ABSTRACT
Arguably, the early years classroom is in the best position to fit with the adhocratic approach advocated in the last chapter. This is because teaching practices, and indeed policy documents, often stress the importance of flexibility in the organisation of activities; for instance, the Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (DfEE, 2000, p.11) states in its principles that this should include ‘provision for the different starting points from which children develop their learning’. It also states that this should be available indoors and outdoors. Furthermore, opportunities need to be available for activities initiated by children themselves as well as adults. More recent documentation, including the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (DCSF, 2007) and the Key Elements of Effective Practice (KEEP) (DfES, 2005a), demonstrate overt connection to examples of research such as REPEY (Research into Effective Pedagogy in the Early Years), (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2002) EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre-school Education) (Sylva et al., 2004) and SPEEL (Study of Pedagogical Effectiveness in Early Learning) (Moyles et al., 2002). Thus, KEEP (p.11), drawing from this research, suggests that one element of effective practice is that ‘practitioners need to develop, demonstrate and continuously improve their understanding of the individual and diverse ways that children develop and learn’.
