Early childhood students need an environment that gives them the opportunity to be successful, creative, informed and active members of the 21st century. Educators have an important role when creating a learning environment, as they need to plan accordingly to meet the needs of each individual child. According to Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR] (2009, p. 14) children learn best when educators create experiences, which are holistic, play-based, and intentional, allowing students to learn through physical and social experiences. These include experiences, which allow students to investigate helping their curiosity to grow. Learning through play allows opportunities for students to question, investigate and …show more content…
According to Eisenberg & Berkowitz (1987, para. 1) The Big6 helps students to find, use, apply and evaluate which is a similar process to the MIC and 5E’s. Like the MIC, The Big6 has six stages, which include; task definition, information seeking strategies, location, and access, use of information and evaluation (Delattre-Carter & Woolam, 2009, pp. 21-22). Educators create learning experiences based on the student’s interests, which relate to the relevant curriculum, EYLF, and NQS outcomes. Educators reflect if the learning was successful and if students built on their knowledge (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority [ACEQUA], 2018). The author believes that it is important to allow children to lead the inquiry by creating an environment, which allows for collaboration, communication, and explorations to take place. According to School Curriculum and Standards Authority, Government of Western Australia [SCSA] (2014) the mandated curriculum helps to guide principles for teaching, learning and assessment and support teachers when assessing and reporting on student’s achievements. The Big6 offers an opportunity for educators to complete the stages in any order and repeat where required allowing an opportunity for curriculum links to be achieved (Delattre-Carter & Woolman, 2009, p. 23). The author believes that for students with diverse needs this IP may suit them best due to the flexibility of the phases. The Big6 helps students to be successful as they learn, find, sort, apply, prepare, achieve and understand more about their
Interestingly it was through this process of sharing our professional experiences that we established the central idea of our exhibition. We had determined that the importance of play in the Early Years was a theme that was often debated by parents, colleagues and policy makers. By choosing this as our topic we hoped to have an enhanced understanding of the historical implications of play in Early Years Education, resulting in professional competence and the ability to guide and mentor others on the significance of play. Rodd (1996) endorses this importance of Early Years Professionals having the skills to build, establish and maintain credibility in the fast-changing sector of Early Years.
Promoting fun, learning and the wonder of childhood by showcasing the natural connection of playing and learning in programs, events and environments and influencing community development, business practices and educational systems
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)....
..., J., & Garzoli, E. (2007, November 11). The Effectiveness of a Play-Based Curriculum in Early Childhood Education. Retrieved from http://teachplaybasedlearning.com/8.html
A research by Gabriel, Doiron, Baldacchino, McKenna & O’Keef (2012) concluded that, early education investors may differ in how they believe play should take shape inside ECE centers. However, they cannot deny that fact that play does have a large impact on the development
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 ...
Dr. Seuss wrote, “You’re off to great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting. So get on your Way”. The role of the early childhood educator, while rewarding, can sometimes feel as is you are climbing a mountain. Educators have to consider how to implement curriculum, instruction, management, and technology in the classroom. Educators also have to provide an environment where all children feel safe and nurtured. When creating a course of action, educators have to consider their role as well as the role of the student, parent, and community.
As an early childhood educator my job is not to simple play with children. I must plan, provide and supervise all while “playing” with my students. The classroom serves as the physical environment for the children for most of their waking hours. These classrooms need to be attractive and function effectively. Concerns for any early childhood educator should always include space, equipment and materials used, outdoor space and the daily schedule to ensure that all students are provided ample opportunities to learn and grow within a safe and secure environment.
In order to promote the best outcome from the curriculum we must consider that each child is an individual in their own right. Tricia David (2001: 55) states that early childhood should be a time of “spontaneity and of exploration according to individual interests”. Thus accounting for the child’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their likes and dislikes, provides a curriculum, which will promote optimum development. This is also known as a ...
I am very much the type of person that prefers hard copies such as books, magazines, or newspapers so I started there. I looked at past textbooks I have used during my time in school and found two that were extremely helpful; the first titled Play, Learning and the Early Childhood Curriculum by Elizabeth Wood and Jan Attfield, and the second titled Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School by Edward Miller and Joan Almon. After finding two books, I decided it was time to look on the Internet. Instead of using the normal Google search, I decided to use Google Scholar as a way to find dependable sources. I used the key words pay based learning, childcare, and teaching styles. From those key words alone I found many scholarly articles and experiment papers. One article I really liked was by Ageliki Nicolopoulou, a professor from Lehigh University located in Pennsylvania. What stuck out about her article was that she also used the text by Miller and Almon. Another source I reference in this paper is How Dramatic Play Can Enhance Learning by Marie E. Cecchini, which I quickly mentioned above. Dolores A. Steglin wrote the last article I used. Her article Making the Case for Play Policy: Research-Based Reasons to Support Play Based Environments was really helpful when I started to link the NAEYC Code’s and Early Childhood Educator Competencies to play based learning strategies. I also used
My beliefs and values about early childhood education is based upon understanding that all children are unique individuals who need a caring, nurturing, and secure environment in which to grow and develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically. Children under the age of three are in critical stages of development, it is my belief that a quality child care environment will have a positive impact on a child’s development and make a significant difference in the life of a child and his or her family. My philosophy of early childhood education and the elements I believe are necessary in developing a developmentally appropriate child care environment is rooted in my views and beliefs about experimentalism, progressivism, multiculturalism, and the influence of philosophers such as Dewey, Piaget, Montessori, and Vygotsky. Furthermore, I believe young children will thrive and grow in developmentally appropriate child care programs that possess the following elements: (1) teachers who see themselves as intentional, responsive and respectful facilitators of learning, (2) the ability to build a community of learners, (3) implement an effective curriculum that allow children to explore their natural curiosity about the world.
Those who support children in starting school at an early age, claim early childhood education is of critical importance during a child’s early developmental period. They believe it is important for early social interactions, play, and learning among peers to be best ingrained early on in a child’s youth. Gunilla Dahlberg, a psychologist specializing in childhood education, wrote a book on the success and factors that play into success a child will have in their education. In Dahlberg’s chapter, “Constructing Early Childhood”, he talks about factors
Going to the movies is fun. You get your candy and your drink and are taken away into a fictional world for two or three hours, then leave the theater and get back to reality. But is what you're going back to really reality? Plato said no. In the "Allegory of the Cave" (chapter XXV) in the The Republic he proposes that we all live like people in a movie theater, only he uses prisoners in a cave to illustrate the situation. He creates an image of prisoners, chained down in a cave, so all they could see was shadows created by puppets in front of a fire on the cave wall. Their reality was merely the shadows and it is the same for us (as the common man.) According to Plato, our reality is nothing more than figurative "shadows."
Children who experience life within the walls of early childhood education are no doubt walking down the path of a successful future. For young children every experience they encounter provides for an array of learning. What
There are many documented theories about early childhood development, contemporary research still concurs with some of these theories. It suggests, however, that we should be thinking more holistically, taking into consideration; respect for diversity, the wider community and equity, play based curriculums, intentional teaching and ongoing reflective practices when planning for optimal educational experiences for children (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2009). I acknowledge that ongoing professional learning and reflective practices are a key element of the Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR, 2009). I accredit working and collaborating with other teachers, families and local communities collectively contribute