Studying for Your Early Years Degree

Jackie Musgrave is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Early Childhood at the University of Worcester.  She qualified as a sick children’s nurse and then taught early childhood care and education at a college of Further Education.  She has taught Higher Education students for the past 10 years. Jackie has a Masters degree from the University of Sheffield, where her research focused on an aspect of practice-based learning for level 3 students. Her doctorate research examined the effect of chronic health conditions on young children’s inclusion in their early education and she has just been awarded her PhD. Nicola Stobbs initially trained as a primary school teacher, and worked as a class teacher for 5 years.  She worked at a pre-school and was promoted to the manager’s position, running the setting for another 12 years.  She has an MA in Early Childhood and also gained Early Years Professional Status.  During her time as a setting manager Nicola was a mentor for many students on placement.  She is committed to providing excellent care for children and supporting students to become the excellent practitioners that children deserve.  She now works at the University of Worcester supporting student practitioners. Maggi Savin-Baden is Professor of Education at the University of Worcester. She has researched and evaluated staff and student experiences of learning for over 20 years. Maggi has a strong publication record of over 40 research publications and 13 books, 6 in the field of problem-based learning. She is currently completing a book on Researching  Education for a Digital Age,. In her spare time she bakes, runs, rock climbs and is about to undertake her first Olympic distance triathlon.

Part 1: Learning in higher education





Preparing for university and making effective use of induction
How to become competent and confident in your learning
Becoming a critically reflective thinker and learner
Critical reading, critical writing and referencing
Assessment and feedback
Understanding and using policy and legislation
Learning in a digital age
Exploring creativity
Working with others at university 


 Part 2: Applying learning to the workplace





Learning in the workplace
Becoming a reflective practitioner
Safeguarding: understanding your responsibilities
Learning to be an ethical practitioner
Doing your research project
What next?