Play...Think...Learn...

Analysis of post-intervention results shows significant positive results

John — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:13:21 +0000

The analysis of the quantitative post-intervention data and test results has now been completed. This analyses shows that intervention group membership had a significant effect on the children’s performance on the Early Number Concepts sub-scale of the BAS II and on the Bryant & Bradley test of phonological awareness. The study therefore shows that when the preschools were provided [...]

‘Sustained Shared Thinking’ – why is that so important?

John — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:12:48 +0000

Sustained Shared Thinking (SST) was first identified in research associated with the Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) project in 1992. The research showed that it was a form of playful interaction closely associated with effective early years practice. A good deal has now been written about the subject but as they say, a picture is worth [...]

Creativity and the importance of pretending

John — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 15:44:46 +0000

In the early years children use toys to think with and to support their learning. Toys actually provide the support (or ‘props’) that children need to think with as they play. While this may be obvious in the case of wooden blocks or construction kits that children improvise structures with at home, or the ‘pretend’ [...]

Baseline Analysis

John — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:56:47 +0000

The characteristics of the intervention and control group samples have now been analysed in order to check that the stratified random sampling that was carried out had resulted in two groups being constructed that were not significantly different from each other with respect to vital measures of attainment and child’s characteristics at pre-test. It was [...]

Watch with Mother…and with Dad, Brother, Sister, Nan, Grandad…

John — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:26:35 +0000

The BBC launched their first TV programme for under 5 year olds 60 years ago in 1952:. It was called Watch with Mother. In fact one of my oldest memories is of watching the Flower Pot Men with my Mum. Yet research from the UK, the USA and Australia is now showing that many infants [...]

A is for Apple

John — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:44:03 +0000

The iPad is just what many early childhood educators have been waiting for. It’s highly portable, user friendly, touch screen operable interface has, like all the best ICT (Information Communication Technology), it has been designed very much with children, and those still in touch with their inner child, in mind. There are already early childhood applications [...]

Does the Land of Me Support Learning?

John — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:36:59 +0000

http://www.thelandofme.com/blog/does-the-land-of-me-really-support-learning/

Teachers’ Support Day (1st October 2010)

SPLICT — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 09:35:01 +0000

A big ‘Thank You’ to all schools that attended the Teachers’ Support Day last Friday. It was a very productive meeting that gave us the opportunity to share with the teachers the project’s progress so far and our future plans. The meeting also introduced a series of suggested activities with ICT in the home environment [...]

My Dad Cooks: A good example of sustained shared thinking in practice

John — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:59:50 +0000

Archie Coffer is just two years old, and already he’s being nicknamed “the miniature Jamie Oliver.” Along with his father Nick he stars in My Daddy Cooks, a video and recipe blog with an international following.

Playing together at the Computer

John — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 10:09:34 +0000

We are currently providing links and materials to support young children and parents; or preschool educators; or other family members; playing together on and off screen. We want to identify the best possible computer based games and activities to support children’s language development and their learning through play away from the screen. If you have [...]

About Play…Think…Learn

John — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:37:37 +0000

Play…Think…Learn Play…Think…Learn is a website supporting research and development in the education and care of children aged 3 to 5: http://www.playthinklearn.org