Psychology, Teachers and the Early Years Psychologie

Psychology is one of the disciplines that provides education with a theoretical basis from which to inform the teaching and learning processes. This article examines squarethe areas of psychology to which early years teachers are typically introducedsquarethe implications of these psychological perspectives on classroom practicesquarealternative psychological perspectives and their implications for practice in the early years. The critical question addressed in this article is whether it is possible for early years teachers to achieve an understanding and appreciation of children's behaviour and development without also having insights into their own behaviour and family background? It is argued that teachers must recognise the importance of their own background as a key factor in how they look at children, teaching and events in the classroom; that how they were treated as children has a bearing on the way they too, relate to the children in their care; and that there will be echoes of their own up bringing in the way they face the tasks and challenges of teaching. It is particularly important that these issues are addressed by early years teachers given their potential influence on young children's social and emotional development.