Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) Pedagogy, Play and Effective Practice Syllabus

Pedagogy, Play and Effective Practice syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Pedagogy, Play and Effective Practice in Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   The Role of Play in Learning

   4 topics

   • Theories and types of play
     • Parten's stages of social play
     • Free-flow, structured and guided play
     • Heuristic play and treasure baskets
   • Play as a vehicle for learning across areas
   • Risky play and challenge
   • The adult's role in play (co-player, observer, facilitator)
2. 2

   Pedagogical Approaches and Philosophies

   4 topics

   • Sustained shared thinking
     • Open questioning and dialogue
   • Internationally recognised approaches
     • Montessori method
     • Reggio Emilia approach
     • Steiner Waldorf education
     • Te Whariki and HighScope
   • Forest School and outdoor learning
   • Findings from the EPPE and REPEY research
3. 3

   Planning and the Enabling Environment

   4 topics

   • Curriculum intent, implementation and impact
   • Planning in the moment versus pre-planning
   • Indoor and outdoor continuous provision
     • Areas of provision and resourcing
     • Outdoor space and natural materials
   • Enhancing provision to extend learning
4. 4

   Observation, Assessment and Planning Cycle

   4 topics

   • Methods of observation
     • Narrative, time and event sampling
     • Learning journeys and documentation
   • Analysing observations to identify next steps
   • Using assessment to inform planning
   • Schemas and children's repeated patterns of play
5. 5

   Transitions and Continuity

   4 topics

   • Settling in and starting in a new setting
   • Transitions through the day and between rooms
   • Transition to Reception and statutory school
   • Supporting children through change and loss

Pedagogy, Play and Effective Practice flashcards for Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS)

24 of 50 cards from the Pedagogy, Play and Effective Practice deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Define 'play' in the context of early years pedagogy.

   Play is a freely chosen, intrinsically motivated, child-directed activity that is enjoyable, often spontaneous, and engaged in for its own sake. It is recognised as the principal vehicle through which young children learn and make sense of their world.

2. Name the broad categories of play identified in early years theory (e.g. Hughes' taxonomy includes how many types?).

   Bob Hughes' taxonomy identifies 16 types of play, including: symbolic, rough-and-tumble, socio-dramatic, social, creative, communication, dramatic, deep, exploratory, fantasy, imaginative, locomotor, mastery, object, role, and recapitulative play.

3. What are Mildred Parten's six stages/categories of social play, in developmental order?

   1) Unoccupied, 2) Solitary, 3) Onlooker, 4) Parallel, 5) Associative, 6) Cooperative play.

4. What is 'parallel play' and at roughly what age does it typically appear?

   Parallel play is when children play alongside one another with similar materials but without direct interaction or coordination. It typically emerges around 2 to 3 years of age.

5. What does it mean to say play is a 'vehicle for learning across all areas'?

   A single play episode can simultaneously develop multiple areas of learning and development (e.g. a role-play shop builds communication, mathematics/counting, personal-social skills and physical handling), so play integrates rather than compartmentalises learning.

6. Define 'risky play' and give its key benefit.

   Risky play is thrilling, challenging play involving uncertainty and a degree of risk of physical injury (e.g. heights, speed, tools, rough-and-tumble). Its key benefit is developing risk-assessment skills, resilience, confidence and physical competence.

7. List Ellen Sandseter's six categories of risky play.

   1) Heights, 2) High speed, 3) Dangerous tools, 4) Dangerous elements (e.g. water, fire), 5) Rough-and-tumble, 6) Getting lost / disappearing (play where the child can become out of an adult's sight).

8. Distinguish 'risk' from 'hazard' in risk-benefit assessment.

   A risk is a challenge or uncertainty a child can see and choose to engage with (and can have developmental benefit); a hazard is a danger the child cannot see or assess and that offers no benefit. Practitioners remove hazards but retain beneficial risks.

9. Name three roles the adult can take in children's play.

   Co-player (joining in as a play partner), observer (watching to assess and understand), and facilitator/enabler (providing resources, time, space and enhancements to extend learning). A fourth often cited is 'play leader/modeller'.

10. What is the risk of an adult over-directing children's play?

    Over-direction can shift control away from the child, reducing intrinsic motivation, autonomy, creativity and deep engagement, turning child-led play into adult-led activity and undermining the benefits of free play.

11. Define 'sustained shared thinking' (SST).

    Sustained shared thinking is an episode in which two or more individuals (adult-child or child-child) work together in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity or extend a narrative. Both parties contribute and thinking is genuinely developed.

12. Which major research study identified sustained shared thinking as a feature of effective settings?

    The EPPE project (Effective Provision of Pre-School Education) and its associated REPEY study identified sustained shared thinking as a key feature of the most effective early years settings.

13. Give two practitioner techniques that promote sustained shared thinking.

    Using open-ended questioning (e.g. 'I wonder what would happen if...'), and techniques such as tuning in, showing genuine interest, offering one's own experience, speculating, reciprocating, and giving children time to think and respond.

14. What does the acronym EPPE stand for and what did it study?

    EPPE stands for the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education project. It was a major UK longitudinal study (begun 1997) investigating the impact of pre-school provision on children's intellectual and social/behavioural development.

15. State two key findings of the EPPE study.

    1) Good-quality pre-school experience has a lasting positive effect on attainment and social development; 2) Quality is higher where settings have well-qualified staff (especially graduate-led) and where there is a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Disadvantaged children benefit most from high-quality provision.

16. What does the acronym REPEY stand for and what was its focus?

    REPEY stands for Researching Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years. It examined the pedagogical practices used in the most effective EPPE settings, identifying features such as sustained shared thinking and an even balance of adult- and child-initiated activity.

17. According to REPEY, what balance of adult- and child-initiated activity characterised the most effective settings?

    The most effective (excellent) settings showed an even/roughly equal balance between adult-initiated and child-initiated activities, with adults extending child-initiated play through sustained shared thinking.

18. Name the three I's of curriculum design (the Ofsted framework).

    Intent (what is to be taught and why), Implementation (how it is taught and delivered), and Impact (the difference it makes / what children know and can do as a result).

19. Define curriculum 'intent'.

    Intent is the rationale and content of the curriculum: what knowledge, skills and understanding the setting wants children to gain, sequenced over time, and the reasoning behind those choices.

20. Define curriculum 'impact'.

    Impact is the measurable and observable effect of the curriculum: what children have actually learned, the progress they have made, and how well they are prepared for the next stage of learning.

21. Contrast 'planning in the moment' with 'pre-planning'.

    Pre-planning sets activities and learning intentions in advance of the session. Planning in the moment responds to children's interests and emerging learning as they happen, with the adult teaching at the 'teachable moment' and recording learning retrospectively. Most settings blend both.

22. Who is closely associated with the 'planning in the moment' approach in England?

    Anna Ephgrave is closely associated with promoting and popularising 'in-the-moment planning' in English early years practice.

23. Define 'continuous provision'.

    Continuous provision is the resources, materials and learning environments (indoor and outdoor) that are continuously available to children every day, allowing them to access, revisit and consolidate learning independently without constant adult set-up.

24. What is 'enhanced provision' and how does it differ from continuous provision?

    Enhanced provision is the addition of specific resources or stimuli to continuous provision to extend or deepen learning, often linked to children's current interests or a focus (e.g. adding measuring tapes to the construction area). Continuous provision is the permanent baseline; enhancements are temporary additions.

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