B. (2012) ‘Teaching Through an Ethics of Belonging, Care and Obligation as a Critical Approach to Transforming Education,’ in International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16(2):pp171-183
NSPCC (2018) ‘Safeguarding Children’, (Accessed from https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/safeguarding/ on 13th February 2018).
O’Connor, A. (2013) Understanding Transitions in the Early Years, Oxon: Routledge.
Steen, B. (2011) ‘Promoting Healthy Transitions from Preschool to Kindergarten,’ in Young Children, 66(2):pp90-95.
Tillett, V. and Wong, S. (2018) ‘An investigative case study into early childhood educators’ understanding about ‘belonging,’’ in European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 26(1):pp37-49.
Tours, S. and Dennis, L. (2015) ‘Easing First Day Jitters: Strategies for Successful Home-to-School Transitions,’ in Young Children, 70(4):pp84-89.
Vygotsky, L. (1998) The Collected Works of L.S. Vygotsky: Child Psychology, New York: Plenum Press
Biography
My name is Lois McAteer and I am a second-year full time student at Stranmillis University College studying for a degree in Early Childhood Studies. My favourite element of my degree is the many types of settings I can attend for placement. I optimise all the experiences and opportunities I can from my varied placements and then combine what I have learned with my existing experience of after school’s clubs, summer schemes and children’s organisations. It is good to develop theory learned in class with practical resources to enhance learning for the children in my care in an enjoyable way. I hope to become a primary school teacher after finishing my degree studies.
