Using interviews and a live recording of a learning environment, creativity is defined and discussed as both a central aspect of the curriculum and a developmental tool.

Supporting children’s learning in the early years - for iPod/iPhone

Creativity and early years

An introduction to the contents of this album.

Supporting children’s learning in the early years

A teacher observes and reflects on the learning patterns of the children she works with.

Learning with “mini-beasts”

How planning for children’s activities requires flexibility and adaptation.

Planning in teams

How adults support learning for children with special needs and mother tongues other than English.

Including all children

Three mothers discuss the importance of sharing information with learning practitioners, and how this two-way process can invigorate the development of children and their individuality.

Information and sharing

Sinead Donnelly, a primary one teacher in Northern Ireland, talks about the fantastic possibilities available when using audio/visual equipment and computers as a learning aid.

ICT and learning

How do young children learn, and how can adults help them? This album looks at how nursery teachers support children in their development. We follow a practitioner’s day, looking at how she works with children, observes and plans for further activities while she also records her thoughts and ideas using a video camera. Further video tracks reveal how creativity is nurtured in young children to develop their abilities, how an artist in residence works with nursery children, as well as how the work of bilingual and special needs assistants mean that no child is excluded from the learning process. The audio tracks cover the importance of parental input, and the fantastic opportunities available to develop children’s creativity using technologies. This material forms part of The Open University course E124 Supporting children’s learning in the early years.