Reflective Practice in the Early Years

Written for anyone working in the field of early years education and care, this book encourages students and practitioners to consider their own practice and to examine practice in a wide range of early years settings. The four sections link closely to the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage, and support the reader in developing a critical and reflective approach to their own work.

Issues covered include:

• Play in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in England
• The Foundation Phase in Wales
• Safeguarding children
• The healthy child
• Leading a team at a Children′s CenteR
• How caregivers are working with the EYFS
• Leading and managing a multi-agency workforce
• Continuing Professional Development for early years practitioners

Ideal for those working towards Early Years Professional Status (EYPS), this book is also a must-read for students on any early years course, and will help the professional development of all practitioners working with the Birth to Eight age range.

Michael Reed is a Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Early Childhood, within the Institute of Education at the University of Worcester. He teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate courses related to child development, practice based research and leadership.  He is a qualified teacher and hold advanced qualifications in Educational Inquiry, Educational Psychology and Special Education.  He was a member of course development and writing teams at the Open University and an experienced author. He has a particular interest in practice based inquiry and research evaluating ways to improve quality in practice. He has co-edited a number of books including  Reflective Practice in the Early Years (2010), Quality Improvement and Change in the Early Years (2012)  and Work Based Research in the Early Years (2012), all published by SAGE.

Natalie Canning is a Lecturer in Education – Early Years at The Open University. Her background is in playwork and social work, particularly in supporting children to explore personal, social and emotional issues through play. She has published a number of articles relating to professional development and the early years and has presented at national and European conferences. Her main research is in the area of children’s empowerment in play and she is currently involved in research on developing children as autonomous learners. She has taught across a variety of Early Childhood undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.