National Curriculum In The Early Years Challenges And Opportunities [Paperback]

The child-centred principles of early years education - which emphasize play and holistic learning - are being challenged by the implementation of a subject-based National Curriculum. The contributors to this book explore this challenge and offer some ways of meeting it practically and productively. Issues covered include: pedagogical issues, such as the cross-curricular, topic-based teaching; teacher's attitudes to subject knowledge; assessment issues, including baseline assessment at the age of five; and parental attitudes to the National Curriculum and its content at Key Stage 1.Part 1 Teachers' and parents' views: teachers'views on the National Curriculum and its impact; teachers' attitudes to subject knowledge in early years; parents and the National Curriculum at Key stage 1. Part 2 Pedagogical, curricular and assessment issues: teaching subjects, teaching children - topic-based teaching within a subject-based National Curriculum; assessment issues and the National Curriculum I - teacher assessment at Key Stage 1; assessment issues and the National Curriculum II - baseline assessment; special needs in early years. Part 3 Achieving high quality education in the early years: play-based learning and the National Curriculum - some possibilities; the effective early learning project and the National Curriculum; nursery eduaction and the National Curriculum; developing guidelines for a high quality curriculum for children under eight.