ACTION RESEARCH 2008

Early Morning
Programme
 Action research in action . . .
Began term 2, 2008.
Data collection and observations terms 2 and 3,
2008.
Reflection ongoing but formally in term 4, 2008.

The big question

What effect does running an activities based
programme have on learning and behavior with a group of year 1
children?
 What is EMP?
 8:30 - 9:20(ish) every morning.
 A variety of activities set up for when
children arrive.
 Children can choose from what is out, but
often choose or request other activities.
 EMP ends when the time is right - it
sometimes continues on when actively
engaged and quality learning and
exploration is happening.
 Setting up

My aim is to provide a variety of

different activities that will appeal to a
variety of interests, and to vary the
choices over the week.
erimenting with
ayering paint
Drawing and writing . . .
. . . or maybe making darts!

The children
sometimes take
activities in a
different direction
to the one the
teacher might
have intended!
Language
activities
Puzzles
Cars and trains
Observing
gravity at
work!
Blocks
Clever Sticks
Getting into it . . .
Origami
Dough
Imaginative
exploration
 Dress up and

explore new possibilities

 Experimenting

The rubber
egg
Creatin
g
Learning together
Nurturing
living
things
Planting
Co-construction
Creative ideas with
Learning conversations
 Learning new skills

Conversation, negotiation, co-operation

Learning how to ask
Finding a space to ‘be’ and
ce and time to
ure interests
 Developing
ideas around
a topic
 Team
construction . . .
w York expo
 . . . New York
topic tall buildings
 Posing questions
I wonder what New
York is like . . .
. . . in
summer?

. . . in
winter?
New York cityscape
 Skyscrapers

and cityscapes
Great Wall of Room
ympic topic Term 3)
Workin
g
as part
Tidying is a team activity
lass involvement
 Before EMP (Term 1 ‘08) . . .
 Generally unsettled behavior throughout
the day.
 Children not developing effective
relationships.
 Difficult to get going at 9:00.
 General lack of listening and turn taking
skills.
 Thinking chair (behavior management)
visited often by a small group of children.
 After EMP (now) . . .
 A more settled and cohesive group.
 Children developing effective learning
relationships, more caring and thoughtful.
 Ready to engage in planned learning activities
as soon as we pack up.
 Development of effective listening and turn
taking skills.
 Thinking chair (behavior management) visited
very rarely - children are conscious of
consequences and do not put themselves in the
position of needing to go there.
 Outcomes . . .
Positive:
I cannot say for certain that EMP is the sole contributor to
the positive outcomes I have experienced, but I believe that
EMP has had a very positive effect on the class, the way
that they we all work together, and the way that the
children feel about themselves.

Negative:
EMP takes a lot of time and commitment in setting up, and
being present and engaged with the children right from 8:30
(effectively creating an extra 2.5 hours contact time a
week!). It also requires resources which can sometimes be
an issue. The age of the children participating and the time
 The Benefits of EMP: A Flow
On Effect Time set aside for
exploration of
developmentally
appropriate activities

increasing self- development of thinking;

awareness questioning and learning skills

increasing self- development of effective development of

management skills questioning techniques deeper thinking skills

increasing time increasing team thinking outside an opportuntiy to further

management skills awareness the box explore class topics

self-managing priorities building effective friendships developing an effective practicing effective

(eg. unpacking bag before and relationships team work environment learning strategies
choosing an activity

children gaining and belonging to a group: learning to self- the development of a kind, opportunities for teacher/
effectively managing finding a space to manage conflict in caring class that show buddy/peer exploration,
greater responsibility 'be' positive ways consideration and good manners modelling, learning
toward others

earning the trust of others: learning how to trust children feeling secure in creating an atmosphere in which plenty of opportunities to
parents, teachers, others hemselves and in the way children feel safe and supported scaffold learning through a
peers that they manage themselves enough to take appropriate risks variety of learning age groups