Early Years Education Foundations

Within this class you'll take a trip back in time to explore the world of Urie Bronfenbrenner and to gain a deeper understanding of the context that gave birth to his ideas and theory of early years education. Ideas, theories and concepts are not born in isolation, they're often products of their environments and inspired by the worlds and context around them at that time. Urie Bronfenbrenner was no different, so to truly understand his ideas you first need a deeper look into his world.

In this lesson you'll explore the foundation of Urie Bronfenbrenner's ideas and take a deep dive into his Ecological Systems Theory. By exploring the 5 systems that Bronfenbrenner lays out you'll gain an understanding of the complexity of interconnected worlds that influence a child's knowledge, behaviours, values and so much more! With the rise of digital and social media our worlds are becoming ever more complex and interconnected which is why it's so important we have a strong understanding of the ways in which these systems influence a child and what we can do to support healthy development.

This is the first of three lessons exploring some practical usages of Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory in modern day settings, schools and homes. In this lesson you'll kick things off with a look at the importance of children feeling a sense of belonging within their educational settings, home, local community etc..as well as, someways in which we can help promote this feeling of belonging within our settings.

The next practical usage is our relationships and the relationships children have with other teachers, family members, friends etc...Through the eyes of Bronfenbrenner relationships were a pivotal aspect of a child's environment and thus a major component of their learning, understanding of the world and overall development. In this lesson you'll explore the importance of relationships in the early years to provide children with the safe space they require to explore their own curiosity, wonder and awe.

Within this class you'll explore the importance of recognising the 'Unique Child' through the eyes of Urie Bronfenbrenner, especially focusing on the importance of the environment and child led exploration and enquiry. We all know that children aren't robots but so often our curriculums resemble tick lists straight out of the EYFS with little regard for the individuals child's needs and context.

With the recent technological boom across the globe, the growth of social media online and the ease at which young children are now accessing tablets and other technological devices, the world has signifcantly shifted since the days of Urie Bronfenbrenner's work. So to has our understanding of child development and the ways in which our brains best grow and ascertain new information. However, how much of his work is still relevant in this day and age? Can we still use his Ecological Systems theory to provide us with an understanding of how a child's environments impact them in different complex ways?