“I wonder if anyone knows what this is called?” asks Caitlyn, holding up a seed rattle.
“Rain one,” Leo replies.
“Shaker,” a child says enthusiastically. “I wonder what you think is inside?” asks Caitlyn.
“I think balls,” replies Finley.
“Well, they are very similar, they are one of our words that start with ‘sss’” explains Caitlyn.
“Snakes!” the children shout.
“They are seeds.” Caitlin points to the musical instrument and gives it a little shake. “And this is a seed rattle, can you say seed rattle?”
“Seed rattle,” the children all join in.
In this video on the EEF Early Years Evidence Store, an Early Years Educator – Caitlyn from Kids Planet Nursery in Wallasey – is teaching and modelling vocabulary to her pre-school group of three-four-year-olds during a small group time.
Evidence shows that vocabulary instruction that explicitly draws pupils’ attention to words, their meanings and their features, appears to be effective.
Explicit vocabulary instruction may involve naming/labelling, discussing word meanings, providing synonyms, and analysing the sound and spelling features of a word.
There is some evidence that it can be effective to combine explicit instruction with implicit teaching strategies, such as recasting and extending children’s statements.
A busy Early Years Professional grabs a precious moment of time to explore The Early Years Evidence Store.
The first place they may be drawn to is a video of an approach which may be relevant to their practice and the children in their care.
The videos included in The Early Years Evidence Store may be appealing for several reasons. They are quick to watch and bring the approach to life.
The videos demonstrate evidence-informed approaches for particular themes, being implemented in a variety of early years settings, with different aged children and across the pedagogical continuum.
By choosing to look at the videos alone, there is a risk that educators are engaging at a surface level.
Going beneath the surface
As we dig into the evidence behind the videos, educators can explore evidence-informed approaches in greater detail to understand and reflect on their practice.
What – Read a definition of the approaches for each theme. Each one is supported by a list of practices which are typically part of the delivery of the approach.
- Which approaches are relevant to my individual context right now?
- Are there any approaches and practices I am already familiar and confident with? Are there any I want to develop and understand further?
Why – Explore the accessible evidence summaries. These give information on the strength of the evidence underpinning each approach. This has also supported us to Identify gaps in the evidence to inform future evidence generation.
- Could these approaches and practices have a positive impact for the individual children in my setting?
- Which approaches have the strongest evidence?
- Which ones will I implement?
How – Read the written scenarios, watch the approach and ’snapshot’ practice videos which explain how the approach could be implemented with the children in early years settings.
- How can I implement the approaches and practices that are right for my context and the individual children in my setting?
Evidence can support you to reflect on your practice, but it can’t tell you what to do – use it alongside your professional expertise. Combine your knowledge of the children in your care with research evidence to make evidence-informed decisions about supporting children’s learning and development.
By bringing the evidence to the surface, educators can be empowered to understand and articulate the what, why and how. Giving them confidence that what they are choosing to implement is going to have the most impact on children’s learning and development, in particular for those who are from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
For more information about how to use The Early Years Evidence Store follow this link: Finding your way around the Evidence Store.
The Early Years Evidence Store is designed by the EEF for Stronger Practice Hubs to use with early years providers. The aim is to support reflection and discussion about practice, using a shared language.
The Evidence Store will be developed over time, with more themes coming soon, so please do keep visiting.
Other resources and support
Find out where your local ‘Stronger Practice Hub’ is by accessing this link: Early years stronger practice hubs – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Keep up to date with our early years work
Sign up here and we’ll keep you up-to-date with our latest news and resources.