Association for Professional Development in Early Years Undertaking a Reflections paper offers you the chance to have a short paper web-published and responded to by like minded professionals. These are a popular part of our website and we always welcome more papers. Please contact Rory McDowall Clark with your thoughts, ideas or draft/completed papers. How to write your reflections article – information here.
Student Reflections Award
Once again we are inviting students at any level to submit a Reflections paper for the TACTYC Student Award. Last year’s winner was Emma Bailey who accepted her cheque at the 2017 conference (see Emma’s paper below). We are looking forward to seeing what topics will be raised this year – closing date July 16th.
** Download a flyer here **
Papers submitted to the ‘Reflecting on Early Years Issues’ section:
2018 Reflections
- We don’t play guns at nursery – why we need to talk about weapon play – Amy Perkins
- Being Bold in 2018 – Di Chilvers
2017 Reflections
- Trade Unionisation of Ireland’s Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Workforce – Colette Saunders
- Embracing the neurodiversity movement – Jaime-Lee Knight
- Placing trust in play – Emma Bailey
- ‘You’ve got a secret smile and you use it only for me’: infants’ intentional communication within the home – Caroline Guard
- When we look, what do we see? – Linda Withey
- Getting its Act Together: Why we need stronger EU leadership in developing a common EU framework for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) – Bronwen Cohen
2016 Reflections:
- Who owns the ‘rights’ to early development – Gareth Betts-Davies
- Using Rhizomatic Thinking in Early Childhood Pedagogy to Avoid Making Other into Same – Johanna Cliffe and Carla Solvason
- Literacy through music – Maria Kay
- Screening the word learning of bilingual toddlers: A first guide – Dr. Allegra Cattani
- Entitlement or commodity? Tensions between universalism and marketisation in English early childhood education – Nathan Archer
2015 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- The impact of Early Years Teachers upon quality: views of managers and Early Years Teachers – Paige Alim
- Reflections on Quality in Early Years – Penny Webb
- Children’s Rights in Early Childhood Provision: A Comparative Study – Aline Cole-Albäck
- Food for Thought – Linda Withey
- Childcare: a Business? – Jemima Murray
2014 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Continuing professional development for teaching assistants: encouraging competence or ensuring performance? – Dr. Sally Neaum
- The significance of relational pedagogy to young children’s speech, language and communication in early years settings – Dr. Caroline Blackburn
- Are we there yet? – Helen Parkins
- Making reflective practice more effective practice – Hilary Smith and Lucy Driver
- Child’s Play? Does ‘subject’ learning having a role in pretend play? – Maulfry Worthington
- Children as Experts in Infant School transitions – Megan Taddeo
- Supporting children with chronic medical conditions in the Early Years Foundation Stage: a case for discrimination? – Dr. Jackie Musgrave.
- Crossing Continents – Dr. Kathy Goouch and Dr. Sacha Powell
- The McMillan Sisters and the ‘Deptford Welfare Experiment’ – Dr Pam Jarvis
2013 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Supervision and Adult Attachment – Geoff Taggart and Jo Elsey
- Seeking Froebel’s ‘Mother Songs’ in Daycare for Babies – Dr Sacha Powell, Dr Kathy Goouch and Louie Werth
- The phonics check for Year 1 children in England: unresolved issues of its value and validity after two years – Professor Margaret M Clark OBE
- Margaret McMillan’s Ideals for Early Years Teacher Education: The Impact on Contemporary ITE Teacher Development – Dr Betty Liebovich
- Research Brief: working in partnership with parents to create inclusive environments for children, aged 0-3 years, with chronic health conditions: parents’ perspectives – Jackie Musgrave
- Valuing languages of spirituality: listening to two- and three-year olds in a day nursery in England – Dr. Gill Goodliff
- ‘Between the time that you are born and the time that a man goes into childcare…at what point is he influenced towards it?’ The values, beliefs and reported practices/experiences of six male practitioners within early childhood education and care in England – Charlotte Jones
- Can using transitions story guides support parents and children in understanding their transition journeys? – Sue Johnson
- Supporting the Development of Reflective Dispositions for Professional Practice – Dr. Karen Hanson
- Recontextualisation in the ‘region’ of early years professional knowledge – Jim Hordern
- An exploration of practitioners’ perspectives of promoting sustained shared thinking in an early childhood setting……a case study – Anne Purdon
- Embedding Ethicality within Student Practice-Approaches and Dilemmas – Carla Solvason
- Quiet undertones to promoting literacy in early years: a reflective experience – Lisa Fairclough
- By-passing the debate: beyond the ‘technology question’ in the early years – Associate Professor Suzy Edwards- Response – Rory McDowall Clark | Response – Natalia Kucirkova
- What in the world is happening to babies? A critical perspective of research and support for baby room practitioners in England – Dr Sacha Powell and Dr. Kathy Goouch
- Is there space for the child in partnership with families? – Rory McDowall Clark | Response – Dr. Margaret Simms
- Seeking a successor: who can light up this dark world? – Sandra Smidt
2012 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Pretend play and mathematics – informing the ‘school readiness’ debate – Maulfry Worthington
- Music matters in early years’ settings – Mary Fawcett
- Research and the Early Years Practitioner-Researcher – Carla Solvason
- Payment By Results – what is the impact on practitioners, researchers, parents and children? – Anita Soni
- The Diverse Communication Needs of Young Children in the Foundation Stage Reflecting on Policy to Practice Issues – Carolyn Blackburn
- A Summary of Critical Commentary on Reforming the Early Years Foundation Stage (the EYFS): Government Response to Consultation – Richard House
2011 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- The Baby Room Project – Dr. Kathy Goouch and Dr. Sacha Powell
- Magnificent Sunrise: Critical Writing Explained – Dr. Margaret Simms
- Reading for Reflection: how reading and critiquing a research paper can stimulate personal reflection – Elizabeth Appleton
2010 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Transistion from Kindergarten to School in Estonia – Kerstin Kööp
- “It’s hard for me, I move a lot”: Designing and implementing a one-year Pilot Project to Support Service Children at Halton School during periods of Mobility and Parental Deployment – Joy O’Neill
- On Learning from the Research Successful: how do teacher educators ever become established researchers? – Jean Murray
- ‘Practitioners’ Experiences’ – what difference has the EYFS made? – Dr. Liz Brooker
- Dance for young children can provide so much more than physical exercise. Could Early Years practitioners be the key to extending this learning opportunity to more children? – Mandy Fouracre
- Making sense of Swedish practice: is it that different from practice in Wales? – Alyson Lewis
- Supply – but no demand? – Amanda Thomas
- Reclaiming Our Children’s Rights from the Jaws of School Effectiveness – Jane Murray
2009 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL): Panacea or Pandora’s Box? – Dr. Sue Bingham
- ‘Research’ in early childhood settings: a pause for thought – Prof. Angela Anning | Response from Michelle Garcia Diaz | Response from Laura Ashton
- ‘Key Group Time’ is a time for Intimacy: ‘Circle Time’ is a time for group thinking – Why They Must be Different – Dorothy Y. Selleck | Response from Estelle Martin
- Can Forest School Act as a Spur to Better Quality Outdoor Experiences? – Sara Knight | Response from Mallika Kanyal
- The play’s the thing: redefining and rethinking play –
Sandra Smidt | Response from Michelle Garcia Diaz, with feedback from Sandra Smidt and comments from Janet Moyles | Response from Karla Roberts | Response from Cate Mawby
2008 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- How can young children’s mental health be promoted in the early years within the Early Years Foundation Stage? – Anita Soni
- Understanding Racism – Jane Lane
2007 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Early Years in Crisis? Reflecting on the past ten years, hoping for the future – Margaret Edgington
- Creativity and Possibility in the Early Years – Anna Craft
- Summer-Born Children Deserve Equal Opportunities – Jane Payler and David Whitebread | Response from Joanne Williamson
- Early Years Professional Status (EYPS): The joys of assessing! – Jane Payler | Response from Margaret Simms
2006 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- The rights and wrongs of parenting programmes – Elizabeth Brooker
- Dimensions of early years professionalism – attitudes versus competences? – Avril Brock
- Recruitment and Retention of Early Years and Childcare Practitioners in Private Day Nurseries – Margaret Simms
- What is meant by ‘synthetic phonics and what impact will the Rose Report have on our teaching of reading before formal school age? – Sue Vermes | Response from Hilary McEvoy
- The Rose Report in context: What will be its impact on the teaching of reading? – Professor Margaret Clark
- Seeing the Wider Picture. Reflections on the Reggio Emilia Approach – some evidence from research – Theodora Papatheodorou
2005 Reflections: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005
- Reflecting on creativity and cognitive challenge: visual representations and mathematics in early childhood – some evidence from research – Maulfry Worthington | Response from Torill Hindmarch
- Writing Up Research Involving Child Participants: some Reflections by Ian, aged 5 years – Deborah Albon
- Children, Food and Jamie Oliver! – Kate Wagner
- Children, Divorce and Family Relationships – Jayne Woodhouse
- SureStart, Families and Debt
Amanda France - Playing: the Reading Game and Phonics – Dominic Wyse | Response from Marian Whitehead | Response from Lyndsay Johnston
- Leadership: an essential ingredient or an optional extra for quality early childhood provision? – Jillian Rodd | Response from Margaret Simms
- Early mathematics achievement in the context of the National Numeracy Strategy – Carol Aubrey
- Analysing and Understanding Research Findings: practitioner/researcher interaction – Hilary Fabian | Response from Simon Jones