Recognising and supporting children under three as problem solvers.

This study provides evidence showing the ability of ten children under
three years of age to solve problems in managing their worlds. It analyses
a series of observations made over a ten-month period of these children 'at
work' in their nurseries. The analysis is set against current research and
takes account of the support provided to the children by their key person -
the adult who acts as their main carer in the nursery setting.
The study details the rationale for using nurseries as a research location; it
proposes a working definition of 'problem solving'; it describes the
ethical framework used in governing the conduct and use of the
observations, and the analytical framework to which the observations are
subjected.
The study shows that the use and development of the children's problem
solving capability in their nurseries is influenced by organisational factors
and that adult support is emotional as well as practical. It also raises
several issues: practitioners' perceptions of constraints placed by the
current Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, over-reliance on some
support methods to the exclusion of others, attitudes to risk taking,
acknowledging children's ownership of their problems and the use of
failure as well as success to support their learning. The study highlights
several areas worthy of further research, including the use of treasure
baskets to develop problem solving skills, recognition of children's
preferred patterns of thinking and an examination of what some
practitioners involved in the study termed 'intuitive support'.
Arising from this study is the question 'so, what happens next?' I suggest
that more discussion is required in early years settings about the use of
problem solving as a vehicle for very young's children's learning.
Furthermore, practitioners' roles in developing children's cognitive skills
and supporting their emotional needs must be part of this discussion.