Does the IEYC make learning enjoyable and fun?
Reports have confirmed that children love learning with the IEYC – we have a lot of qualitative evidence of this, and you only need to see the class dojo posts from the teachers and attend our Exit Parties to see this.
Does the IEYC reflect and respect their own cultural context?
National mindedness is as important as international mindedness. The development of national and international dimensions is a central part of the IEYC and all our units demonstrate respect for different cultural contexts. As well as being the first Early Years curriculum to specifically support cultural understanding through International Learning Outcomes, the IEYC activities are often founded on helping children understand both their own culture and those of others.
How do parents know their children are learning?
Parents, care givers and guardians are particularly conscious of the progress their children are making. Whilst they want the activities in which their children are involved to be fun, they also expect to see learning taking place. We know that the activities are crucial to improving learning and the IEYC is explicitly focused on learning by doing. Activities are designed to support the excitement and engagement of children. Our principles are written specifically so that wellbeing and the involvement of children is high.
Each unit of the IEYC provides a letter to parents, care givers and guardians which explains what their children will be learning, what they will be doing in school/Early Years setting and how they might help at home. In addition to this, the IEYC helps to engage parents in children’s learning through regular opportunities to get involved with Entry and Exit Point activities. The 1st edition IEYC Self-Review Process values the contributions of parents, care givers and guardians. Furthermore, it includes a specific strand in the rubrics dedicated to ‘Community’.
Is the quality of teaching material good?
Many adults associate both a curriculum and ‘learning’ with textbooks, which might reflect their own experiences of learning in school/Early Years setting. They will need to be reassured that the lack of textbooks and worksheets for the IEYC isn’t hindering their children’s learning. Without a doubt this is one of the most difficult, but legitimate, issues for parents, care givers and guardians. They may see textbooks as either a cultural necessity or an important indicator that children are working. The proof of the effectiveness of IEYC is seen through improvements in learning rather than the books or materials used. So, it is important to show parents, care givers and guardians that learning has taken place. It is also crucial to invite parents to share their own observations to support each unique child.
