Just out of intrest how many people on early years courses?

[dylanthecat]

Ive noticed a lot of people on here have questions about early years courses.

So how many of us are there? and what levels are we working towards?

Maybe we should start a thread and pool our knowledge (especially about piaget I hate that man!)

I am currently working towards a level 4 and (if I pass touch wood!) will start level 5 next year.

Just being nosey really

I quite like Bruner's theory . Don't get much of it, but understand the scaffolding bit (have been writing a lot about him and Vygotsky this week )

I like Tizzard and Hughes Young children learning talking and thinking at home and at school i manage to use it for everything i do

Been writing about Bruner, Piaget and Vygotsky this week. Discuss the difference question.

Don't think 'they all copied each other' is the right answer though -but its what I think

I would be inclined to go with what you think then MW, but make sure you back it all up!

I've just written the bibliography for my literature review. We were only supposed to use 4/5 books on that bit. So far, I have managed to take stuff from about 14/15 books . I'm still no nearer to finishing the damn thing though .

hi am just finishing my classroom ass levelone on the NCFE and they have gone and changed the whole of next year round so instead of doing the NCFE level 2 will be doing TA NVQ level 2 .Any one else been affected

Sorry Rowe, not been affected but is there a big difference? Don't know what NCFE is, but know what NVQ is having done it myself.

Im not sure what the diffrence is either do you still do it at work like an NVQ?

Ohhhhh...I feel at home!

I'm just finishing the first year of a full time FD in Early Childhood Studies. I'm struggling with a 4000 word Psych portfolio at the moment and finding really dull. Tragic really as the rest of the course has bees inspirational. Maybe the psych lecturer wasn't just duff if the rest of you hate Piaget too.

I just have a work-based learning essay to do in the summer and a few bits'n'bobs on my study skillz and I can finally read a fiction book again......bliss!

I have my personal development file due in tommorro (not finished) curriculum frameworks essay due in on monday (half done) and workbased learning report due in the monday after (not started) then Im finished untill october

well unless I fail something then I have to redo it but im not going to even think about that!

My senior lecturer is close to retirement so I think she is v. relaxed. We are all bringing in our PDP's one day in June and having a class picnic. Have no idea what to do for WBL essay yet - have run out of brain space. Last week I had to hand in three essays. It nearly killed me.

my work based learning project had to last all year already done a presentation on it- introducing the jolly phonics songs in order to increase phonemic and phonlogical awearness picked purely because dd owned the cd

you get a class picnic thats not fair!

I going to add this to my watch list so i can read it after i have done my ironing, as i am thinking of doing a course for when i go back to work.

I just wonder how many jobs there are.

Depends where you want to work and at what level really, private day nurserys there tend to be quiet a few jobs but the staff are overworked underpaid and underappreciated

BUT if its what you want to do I find that the fact that you love your job makes up for that! dont know what other people think about that

It makes me sad (incert baby sign here)that people will happily leave there baby with you from 8-6 but then there attitude is your JUST a nursery nurse, or are they just the ones ive come accross?

If the government are serious about atracting a lot of well qualified practitioners in to this line of work then they will have to do something about the pay and the way people see the job. Most people dont even realise how well qualified some practitioners can be!

ok rant over! sorry about that

dylanthecat- agree 100% across the board not just nursery staff but all childcare workers are underpaid and under appreciated

the governement need to change things and supply funding etc to support the childcare costs in order to increase pay for those working with the children.

just finished my nvq3 in playwork, not sure if i still want to work with children though.

what makes me laugh is the image people have of us playing with playdough all day!

South if you arnt sure then it would probably send you a bit mad doing it forever! is there anything else you could do with that nvq or would you have to retrain?

i could probably get some sort of job in the office that deals with schemes etc, playwork isn't exactly usable many places afaik

I would imagine if you arnt sure you want to work with children thats a sign you are ready to move on and do something else, you really have to love it or you would hate every minite and they can pick up on that

it's the hours more than anything, after school and holidays, i do like working with them

is there nothing you can do with beter hours that involves them like a playgroup, crech(sp?) or play bus something like that?

I know some one who is talking about setting up a playbus could you not find some other people to do that with? (dont know if you like that idea but it sounds like fin to me)

fun not fin

yes i'm going to look into other options where i can use my nvq just want more school friendly hours, seem to have alot of work during the summer so will have a think and hopefully be more on track in september.

After school and holidays are really awkward at least in school hours you dont have to pay for childcare

PPD file is finished! All 300 pages of it! Ive just finnished the contents page

I can do college work and mumsnet at the same time do you think that would look good on a cv?!

a good example of multi-tasking i feel