Nursery World - The Adult Role, Part 3

Confront the challenges posed by supporting adult-led and child-led learning appropriately, and be the supportive practitioner that the learner – and the context – demand, says author and adviser Julie Fisher

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Adult-led and child-led learning refer to the two ends of what is a much more complex continuum of children’s learning. Wherever learning falls on that continuum, there are challenges for the early years practitioner in supporting it well. As adult-led learning increasingly becomes ‘adult-insisted’ learning, then the gap between the two ends of this continuum widen and the role of the adult must change in order to offer support that is appropriate according to whoever is leading the learning.

In order to support any early learning in the appropriate way – wherever it falls on that continuum – practitioners need to be clear about whose purpose the activity or experience is ultimately serving and whose objectives are being met. If practitioners are not clear about the purpose of a learning situation, then there is always the possibility that they will offer the wrong kind of support in the wrong way and at the wrong time.

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