What is the difference between an Early Years Educator and a Teacher?
For many people including parents and practitioners, there is no difference between an early years educators and a teacher. However, there is a vast difference.
Early years practitioners or educators are often highly trained, highly skilled individuals who are knowledgeable about child development. Many hold relevant level three or even degree qualifications in early years and education. This does not, however, give them the teacher training, knowledge or qualification or the correct information to teach children. Let’s explore some of the difference between early years educators or practitioners and teachers –
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Qualifications of Early Years Educators and teachers
Teachers have gone through specific training to teach children under the national curriculum. They have acquired knowledge of strategies and techniques to deliver the national curriculum. Early years professionals have gone through training which enables them to support and promote development through play.
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The Framework Early Years Educators and teachers follow
Teachers teach the national curriculum which has strict guidelines on what a child needs to be taught and by what term in the year each child should be achieving the milestones. Early years educators follow the EYFS guidance which promotes play, supports children’s interests and allows greater flexibility in every child achieving milestones when they are ready. The EYFS does not require any teaching instead requires practitioners to support and promote through strong relationships and an enabling environment.
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The Children
Teachers teach children who are seen as a school ready or close to school ready; they are at the age which the UK sees as ready for formalised teaching; they are five or above. Early years practitioners cater for children who are 0-5, this is an age where the play is the most important tool in helping a child to learn. These children are not ready for formal teaching, it is the job of early years practitioners to give these children all the skills, confidence and tools they need to be school-ready and begin being taught by a teacher at the age of 5.
With this in mind, it is, therefore, unfair for practitioners to formally teach any child. Children in the early years should be playing, exploring, actively learning, creating and critically thinking. Although in some respects they need to be taught skills such as basic counting and even some may believe they need to be taught and encourage to read, write and learn phonics this done not need to be done through sitting children down and teaching them when they are under the EYFS. This can be all be achieved through play. Early years practitioners should hold off on any formal teaching of reading, writing and phonics as they have not been given the correct training or aware of the strategies in which schools follow to successfully teach children these skills. It is important to remember and to remind parents that the EYFS carries on into reception classes, and it is here that teachers will begin preparing children for completely formal teaching and give them the skills they need to read and write through whichever strategy the school follows.
Early years practitioners should hold off on any formal teaching of reading, writing and phonics as they have not been given the correct training or aware of the strategies in which schools follow to successfully teach children these skills. It is important to remember and to remind parents that the EYFS carries on into reception classes, and it is here that teachers will begin preparing children for completely formal teaching and give them the skills they need to read and write through whichever strategy the school follows. Early years educators are skilled, intelligent, well trained and highly knowledgeable, but they are not curriculum teachers.