Author: lybrock

The ERS-SDEC may be applied by individual or groups of practitioners to audit their education for sustainable development curriculum. It is free to download below and has been developed to help practitioners and preschool centre mangers in setting ESD curriculum development priorities. Where the scale is used by a single practitioner within their own setting, the scale can be applied to support curriculum development through identifying priorities, setting targets and managing change without difficulties. But wherever any form of comparison is involved between teaching and learning contexts or settings:

• training will be required to develop a shared understanding the use and the role of the scale;
• training will also be required to ensure common understandings of the quality criteria (definitions and cultural variations) and in;
• many cases a ‘critical friend’ should also be involved to provide support and validation (this may be an local authority adviser or an academic who has applied the instrument in other contexts.

SchemaPlay offers training for trainers in the use of the scale and may be able to put you in contact with a local provider: Contact: admin@schemaplay.com

As in other early childhood environmental rating scales, the ERS-SDEC identifies both curriculum and pedagogic provisions and it requires the evaluator to make their own observations. Our intention has been to develop the instrument as a both a research tool, and also as a self-assessment tool for practitioners. Where it is applied by an outside researcher they will be required to ask practitioners for information about their practices, and to seek evidence that confirms these practices. The ERS-SDEC applies the same rating procedures and may be applied conveniently alongside more elaborate and comprehensive quality rating scales such as the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Revised (ECERS-R) (Harms, Clifford and Cryer, 1998) or the English Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale – Extension (ECERS-E) (Sylva, Siraj-Blatchford, & Taggart, 2003). But in any comparative or collaborative research context there will always be a need to ensure inter-rater reliability and it is important that users recognise the need for external or collective moderation and/or validation. If you are intending to use the instrument for comparative research purposed please let us know and we will be able to provide further advise or support. Contact: john@schemaplay.com
Details of the international trials carried out in development of the instrument may be found at:
Siraj-Blatchford, J., Park, E., and Mogharreban, C. (Eds.) (2016) International Research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood, Springer International Publishing

ERS-SDEC Downloads

Preschool Outdoor Environment Measurement Scale (POEMS)

Available for order online here

Designed as a self-study, this US scale is intended to raise the quality of the preschool outdoor environment and promote their use in teaching, research, and practice. It includes a user guide, the scale and a scoring protocol, reliability and validity information, and a technical assistance manual for program improvement and planning. The scale addresses environments for children age 3-5 years. (Additional Scoring Protocols sold separately.)

This page provides ten collections of books that have been put together to support children’s schematic learning. When we identify the particular schemes that feature in a children’s free flow play, it provides us with an opportunity to build upon what the child knows and what they can do.

For SchemaPlay publications click here.

Picture Story Books to support Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Citizenship will be found here.

Peters Books provide a 30% discount on all titles purchased by SchemaPlay settings: Simply apply the discount code SCHEMA30 at the checkout. Recommended titles below:

Connecting	Containing	Counting	Enclosing and Enveloping	Ordering
Print	Print	Print	Print	Print
Rotating	Sequencing	Sorting and Grouping	Trajectory	Transporting
Print	Print	Print	Print	Print

This page provides a collection of Picture Story Books that have been put together to support the OMEP-UK Early Childhood Education for Sustainable Citizenship Award.
For more information about the OMEP-UK ESC Award click here.
For SchemaPlay publications click here.
SchemaPlay training opportunities are listed here.
Peters Books provide a 30% discount on all titles purchased by SchemaPlay settings: Simply apply the discount code SCHEMA30 at the checkout. Recommended titles below:

Animals	Communities	Diversity	Environment	Water	Weather
Print	Print	Print	Print	Print	Print