While writing this article, I encountered ‘writer’s block’ where my mind went blank and I couldn’t think of anything particularly enlightening to say. So I decided to step away from the laptop, donned my gardening gloves and boots and attacked the weeds in my newly established garden. Spending half an hour outside engaging in a physical and deeply satisfying activity refreshed me and cleared the fog. I came back to the laptop with a renewed energy. This is at the heart of Understanding the World (UTW). As children engage with the real world, it not only provides knowledge for the head, it excites and inspires, refreshes and challenges.
UTW is a huge goal for someone who has only been alive for, at most, 60 months. In fact, very few of the adult population, if any, could honestly say they fully understand the world in its complexity and diversity. What do we actually mean by this phrase when we are referring to the development of children under the age of six?
And, while we have traditional notions of what should be included in this area of learning and development, we need to ask ourselves what world the children are living and growing up in and how different it is from the world that many of us grew up in. The two non-statutory guidance documents, Development Matters 2021 and Birth to 5 Matters, both provide valuable additional guidance to support our understanding of this.
RICH EXPERIENCES
UTW provides a rich context for the other areas of learning and development and as such should not be seen as a standalone ‘subject’. In particular, the revisions to the educational programme emphasise vocabulary and the use of books alongside the experiences of visits and visitors.
However, The Early Years Alliance in its response to the Department for Education (DfE) consultation on the EYFS reforms raised concerns. The alliance flagged ‘that the explicit references to the benefits in terms of vocabulary and word recognition suggest that the DfE’s view is that a greater sense of self within the world is not considered sufficient on its own and needs to be justified as contributing to improved speech and language’.
There is a danger that this area of learning and development is reduced to the acquisition of knowledge and as stimulus for reading rather than supporting children to develop a sensitivity to the world around them and impacting their attitudes. Birth to 5 Matterssteers the emphasis away from knowledge, language and books and redirects the focus to children’s attitudes towards, and behaviours within, the world both locally and globally: ‘Active involvement in local community life helps children to develop a sense of civic responsibility, a duty to care, a respect for diversity and the need to work for peaceful co-existence.
‘In addition, first-hand involvement in caring for wildlife and the natural world provides children with an appreciation of ecological balance, environmental care and the need to live sustainable lives… They also cultivate shared meanings and lay the foundation for equitable understandings of our interconnectedness and interdependence.’
The revisions made to the educational programme for UTW introduce some welcome new aspects, such as ecological diversity, but I question whether the messages are strong or clear enough: ‘culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world’ – what do those words actually mean?
Technology is no longer included as an early learning goal but is mentioned in the context of understanding the diversity of the world. Birth to 5 Matters maintains it as an aspect of UTW and is useful in helping settings consider how to introduce and use technology appropriately for different ages.
The early learning goal for people and communities specifically includes religious and cultural communities, and Development Matters provides extra guidance to support this, for example:
- Continue developing positive attitudes about the differences between people.
- Ensure that resources reflect the diversity of life in modern Britain.
- Encourage children to talk about the differences they notice between people, while also drawing their attention to similarities between different families and communities.
- Answer their questions and encourage discussion.
Suggestion: talk positively about different appearances, skin colours and hair types. Celebrate and value cultural, religious and community events and experiences. Help children to learn each other’s names, modelling correct pronunciation.
Birth to 5 Mattersincludes several very useful pages exploring the Unique Child and what that means in terms of diversity and inclusion, which link with UTW. For example:
- Talking about race is a first step in countering racism.
- Building awareness through first-hand experiences has lasting impact.
- Ensure children can see themselves and their families reflected in the environment.
IN PRACTICE
When planning for UTW, it is important to start from the familiar and personal, leading children from what is already known to discovering new things. Tuning into their interests and fascinations provides a catalyst for learning as practitioners join children on a journey of discovery, introducing them to experiences and knowledge.
Practitioners should start with what is known and understood by the children but not leave it there, providing them with a range of wider experiences. It is a constant flow from:
- the known to the unknown
- the familiar to the unfamiliar
- the local to the global
- the first-hand to the secondary.
We know that as children play, their knowledge, feelings and ideas become visible and they start to incorporate the new things they are learning, making vital connections between the familiar and the new. As they play, they are seeking to make sense of the world; they are starting to embed attitudes and information; they explore, in numerous ways, what it means to be human. Therefore, play is a priority as we look at how we plan UTW. The environment is critical and aspects of UTW can be very simply woven through our provision.
CONTINUOUS PROVISION
A home corner is the most familiar experience the children can have. It relates directly to their own lives and their interests. It provides the opportunity to explore their understanding of their world and the world of others.
The starting point is a generic home corner equipped with real-life items that reflects the majority culture of the children. Additional materials are included that are drawn from other communities represented within the group. Technology they may use at home is included and could include a real working iPad or tablet. Rather than changing the role-play area into a Chinese restaurant or travel agent, the area remains a home but is enhanced throughout the year to reflect events, such as:
- Holidays (brochures, suitcases).
- Religious festivals.
- New siblings (naming ceremonies) or pets (fish tanks, toy dog).
- Food and dining habits.
- Indoor gardening (pot plants, kitchen herbs).
- Clothing (seasonal, cultural, festive).
- Technology at home.
- Shopping (bags, catalogues, money, lists, online delivery).
Additional role-play opportunities will often occur naturally within large-scale construction and the ride-on resources provide an ideal context to explore road safety and road signage in the local community.
Small-world resources provide another opportunity for children to understand and make sense of the world, but rather than the child re-enacting the experience as a character, they take control of a scenario and direct what happens from outside.
It is important to follow the principle above for deciding how to develop small-world provision, so start with what is known by the children. In a rural area, the farm set will probably be a permanent part of continuous provision that is established from the beginning, whereas it may be added to enrich the provision in an urban context.
Part of the joy of small world play is creating the world rather than using a commercially produced structure such as a garage, and so provide open-ended resources such as wooden blocks, natural materials and bases, for example a piece of artificial grass or piece of lino. Include generic people such as wooden people shapes and then more specific people can be used to enhance the area over time. Carefully select vehicles that are relevant to the children initially, for example in an urban context include taxis and a bus, and cars they are likely to see rather than F1 racing cars. Additional transport can be added to enhance the area over time. The area is then enhanced over time using new and different resources, books and pictures which will lead children from ‘the known to the unknown’.
There are many other aspects of provision that support children’s understanding of the world, for example water play, and it is a useful exercise to review resources and provision using the framework and guidance documents to identify any gaps in what is offered.
NEW EXPERIENCES
‘What we once assumed to be limitations of a child’s “stage of development” we now assume to be the result of their lack of life experience. Children are not deficient in their ways of thinking or solving problems, but they are inexperienced’ – Julian Grenier, ‘What happened to curriculum in the Early Years?’, Impact: Journal of the Chartered College of Teaching, May 2019.
This lack of, or inequality, of life experience impacts other aspects of a child’s learning and development, such as limitation in language, and so it is important to identify the wider experiences that will be offered to children during their time in the setting.
Often children are unaware of the things that are around them, and I remember practitioners in a school in a coastal town telling me that many of their children had never visited the beach. Some of the nursery children at my school in Norwich had never been to a bus station, so they had an exciting visit there after sharing the story The Naughty Bus. They used their road safety knowledge and learned about different buses, time tables and the people who help us to get to where we need to go, along with exploring a bus. The local area offers countless learning opportunities, from local shops to places of worship, museums and galleries, sports grounds and restaurants. The list goes on…
Experts can be found locally, starting with the parents. Recently, our Year 1 children interviewed the mayor of Norwich in their quest to find out what makes it a ‘fine city’, as it is described on the city sign.
NATURAL WORLD
Finally, I am a strong supporter of gardening throughout the year. Often, growing things is reserved for a topic around May and the children gain a somewhat limited view of the natural world. Instead, plan a year-long programme that includes preparing the ground, sowing seeds, caring for plants and harvesting, and subsequently eating your produce! This may be just a few pots or planters or a whole patch of the outdoor space, or even an allotment plot. Children will then experience first-hand the cycle of growth and the impact of the seasons.
And so I must get back to my own garden where I am learning plant names, nurturing vegetables and keeping the weeds down, but more than that I am being enriched and refreshed as I get my hands dirty.
Judith Twani is an early years consultant and trainer.
ABOUT THIS SERIES
This series on the seven areas of learning aims to help you prepare for the introduction of the revised EYFS in September this year by:
- comparing the 2017 and 2021 educational programmes and Early Learning Goals
- highlighting the significant changes
- exploring key aspects of practice.
Understanding the world before and after: the changes in close-up
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES
EYFS 2017
UTW involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
EYFS 2021
UTW involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.
The changes in close-up
Positives
- The importance of both visits and visitors recognising that these frequent experiences are essential components of children’s understanding of the world.
- The inclusion of ecology as an aspect of this area.
Negatives
- Over-emphasis on books – while the importance of books and stories is not under question, there is a danger that we focus too much on acquiring knowledge and information.
- The description is still very short and lacks the detail that is included in Birth to 5 Matters.
EARLY LEARNING GOALS: EYFS 2017
People and communities
Children talk about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. They know other children don’t always enjoy the same things, and are sensitive to this. They know about similarities and differences between themselves and others, families, communities and traditions.
The world
Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.
Technology
Children recognise that a range of technology is used in places such as homes and schools. They select and use technology for particular purposes.
EYFS 2021
Past and Present
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society;
- Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
- Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling.
Culture and Communities
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observation, discussion, stories, non-fiction texts and maps;
- Know some similarities and differences between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
- Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps.
The Natural World
Children at the expected level of development will:
- Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants;
- Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class;
- Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter.
The changes in close-up
Positives
- The goal around processes and change has been developed to include seasons and states of matter which aligns it much more to scientific development.
- Explicitly describing different religious and cultural communities.
- Inclusion of maps taps into children’s fascination with maps and plans.
Negatives
- Understanding the past through settings, characters and events has led some to think that they need to teach about specific people in history such as Florence Nightingale, which is much more aligned to the KS1 history curriculum. It would be advisable to relate this to the familiar world of the children – such as relating to street names or buildings in their locality.
- ‘Drawing pictures of animals and plants’ is best interpreted in the context of their real life hands-on experiences to avoid children being expected to copy pictures from books.
- Repeatedly the words ‘know’ and ‘understand’ are used as a goal. It is important that these are assessed in the context of children’s embedded learning, and this is best seen as children engage in play within a rich environment.
- With the emphasis on books and ‘what they have read in class’, there is a danger of this taking priority over first-hand experience.
- The use of the word ‘class’ assumes that all children of Reception age are in a school setting, which is not true for all children.
- Comparing life in this country and life in other countries is only relating to what is read in books and does not mention children’s own experiences of having lived in another country.