EYFS Thinking Skills

Thinking Skills in EYFS

Rethinking the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS): putting the foundation back into the early years curriculum.

The first five years of a child's life are a time of rapid change and development. The illustration below shows the large differences in the development of synapses in the developing brain. Synapses are the way in which the neurons in the brain send messages to each other.

These connections are crucial for learning and development and can be affected by factors such as adverse environmental factors such as ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) or genes. Note especially the small difference between the age 2 and adult illustrations.

Source: Urban Child Institute, www.urbanchildinstitute.org

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Therefore, what happens in the early years is crucial for later learning and development. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a wide-ranging curriculum that seeks to support development and learning in the first five years of life. The non-statutory guidance 'Development Matters' includes guidance about creating and thinking critically.

However, when examined in detail, this section of Development Matters has very little to say about how children learn, focussing on task-orientated activities (such as sorting or sharing out strawberries). If we dig a little deeper into the non-statutory guidance, it is possible to find a section that deals with 'observing how children learn'.

This is not part of the statutory framework and can be overlooked. Given the emphasis in the statutory guidance on the products rather than the processes of learning, it is perhaps unsurprising that all too often there is a very narrow focus in the early years curriculum which, in my opinion, is due to an over emphasis on content rather than process.

A consistent feature of my frequent observations in Nurseries and early years settings is that much of the learning is task orientated. An over-emphasis on the early learning goals, which are just one element of the EYFS, is a contributory factor here. Overall, therefore the ‘foundation’ in the EYFS is lacking because children are mostly taught what to learn, not how to learn.

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Examples of Cognitive thinking skills

The ‘how’ of learning relates to the cognitive thinking skills that are important for children to develop because these are a foundation for accessing the ‘what’ of learning. The table below suggests some of these cognitive thinking skills.

One important aspect of learning is creative learning, which encourages children to explore and experiment with different ideas and concepts. This type of learning helps children to develop their problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to think outside the box. By developing creative learning environments, children are able to approach tasks and challenges in a more innovative and imaginative way, which can lead to greater success in their future academic and personal endeavors.

The cognitive thinking skills in the table are drawn from the work of Professor Reuven Feuerstein. Feuerstein suggested that cognitive functions, or thinking skills, can be divided into three phases:

Input: the cognitive thinking skills that the learner needs to gather all the information that they need to complete a task or solve a problem.
Elaboration: the cognitive thinking skills that the learner needs to complete a task or solve a problem
Output: the cognitive thinking skills that the learner needs to show what they have learned

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Input

Focussed perception: using all the senses to explore and gather information

Exploring a toy using hearing, sight, touch, taste.

Playing reciprocal games where baby/child has to use all senses in order to look and then imitate

Playing and exploring characteristic of effective learning: finding out and exploring

Listening and attention (ELG 01)

Spatial concepts

During outdoor play, running round and round or going up and down

Mathematics development (ELG 12)

Physical development (ELG 04)

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Systematic search

Looking carefully at objects and materials in the environment (for example, sand, water)

Playing and exploring characteristic of effective learning: finding out and exploring

Listening and attention (ELG 01)

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Labelling

Using labels and language to assist/direct play

Communication and language development (ELG 02)

Mathematics development (ELG 11/12)

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Planning

Deciding what to do first, second....etc

Choosing ways to do things and finding new ways (creating and thinking critically)

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Need for precision and accuracy

Being skilful in use of tools

Moving and handling (ELG 04)

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Elaboration

Cause and effect, logical and inferential thinking

Use of switched toys

Ask ‘what would happen if………..’ questions during play/exploration of materials (what would happen if I put some white paint into the red paint?)

What happens if………..I turn this upside down, put my hand in it, take my socks off

The world (ELG 14)

Literacy development (understanding what is read ELG 09)

Creating and thinking critically (mentions cause and effect)

Using what they know if their play

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Comparison

Being able to label and talk about toys and materials being used, using words such as ‘same’, ‘different’

Literacy development (ELG 09/10)

Mathematics development (ELG 11/12)

The world: similarities and differences in relation to places…(ELG 14)

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Planning and sequence

Planning play, following a sequence

Role play area play, where play sequences can be demonstrated (making a cup of tea, booking an appointment for the doctor)

Mathematics development (ELG 11)

Language: narrative sequence (ELG 03)

Creating and thinking critically (mentions sequence)

Choosing ways to do things

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Categorising

Activities that involve sorting and classifying such as grouping animals in a zoo or farm, sorting out the crayons into colour groups

Finding out and exploring

Mathematics development (ELG 11/12)

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Defining the problem

Setting up a problem solving situation: for example, after hearing the Billy Goats Gruff story, think of ways to cross a river, how to cross the bridge without disturbing the troll.

Using what they know in their play

Choosing ways to do things

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Output

Language (with increasing precision and accuracy according to age/stage)

Labelling and talking about experiences

Labelling what they have made or done, telling practitioner about what they have made

Communication and language development (ELG 03)

Restraining impulsivity (reducing trial and error behaviour)

Giving time to think about an activity before doing it

Offer choices of toys and materials to promote comparison and encourage thought before choosing

Being involved and concentrating

Managing feelings and behaviour (ELG 07)

Need for precision and accuracy

Dependent on level of motor development, making a precise and accurate imitation

Communication and language development (ELG 03)

Developing learning behaviours in EYFS

There are also a number of behaviours that can affect learning and the use of the above cognitive functions. Feuerstein called these non intellective factors. They include behaviour such as:

Persistence: Active learning: keeping on trying
Motivation: Active learning: enjoying achieving what they set out to do (task intrinsic motivation)
Openness to intervention/mediation: Self confidence and self awareness
Frustration tolerance: Being willing to have a go, self confidence and self awareness

How has this skewed approach to learning in the early years happened? I would suggest that it’s because there is too little knowledge about or recognition of the importance of developing children's thinking, reasoning and problem solving skills, what we might call ‘cognitive skills’.

It might be argued that many of these cognitive skills are developed through the rich variety of play activities that are offered in early years settings. However, because many adults in early years settings are not trained in how to support these skills, their emergence is more by chance than due to any structured, intentional input, or shared thinking and problem-solving.

Whilst this might not be an issue for typically developing children, it can leave children with additional needs lagging behind as they are less able to benefit from incidental learning through play and thus are less likely to develop critical thinking skills or creative thinking.

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Developing EYFS thinking skills abilities

Mediation is an important way of supporting and promoting the development of cognitive thinking silks. This is a very specific and intentional way of developing these skills.

There are specific characteristics of mediation that distinguish it from teaching. The essential characteristics are that the interaction is intentional, responsive to the needs of the child, emphasises meaning (‘we’re doing this because....’) and makes links to past and future problem solving (bridging).

Here are some examples of what these essential characteristics might look like in an interaction with a young child:

Mediation intention by making sure that interacting with the child is deliberate and not accidental. Offer a particular toy or activity, face the child and make eye contact, place an object in front of the child but just out of reach;
Mediate meaning by showing interest and enthusiasm. Words can be used: ‘look at this beautiful…….’ or facial expressions (for example opening eyes wide); and
Mediate in order to bridge; that is, to help the child to use their thinking skills in lots of different situations. Bridging helps children to make links between ideas and concepts,

Mediation shares some common ground with sustained shared thinking (SST). SST was identified as one of the characteristics of effective pre school learning by a large scale research project. The EPPE (Effective Provision of Pre school Education) project comments:

‘Sustained shared thinking’ occurs when two or more individuals ‘work together’ in an intellectual way to solve a problem, clarify a concept, evaluate an activity, extend a narrative etc. Both parties must contribute to the thinking and it must develop and extend the understanding. It was more likely to occur when children were interacting 1:1 with an adult or with a single peer partner and during focussed group work. In addition to sustained shared thinking, staff engaged in open-ended questioning in the settings where children made the most progress and provided formative feedback to children during activities. Adult ‘modelling’ skills or appropriate behaviour was often combined with sustained periods of shared thinking; open-ended questioning and modelling were also associated with better cognitive achievement.’ (Sylva et al, 2004).

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Embracing thinking skills in a cognitive curriculum

A Cognitive Curriculum for young children (Haywood et al, 1992) is one approach to supporting and promoting cognitive thinking skills. Bright Start is aimed at children aged 3 to 6 years and its focus is on the processes of learning.

In contrast to the EYFS, Bright Start teaches and promotes cognitive thinking skills very explicitly, using mediation. Therefore, the children who are less likely to ‘pick up’ these skills incidentally through play are given enhanced opportunities to develop their critical thinking, reasoning and problem-solving skills. The Bright Start website notes:

‘The primary goal of a cognitive curriculum in EYFS is to "stretch the mind:" to help children understand how they learn and think. It can help them to learn new information, skills and attitudes towards learning.’

This type of approach can be used with both typically developing children and with children who have additional needs. It is delivered to groups of 4 to 6 children for twenty to thirty minutes at least twice a week (daily is preferable).

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It is delivered in small groups and focuses on developing thinking skills through various activities and exercises. The curriculum is designed to improve children's problem-solving, decision-making, and creative thinking abilities.

It can therefore be easily fitted into the group time model that is often used in early years settings. Bright Start helps children to:

‘acquire effective tools of systematic, logical thinking, self-regulation, social interaction, and learning. These tools are essential for young children as they enter the early grades (about age 5-6) so that they effectively learn reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as, thinking through and understanding science, social sciences, arts, etc.’.

Bright Start consists of eight Units:

Self Regulation
Number Concepts
Comparison
Role Taking
Classification
Sequence and Pattern
Letter Shape Concepts
Transformation

Each Unit consists of up to 20 lessons. All lessons have a consistent structure. Cognitive functions (thinking skills) are identified for every lesson, as well as a rationale.

There is a main activity, sometimes with additional activities that provide some variation. All lessons contain a ‘bridging’ activity or discussion. This final part of the lesson delivers an important characteristic of mediation, where the child is assisted to make links to past and future learning.

Here is an example: In Unit 1, Self Regulation is introduced by playing a game with rules. The bridging activity and discussion is about other games that have rules and why rules are needed for certain activities.

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This type of approach actively encourages shared thinking where there is a collaborative approach to learning. It provides opportunities for children to develop and apply problem-solving skills, using a range of learning opportunities and approaches (such as open-ended questions)

In conclusion, the curriculum currently delivered in many early years settings lacks an emphasis on the ‘foundation’ element of the EYFS. It’s a little like building a house without digging the foundations; sooner or later the house will collapse.

Learning without the foundations of cognitive thinking skills is like a house with no foundations. If we give children the foundations for learning by using an explicit cognitive curriculum such as Bright Start then we might help to prevent later learning failure.

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EYFS Thinking Skills

Dr Jane Yeomans

Thinking Skills in EYFS