"You can't shout at them because they just cry”: Student teachers with nursery children

The early years of education encompass a wide range of settings: little is known about their effects upon the development of early years student teachers. Fourteen postgraduate students in England were interviewed while teaching in nurseries (with 3‐ to 4‐year‐olds) and in primary classrooms (with 4‐ to 7‐year‐olds). Despite their initial doubts about the value of spending time in nurseries, they focused on similar teaching issues in both settings. In the nurseries, however, students were obliged to reassess their approaches in order to cope with unfamiliar situations. They learned the importance of being flexible and responsive to children, of using non‐coercive disciplinary methods, and of providing stimulating, varied and discussion‐based learning experiences. It is concluded that nursery teaching is highly relevant to the development of all early years student teachers, and that the process of adjustment which it can force upon them is beneficial for reflective teaching.