ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author discusses one of the main findings of the Celebrating Children's Learning project – that we need to go beyond these obscure and dry discussions about 'data'. He argues that good early education can enable children to develop a wider network of relationships, to play, to practise skills, to find multiple ways of communicating and sharing ideas, make new connections and gain new knowledge. The author argues that practitioners need to get to know each child, using 'keen observation', and that in order to notice what is important about children's development and learning, we need to offer a broad, rich and varied curriculum. He also argues that where there is a rich learning environment and a rich curriculum, practitioners will have more opportunities to find out what children know and can do, how they think and develop their ideas, and what sorts of misconceptions and barriers to learning they might have.
