My child is an envelope Schemas April 2014

Kate Beith 1
In the foundation stage in our Dulwich International schools we follow your
children to enable them to develop into a unique individual with a deep level
of thinking, supporting them to become creative and independent learners.
For young children the focus is on their patterns of learning. We call these
schemas and they become more complex as children get older. As parents
and teachers we can work together to ensure that we support your childs
schemas.

This document introduces you to the Early Years Foundation Stage
framework and some basic schemas that your child might be using.

THE EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE (EYFS) FRAMEWORK
(REVISED 2014)

1 The Overarching principles

The EYFS has 4 guiding principles, which should shapes our practice in
supporting your childs learning in DUCKS. These are:

every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient,
capable, confident and self-assured;
children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships;
children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their
experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong
partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers; and
children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates. The
framework covers the education and care of all children in early years
provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The EYFS Statutory Framework Page 6


2 The characteristics of effective learning are linked to each of the prime
and specific areas of learning and development and encourage us to
consider how your children learn when planning an effective learning
environment. These characteristics are:

Playing and exploring engagement
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to have a go

Active learning motivation
Being involved and concentrating
My child is an envelope Schemas April 2014
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Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do

Creating and thinking critically thinking
Having their own ideas
Making links

3 The areas of learning and development for us to consider for your
children who are under three are:

Personal social and emotional development
Making relationships
Self-confidence and self awareness
Managing feelings and behaviour
Physical development
Moving and handling
Health and Self care
Communication and Language
Listening and attention
Understanding
Speaking


There are 4 further specific areas of learning and development that we
will start to consider when your child is ready, usually approaching the age of
three years. These specific areas are:

Literacy
Reading
Writing

Mathematics
Numbers
Shape, space and measure

Understanding the World
People and communities
The world
Technology

Expressive arts and design
Exploring and using media and materials
Being imaginative


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SCHEMAS




Schemas are patterns of learning that young children use when exploring
their environment. Your child may try the same action on a variety of
different objects (think of the child who transports books, bricks and
sometimes a doll in a pushchair!). Through their schemas your children try to
find out how things work and often come up with their own ideas or theories.
You will notice that your child usually has more than one schema.
Sometimes the schema lasts for a long time and sometimes it is transient.

The Pen Green Framework for Engaging Parents (2007) outlines common
patterns of schemas you can look for in the young children you work with.

Trajectory lines that are moving, as in a jump. These lines can be vertical
(up/down), horizontal (side to side), or oblique (at an angle). Trajectories can
leave a mark or trail that we refer to as a line. You make the line by making a
trajectory movement. Young children often place objects in a line.
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Heaping and scattering placing objects in a pile and spreading them or
scattering them in a space is what some children constantly do. Children
who like scattering may like having lots of small objects to scatter. Sweeping
up with a dustpan and brush may interest children who are interested in
heaping and scattering. So might throwing corn or bread to the ducks.

Transporting carrying objects or being carried from one place to another-
a buggy or shopping trolley may be a favourite toy. Children, who enjoy
transporting, constantly find and gather things to move and ways of moving
them around, such as bags, buggies and shopping trolleys.

Envelopment covering themselves, objects or a space tea towels,
scarves or cardboard boxes may be popular play materials.

Enclosure enclosing themselves, toys or space Lego, train track blocks
or cushions may be used when exploring this pattern. Children exploring
enclosure often use cushions to surround themselves or like making pens for
farm animals.

Rotation turning or twisting or rolling themselves or objects ring games,
globes, rolling pins, rollers and wheels when exploring this pattern.

Connection an interest in joining themselves to objects or objects to each
other construction toys, pegs, paper clips, string, Sellotape, locks and
chains might help children when exploring this pattern.

Going though a boundary making themselves, or objects, go through
something and come out the other side - tunnels, garlic presses, postboxes
and photocopiers, might fascinate children exploring this pattern.

On top being on top or placing objects on top climbing equipment or
shelves they can reach may help children explore this pattern. Young
children seem to like to be on top of the slide or to place things on top of
their buildings to embellish them.

Containment putting themselves, objects or materials in to different
containers a variety of bottles, bags and boxes help children to explore this
pattern. Some young children spend hours at the sink filling and emptying
various containers, repeating their actions again and again.
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Schemas can be explored in four different ways:
Throughout our actions with feedback through our senses we call
this sensorimotor. We never lose the ability or the need to do this.
Through using one object to stand for another- we call this symbolic
representation. We replay our earlier experiences by using objects;
for example, a child might hold a block near their ear to represent a
telephone. We use words to represent our movements or objects.
Georgia referred to a 20p as a choo choo because she could get a
ride on a toy train into a supermarket for 20p (Arnold ,1999b,p. 68)
Through understanding the effect our actions have on the
environment, that is, if I do this, that will happen we call this
functionary dependency.
Through being able to think about people and objects in action without
needing the objects to manipulate. Athey (1990,p.68) Thought is
where a child gives a verbal account of an experience in the absence
of any material or situational reminder of the original experience.
The Pen Green Framework for Engaging Parents (2007)

References
Arnold C. (1999b) Georgias story, Paul Chapman, London
Athey C. (1990) Extending thought in Young Children a parent-teacher teacher
partnership, Paul Chapman, London
The Pen Green Framework for Engaging Parents (2007) The Pen Green Team






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FURTHER READING

Here are some reading resources that might be useful:


Arnold, C. (1999b) Georgias story, Paul Chapman, London


Athey, C. (1990) Extending thought in young children a parent-teacher
teacher partnership, Paul Chapman, London


Nutbrown, C. (2011) Threads of Thinking - Schemas and young childrens
learning,4
th
edition, Sage, London


Whalley, M. and the Pen Green Centre Team. (2012)
Involving parents in their childrens learning, 2
nd
edition, Sage, London.


Useful Websites

www.foundationyears.org.uk

Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage
Setting the standards for learning, development and care for children from
birth to five (Statutory from September 2014) DFE

Development Matters in the
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Early Education
www.early-education.org.uk


www.gov.uk/government/publications


www.earlyeducation.org.uk

www.pengreen.org,uk

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/index/information-and-services/parents/preschool-
development-and-learning.htm (Sure Start)

www.nurseryworld.co.uk


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