• Are you studying early years in the work place, to gain further qualifications?
• Do you want help in developing the study skills you need to become a reflective student and practitioner?
• Do you want to get ideas and strategies for using your work experiences effectively for your assignments?If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then this is the book for you

Studying early years in the work place in order to gain further qualifications and awards provides many exciting yet challenging opportunities for practitioners. In to become a reflective student and practitioner researcher it is imperative to think critically, analyse, explore and evaluate ideas or concepts in more depth.

This book provides a framework for developing these important skills as well as providing support for the challenges and changes that early years practitioners face on a day-to-day basis. It provides ideas and strategies for identifying a personal learning style in order to use your work experiences effectively for a variety of work-based assignments.

The author provides a Key Components Framework (KCF) for work-based learning. It supports you in coming out of your 'comfort zone' and taking risks in your learning. The three strands of the KCF provide opportunities to:

• Reflect upon how external factors - such as government initiatives - can influence and impact on practice
• Consider how personal factors - such as cultural background - can impact on learning and practice
• Acknowledge the 'hidden skills' - such as ability to problem solve - that early years practitioners need in order to achieve in today's rapidly changing early years sector

Studying Early Years is an essential guide for all early years students and particularly those pursuing work-based qualifications such as the Early Years Foundation degree.