From Vacant to Engaged

Based on the fundamental truth that, you can have the best provision and the best resources in the world but if you have not got the engagement of the children that you are working with then the potential for high level learning is minimum to none.

From bestselling author Alistair Bryce-Clegg comes a book based on a fundamental truth: you can have the best teaching resources in the world at your disposal, but if you lack the engagement of the children you are working with, the potential for high level learning is minimal. For children to make progress in all aspects of their learning, the practitioners who work with them must have a good understanding of what the child already knows and can do (assessment). They should be able to create activities that will take the children forward to the next step in their learning (planning). Finally, they should measure the impact of those activities on the children's attainment (evaluation) and then the process can start again. The one crucial element that this model lacks, however, is engagement. This book will show through practical examples how early years practitioners can move away from the more traditional model of teaching to one that maintains all of the essential elements but is driven by engagement, the most powerful learning tool of all. It features advice on reflective practice, real examples to inspire, and how to make fundamental changes that will impact on children's learning in a hugely positive way.