Rachel Linfield

A principle that should guide early years settings is that ‘every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and selfassured’ (Department for Education, 2012). Lucy in the examples above typifies this principle. She demonstrated surprising maturity and an ease in speaking with adults. Yet, when more is known about Lucy’s home background, her social skills and desire to please are less surprising. Lucy’s parents were divorced and never spoke to each other. Lucy spent half the week with her mother and soon to be stepfather, and the second half with her father and nanny. Wednesdays were changeover days. These were the occasions when Lucy needed to ensure she had all she required for the coming half-week. Throughout the year, Lucy successfully managed her own school needs such as remembering to bring in her book bag, costumes for plays, and ingredients for cooking. She also always asked for two letters for school events. Lucy’s independence and ability to take responsibility, not only for herself, but also to ensure each parent knew what they needed to know, showed many traits that one would associate with a child of greater age and was a surprise to me as her class teacher. On reflection, however, it highlighted the need to not limit what we might expect from a child. As Thomas, when discussing children’s competence (cited in Waller, 2005) argues, ‘children often turn out to be more capable and sophisticated than they are given credit for.’

This book forms part of a series of key texts which focus on a range of topics related to primary education and schooling.

Ideally, before starting on the frieze, children will have had the opportunity to see some signs of spring. You might have been on a walk to see buds on trees and spring flowers. If this is not possible, pots of snowdrops, hyacinths, tulips and daffodils could be brought into the setting as each flower is due to appear on the frieze.

Invited presentation to UG Primary Education (3-11) lecturers

Rachel Linfield and Erin Ireland turned to basic and available resources to help children’s science learning during lockdown.

Presentation for the Carnegie School of Education Research Seminar Series 2019-20

This chapter explores the areas of talk, reading, and writing to show how schools can develop inspiring learning opportunities based on principled pedagogy which permeate across the school to create meaningful learning experiences for the children. Once the audience, purpose, and context of the writing activity have been established it is very important to support children through the actual process of writing. The subject of English in the primary school has been the focus of great debate for educationalists, politicians, and the general public. The news agenda is focused each year on the percentage of pupils in Year 6 who leave school ‘being able’ to read or write. The development of talk and the centrality of it in the Early Years and Key Stage 1 is crucial. The passion of individual teachers supported and exemplified by the senior leaders in a school is paramount to ensuring genuine conversations take place.

It is well known to primary teachers that effective assessment of children requires a multi-faceted approach (Sparks Linfield 1994). Equally, written feedback on a piece of work is often not understood by the pupils themselves (Sparks Linfield 1995). As one proceeds through secondary and tertiary education, this situation changes little, with the best attempts to set ‘perfect' assessments still leading to misinterpretation by students. It is also true that students often do not always recognise what is meant by the term ‘feedback' and have difficulty in interpreting and understanding the feedback that they receive, even with the most careful and targeted advice in advance. (Sutcliffe et al 2014) In 2010 the National Union of Students released a ‘Charter for Assessment and Feedback' which outlined ten principles for effective assessment and feedback. Despite this charter, the National Student Survey (NSS) in 2014 still showed twenty-eight percent of students were not satisfied. ‘Assessment and feedback was again rated the lowest by students, with just seventy-two percent saying they were satisfied with this, the same level as last year.' (Grove 2014) This poster considers research carried out in 2014 when the Year 2 cohort of students on a Bachelor of Arts Primary Education course were asked to complete a questionnaire inviting views on feedback on assessment they found most helpful in clarifying things they did not understand. Analysis of completed questionnaires revealed that although students' experiences of feedback and assessment within their first year of study had broadly matched the principles outlined within the NUS Charter, twenty-five percent of students still were not satisfied. Results from the cohort showed a desire for a range of types of feedback including a wish for face-to-face discussion to enable them to both assess their understanding of feedback comments and feed-forward actions. In addition, a common theme emerged: a lack of perception by students of their own roles and responsibilities within the assessment/feedback cycle. Recommendations are made for ways to overcome the challenge to provide assessment feedback that aims to give total satisfaction.

The article focuses on a study regarding the impact of being an insider researcher on data collection and analysis in teacher education. The study was focused on a problem-based learning approach that was introduced in professional studies modules of teachers of a university as a trainee. There are various difficulties in a qualitative insider research including unwillingness to reveal insecurities to colleagues, offending the sensibilities of individuals and criticizing each other.

This article considers the use of Compulsory Online Named Evaluations by Students, (CONES) as a method to achieve 100 percent response rates, of benefit for university accountability, as well as encourage meaningful evaluation and reflection on modules and professional practices by student teachers. In addition, it is suggested that the freedom of opportunity for student teachers to complete the CONES at a preferred time within a given submission period, (one month) does not necessarily affect the quality or quantity of reflection. In order to develop student teachers’ reflections on personal professional practice, within evaluations, it is proposed that greater use of scaffolding is included within future iterations of CONES. The research took place in a public university within the north of England working with an opportunity sample composed of eighty, first year student teachers on a Bachelor of Arts, with Honours Primary Education degree leading to Qualified Teacher Status, (QTS).

Start by making a collection of photographs and pictures of cold, winter weather. Include pictures of snow, frost, pink wintry skies and dull grey days. As a group, look at the pictures. Encourage children to think whether they have experienced the weathers shown. Many three-year-olds may have had little, if any, experience of snow and may be unaware of its properties. Talk about frost, ice and icicles as frozen water.

Learning intentions • Pupils will use their senses to explore and recognise the similarities and differences between materials. • They will sort objects into groups on the basis of simple material properties. • They will find out about the uses of a variety of materials and how these are chosen for specific uses on the basis of their simple properties. • They will recognise and name common types of material and recognise that some of them are found naturally.

Are you desperate for some way to use up all that left-over Christmas wrapping paper? Rachel Sparks Linfield reveals some innovative recycling ideas.

Understanding Electricity is a video to explain and demonstrate the use of the British Gas (1990) ‘Understanding Electricity’ work card resource packs. Rachel Sparks was the lead presenter and consultant.