Working with children involves providing a range of learning experiences that stem from children’s interests and providing interesting materials and resources in a play based learning environment. More importantly it involves engaged teachers who take an active and intentional role in children’s development and interests through collaboration with children, parents and carers to promote positive developmental change in line with family and community contexts (The State of Queensland, 2010). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all children have the right to an education that lays a foundation for the rest of their lives, maximises their ability, and respects their family, cultural and other identities and languages (UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 1990). The Convention also recognises children’s right to play and be active participants in all matters affecting their lives. These values are reflected in The Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (2010) which embraces the vision that all children experience learning that is engaging and builds success in life, while developing a strong sense of identity and wellbeing, making connections with and contributing to their world and becoming confident, involved learners and effective communicators (The State of Queensland, 2010).
Children make sense of their world by thinking and communicating in different ways and by expressing their understanding using a range of creative and critical thinking processes and strategies. Teaching the whole child requires an understanding of the interests, disposition and prior knowledge developed within the child’s social and cultural context and individual stages of development. Focussing on children’s strengths, t...
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...derstanding and establishes the state of shared activity. Teacher and adult intervention in games in the early primary years may be kept to a minimum in order to develop children’s self-regulation and social interactions leading to the development of more mature play (Davidson, 1996).
The Queensland Kindergarten Learning guideline (2010) believes the engaged child is empowered to express ideas and make choices about their learning and recognises that adult/child interactions shape learning (The State of Queensland, 2010). Teachers help children to make meaning of the world around them by inviting them to share in their experiences and explore and investigate children’s own ideas and interests. Learning through social interactions and co-constructing knowledge with children extends and challenges their thinking and ideas to allow discovery of new possibilities.
Early Childhood is marked by a time in children’s lives when they develop “a confident self-image, more effective control over their emotions, new social skills, the foundations of morality, and a clear sense of themselves as boy or girl” (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). According to Erik Erikson, early childhood is a period of “vigorous unfolding,” one where children have a sense of autonomy and a new sense of purposefulness or initiative (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011, pg. 45). Play is a means for children to learn about themselves and they begin to adopt the moral and gender-role standards of the society in which they live (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011). A negative outcome of early childhood is the guilt children feel as a result of excessive punishment and criticism by the adults in their lives (Berk, Kauffman & Landrum, 2011)....
This section of the code calls early childhood educators to be “caring, empathetic, fair and act with integrity” as well as “foster the joy of learning through play-based pedagogy” (CECE, 2011, p. 11). I felt that I showed these values and beliefs throughout my experience by creating lessons based on my students developmental needs and personal interests.
This article is about children’s perspective and how to get valid meaningful information from the child’s perspective about their learning experiences. This paper focuses on a sociocultural perspective of children as learners in their own right and co-constructers of their own meaning of learning (Smith, Duncan, & Marshall, 2005). This article also looks at how children can contribute to and make meaning of their learning and how they express that. Children use meaning-making to make sense of their world through and by the experience of narratives (Wright, 2012, p. 26). By using a sociocultural view of children, they are seen in a positive light that sees them as competent confident learners who can contribute and have a voice. This is also
Ginsburg, K. R. (2006). "The Species of the World. " The Importance of Play in Promoting Healthy Child Development and Maintaining Strong Parent–Child Bonds. USA: American Academy of Pediatrics.
Children in this stage (aged 4 to 8) understand the world by perceiving it, being influenced by it, and acting on it. In turn, the surrounding world shapes the child. This demonstrates the role of nurture within the child’s
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
My desire for children in my care is that their learning journey would be meaningful as they explore the ideas and activities they are interested in. This means that I believe that children are naturally motivated learners and should have the opportunity to learn through their own explorations and through collaboration with other children and educators. I believe this can be done through both teacher-initiated and child-initiated activities and supported through play. I also believe that play is a natural and enjoyable means through which children learn. In my practice I aim to encourage children’s natural ...
Furthermore, Vygotsky declares that knowledge is constructed by social interactions with people who surround the child. The author also presents the concept of “zone of proximal development” as the distance between what children do without any supervision and what they are not able to achieve unless a more knowledgeable person guides them through it. In other words, the zone of proximal development refers to activities children cannot do, though they manage to fulfill with certain level of difficulty by following their better skilled fellows' suitable guidance. In the educational field, teachers play an essential role on their learners’ developmental process. Educators serve as models and provide a vast range of learning opportunities that enable their students reach their next level of development and become more autonomous each
Educators produce a wide variety of experiences, perceptions, prospects, learning and abilities to their education (DEEWR, 2009, p. 9). In my career and through my studies, my philosophy and pedagogy have been closely linked with the constructivist theory from Piaget. Being able to focus on a child’s interests and creating learning activities that are implemented as fun is a big part of my motivation as an educator and teacher. The educational environment needs to sustain every single child along with inspiring significant work that can result in more advanced thinking (Evanshen and Faulk, 2011, p. 225). Following Piaget’s ideas while implementing the EYLF has made for a simple straight forward way of supplying quality learning experiences for children from birth to 12 years old and it has helped me widen the scope of each experience to allow for multiple levels of developmental stages. Using a constructivist approach to learning allows for the breaking down of the experience as a whole into smaller parts which brings the focus around to the process of learning (Evanshen and Faulk, 2011, p. 667). Overall I believe Piaget’s Theory to be one of the most important influences in modern teaching, allowing scaffolding of learning in a place that that
...S., … Killen, R. (2009). Professional Practice in Primary Education. South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited.
Although the rights of the child is evident in many procedures, after reading in extensive detail about the UNCRC and reflecting on our centres policies and procedures I have come to the conclusion that we need to add Article 31 of the UNCRC. (UNCRC, 1989, Article 31). In doing so it will ensure all educators are fully aware of the rights of the child, the right of play and the importance of it. It also ensure that at all times children’s rights are being understood, respected and adhered to by all educators that enter our service. Families can also be reassured that all educators are fully aware of the UNCRC rights of the child as well as that their child’s rights are at the forefront of all educators practices consistently as it is a policy that all educators are familiar with and have to follow. Having it as a policy ensure all children have a voice and it is being listened to and responded on appropriately allowing their choices to be respected by all educators. Not only adding a policy that is formed from the children’s right to play will benefit the children but also reviewing the wording of our current policies to ensure that the children right to play is at the forefront of our early childhood education and care program. Reflecting on our policies and procedures I strongly believe we have the foundations to ensure best practice of the children’s rights is being adhered too but we need to review and reflect on these practices to ensure that the language being used in the policy and procedure manual is clearly evident to support the children’s right of
It is important for children to be able to develops the necessary skills to make sense of data, memorising information is no longer the most key skill for children to possess (Inquiry-based learning, n.d.). Inquiry-based learning is defined by Lutheran Education Queensland (n.d.) as seeking for truth, information or knowledge and understanding and is used in all aspects and stages of life. Inquiry based learning assists children with learning by developing critical and creative thinking skills. The twenty-first century requires “young people to be creative, innovative, enterprising and adaptable, with the motivation, confidence and skills to use critical and creative thinking purposefully” (ACARA, 2016b). According to Touhill (2012a) Inquiry-based learning is supported when educators are co-learners with children as they develop, supporting and extending on a child’s own attempts at understanding. This knowledge can be broadened by ensuring that children have the time, space and resources to become deeply involved in their investigations and there are opportunities for reflections during and after activities (Touhill, 2012a). Furthermore, it is imperative that the physical environment contains spaces as well as materials that encourage a child’s curiosity and investigation (Touhill, 2012a). By providing interesting and engaging materials educators are able to provide stimulus for children’s investigation and
Education is a elemental human right and essential for all other human rights. It is a powerful tool by which socially and economically marginalized children and adults can lift themselves out of poverty. It also consists of the right to freedom of education. Freedom of education is the right given to human beings to have access to the education of their preference without any constrictions. Right to education is a human right recognized by the United Nations. It includes the entire compulsion to eliminate inequity at all levels of the educational system.
Holistic development of young children is the key determination and through play they are able to survive and become physically healthy, able to learn, and emotionally secure and into where they progress into responsible and productive adults with positive reinforcements in the future. When there are societal issues that are barriers such as “technology, childhood obesity, culture, etc.” (Gaston, A, Module 1, Unit 1, 2016), children are then unable to revel in freedom of movement in where play is adventurous and brings out positive behavior. “Play supports the holistic development through the development of intellectual, emotions, socially, physical, creative and spiritual” (Gaston, A, Module 1, Unit 2, 2016), signifying that holistic development is an important factor to be aware of as the child grows. An example would be when in Workshop 1 of Social and Cognitive Styles of Play, we had to play in the given activity for the time being and observe our members and distinguish what kind of cognitive play it was. And one of the assigned question to
The purpose of early childhood education is to firstly learn about one’s self and agency, how one’s actions can affect and impact others; to develop a sense of identity; who you are and how you fit into this world. Experience a sense of belonging through interactions with peers and teachers whilst celebrating and sharing diverse cultures whilst embracing others. Children need to have opportunities to explore, experiment, to gain insight and knowledge in numeracy, literacy, science and social structure through innovative and richly supported curriculums (DEEWR, 2009). I have very high expectations of all children as I believe that this assists in building self-confidence and