Early Years Teaching – Research Hub

Curated, evidence-informed resources for nursery and early primary educators in Bangladesh.

New Early Years

Guide to Classroom Talk – Early Years Annex

New! A companion to the EBTD Guide to Classroom Talk, focused on the vital first stage of language and learning.

Summary

The Early Years are where thinking aloud begins. This new annex within the EBTD Guide to Classroom Talk explores how play, story, and guided dialogue lay the foundations for reasoning, curiosity, and confidence.

Designed for teachers and leaders working in nursery and early primary settings, it shows how everyday talk — from storytelling and puppet play to simple “turn and tell” routines — helps children learn to express ideas, make sense of the world, and prepare for structured dialogue later in school.

Each section offers evidence, examples, and practical strategies for creating talk-rich environments that work in real Bangladeshi classrooms.

🌱 The bridge from play to learning is built from talk.

Includes:

Why talk matters in early childhood
Creating spaces for dialogue and play
Talk routines for everyday moments
Modelling language as a co-thinker
Progression from play talk to reasoning talk

Explore the Early Years Guide →

EBTD Blogs – Early Years

This section brings together all of our early years–specific content from the EBTD blog. Here you’ll find evidence-based articles on how young children learn, alongside practical strategies for teachers working in the early stages of education.

Our early years blogs cover topics such as:

How play, stories, and routines can boost language and social development.
Practical approaches to early maths and literacy that work in real classrooms.
Strategies for building memory, attention, and self-regulation from the start.
Tools for engaging families and supporting inclusive practice.

Whether you’re an early years teacher, school leader, or simply passionate about giving children the strongest foundations for learning, these blogs are designed to connect global research with the realities of classrooms in Bangladesh.

External Evidence & Resource Hubs

Early Years | Education Endowment Foundation (EEF)

Evidence-based tools | Toolkit, videos, guidance

What it offers: The Early Years Toolkit (impact vs cost), practice videos, and guidance on early literacy, maths, self-regulation, SEL, and high-quality interactions.

Useful for Bangladesh: Clear “what works” summaries; cost-effectiveness ratings for low-resource contexts; practical, teacher-friendly materials.

Cautions: Based on UK research — adapt for culture, language, class size; many strategies assume smaller ratios and more resources; Bangla translation/contextualisation advised.

Early Childhood Education Resource Hub (UVA-CASTL)

Core skills framework | Guides, videos, family engagement

What it offers: Organised around five Core Skills (Relate, Regulate, Think, Communicate, Move) with age-specific strategies and classroom videos.

Useful for Bangladesh: Clear skills framework; family engagement emphasis; many freely available materials.

Cautions: US classroom contexts; adapt for larger classes and local curricula; English-language resources may need translation.

The Education Hub – ECE Resources (New Zealand)

Research-informed practice | Webinars, videos, leadership

What it offers: Wide range of resources on curriculum, early maths/literacy, SEL, inclusion, assessment, and leadership.

Useful for Bangladesh: Diverse topics (including neurodiversity); leadership materials for centre improvement; accessible online exemplars.

Cautions: Requires reliable internet; rooted in NZ curriculum and PD assumptions; mostly English-language.

Froebel Trust – Training & Resources (UK)

Play, creativity, observation | Free pamphlets and guides

What it offers: Free pamphlets, guides, and research summaries focused on play, creativity, and observation as foundations for learning.

Useful for Bangladesh: Low-cost, flexible ideas; strong outdoor and nature-based inspiration; accessible research digests.

Cautions: Outdoor play may be limited by weather/space; some materials not locally available; parent expectations of rote learning may need gentle work.

Thrive – Systems Research on Early Childhood Development

Policy & systems evidence | LMIC focus including Bangladesh

What it offers: Research on delivering ECD at scale through government systems — policy, financing, governance, data gaps.

Useful for Bangladesh: Big-picture view for planning and advocacy; highlights scale + quality issues; situates classroom work within national systems.

Cautions: System-level focus (not classroom manuals); technical language; some recommendations depend on strong state capacity.

World Bank – Early Childhood Education (Bangladesh)

National data & reports | Access, equity, quality

What it offers: The 2020 report The Landscape of Early Childhood Education in Bangladesh (access, equity, quality, financing, governance).

Useful for Bangladesh: Robust national data for policymakers, NGOs, and leaders; identifies equity gaps and quality issues; evidence to support PD and resourcing.

Cautions: Some data pre-COVID; high-level analysis; many recommendations require system investment; local variation can be masked.

BRAC – Play Labs (Research Briefs)

Bangladesh-based innovation | Play-based learning

What it offers: Culturally adapted play-based learning for ages 3–5 with stories, rhymes, dancing, and local games; evaluations show improved outcomes and parent engagement.

Useful for Bangladesh: Locally designed and tested; narrows developmental gaps; strong community involvement; practical alternative to rote learning.

Cautions: Requires trained facilitators and supervision; materials/space may be challenging in under-resourced settings; maintaining quality at scale needs support.