Feeling helpless and lacking control in your own learning and wider life seems to be a common attribute being noticed in children and young people currently. It is important to begin unpicking this from early childhood…Dr Sue Allingham reflects on how the EYFS Characteristics of effective teaching and learning are supporting children to be resilient and build a growth mindset…yet what goes wrong the minute they step into a school?

Read Sue’s article:

Learned helplessness: Are we setting children up for failure? –

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/learned-helplessness/

Listen to more:

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Life skills over academic achievement with Zanna Clarke and Carmela Garcia Manas -

https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/life-skills-over-academic-achievement/

Growth mindset in early childhood with Matt Bawler - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/growth-mindset-in-early-childhood/

Self-efficacy in young children with Maureen Hunt - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/self-efficacy-in-young-children/

Starting from the child? With Professor Julie Fisher - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/starting-from-the-child/

Telling hopeful stories of advocacy, agency and rights in ECEC with Dr Jo Albin-Clark and Dr Nathan Archer - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/advocacy-agency-and-rights-in-early-childhood/

It’s not really about dinosaurs with Jan Dubiel - https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-curriculum/

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Episode break down:

00:00 – What is ‘learned helplessness?’ 05:45 – Characteristics of effective teaching and learning 06:45 – What goes wrong the minute they step into a school? 07:20 – Preconceived curricula 08:40 – Sustained shared thinking 09:15 – Are we setting children up for failure? 09:35 – The opposite of learned helplessness 11:50 – A societal slide towards learned helplessness 12:10 – What is this like in university? – Is it a ‘Covid thing?’ 17:35 – The impact of mental health 20:15 – Equipping children with skills to deal with emotions 24:10 – Maths and learned helplessness 27:00 – Are we limiting children’s capabilities? 29:00 – Age related expectations 31:30 – Developing life skills 33:20 – Pushing children to progress without breaking them! 40:45 – Development before progress… 42:25 – Is it easier to follow a scheme than set your own planning? 48:10 – Problematising learned helplessness further 51:20 – Admitting that we as adults are wrong 55:45 – Skills for school or skills for life? 57:55 – Developmentally appropriate vs informed practice 59:35 – Further listening and reading linked to this topic 01:02:20 – A space for shared reflection…

For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

Learned helplessness: Are we setting children up for failure? 01:03:52 Share

The Voice of Early Childhood

Shownotes Transcript

Learned helplessness: Are we setting children up for failure?