ABSTRACT
The relationship between the child, the adult and the environment is the key to both developing and sustaining children's involvement in their play. The Adult Style Observation System (ASOS) is built around the three dimensions of stimulation, sensitivity and autonomy. The quality of the pre-school directly impacts on the children's intellectual and social/behavioural development. Bertram explains that the Effective Early Learning framework is symbiotic and negotiated, because not only does the adult style of engagement impact on the child's involvement but the child's involvement affects the adult's engagement. The quality of autonomy is very important in encouraging negotiation and conflict resolution. Many settings first introduced peer observation as part of a quality assurance scheme. These feelings and developments by the staff members in both the above encounter and in the National Strategies project demonstrate an effective community of practice along with the knowledge we have on the long-term benefits to children's holistic development.
