Bowlby suggest that the first five years of a child's life and the deep attachment and emotional bond between an infant and their primary caregiver is crucial. He believed that past interactions as a child, influence the future and go onto have an impact on perceptions and behaviours in close relationships as an adult.
Bowlby's attachment theory has shaped the EYFS and many care practices seen today. Through understanding the importance of secure attachments and the impact early childhood experiences, the keyperson provides a strong foundation for healthy relationships and social and emotional development.
Through his work with children and their families, Bowlby developed a strong believe of the requirement to take a holistic perspective of a child. In order to do this we work with families to understand their living environments and culture to meet the childrens social, emotional and behavioural well-being needs.
Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist and who established a major theory of cognitive development "The zone of proximal development". The gap between what a child can achieve on their own and what a child can learn with the help of a more able adult or child. Vygotsky believed that learning through instruction was essential for cognitive growth.
At nursery children develop through shared social experiences from, adluts, each other and our enabling environments to stretch children of all abilities.
Vygotsky stressed the importance of language in the development as it provides a way of constructing knowledge of the world around us and helps us express ideas and feelings. In nursery you will see that that the learning environment is set up with resources that provoke problem solving and imaginative play. This encourages children to talk to each other and to interested practitioners, which then exposes them to new words and ideas and scaffolds their learning.
Vygotsky believed that play and the imagination were vehicles for learning, and for the holistic development of the child.
Susan Issacs was a British educationalist and psychologist who used her expertise in philosophy and psychology to develop approaches to early childhood development. Her theory emphasised the value of the early years setting, the importance of play, the careful preparation of the learning environment and the supportive role of the practitioner.
The value of the early years setting
Issacs believed that nursery an extension of learning at home. Her approach mirrored the warmth and caring elements of a family home but provided new experiences that may not have been available to children at home. In our nursery children are cared for by warm and attentive practitioners who follow children's home routines in order for them to feel settled and secure. We introduce new experiences such as forest school, to extend children's understanding of the world. We call the introduction of these new experiences, cultural capital.
The importance of play
Following Issacs approach to play, we provide a warm and homely environment where children can feel at ease in their level of development, rehearse emotions in a safe place, experiment with different materials and concepts and eventually develop co-operative play.
The careful preparation of the learning environment
Issacs believed that indoor and outdoor equipment should be chosen carefully with the intention of stimulating curiosity and facilitating learning. We provide a wide range of natural open-ended resources in our nursery to reflect this.
Isaacs also advocated in giving children responsibility for the environment for example, planning lunches, setting the table and washing up. Isaacs said that only by giving children responsibility could they learn how to implement it. In nursery we operate a family mealtime approach where children are given the task of setting the table and sitting with one another to eat. Children learn to self-serve and tidy up after themselves. Children have opportunities to talk to our chef about the foods they enjoy and help influence menu choices. We have a children's committee where children are able to give feedback to managers about what they enjoy in the nursery and how it could be made even better. This helps them develop responsibility and respectful values.
The supportive role of the practitioner
Issacs believed that the role of the practitioner was to provide a warm, emotionally secure and stimulating environment for children to learn. Whilst not in favour of formal teaching, she did suggest that practitioners should be strong role models who support children's positive behaviour and demonstrate clear and consistent boundaries. In nursery we have high expectations for everyone's behaviour. You will hear staff talking politely and demonstrating good manners during their play with children and their interactions with each other. Children are taught kindness, tolerance and respect of one another's differences. This forms the basis of our British Values.
Issacs felt that practitioners should gather detailed information of each child so that they could plan appropriately. She believed the best way of doing this was through observations to build up a picture of the child. In nursery we use an online learning journal where we record observations of children and encourage parents and carers to contribute to this too. By working together we are able to better plan a curriculum that meets children's learning needs in the nursery and at home. This contributes to the excellent progress that children make in our nursery.
