ePortfolio
1 Know students and how they learn
1.2 Understand how students learn
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of research into how students learn and the implications for teaching.
I believe PLAY is a key pedagogy of early childhood education. Play is a form of intentional teaching. When educators interact with children at play, they may introduce a new idea, support the ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ by providing scaffolding, co-construct, question or observe; all which support, extend and value children’s learning.
During my Phase 2 prac in a Pre-Primary classsroom my Mathematics programme had to cover the "Location and Transformation" strand's content descriptor "Describe position and movement "(ACMMG010). The Learning intention for these lessons was for the children to describe position by using the language of location and direction, such as ‘between’, ‘near’, ‘next to’. I planned and facilitated many hands on, play based expereinces to facilitate understanding of this concept. Three of these are pictured below.
The children were able to manipulate the bear and practice the positional words: Put Mr. Bear - behind, under his house, next to, on top of, inside, below, beside, in front of, above, going around, beneath, jumping over etc... They participated in a similar activity with puppets to place them in locations around the classroom.
The children were able to have free play in the outdoor play ground while the teacher discussed with individuals/groups their positional language throughout the area by using the flash cards (between, under, over, behind, in front of, next to, near, inside, outside, on top of)
Photos were taken of children at play modelling the positional language and these were made into a class floor book that were referred to throughout the unnit of work and during free read opportunities.
Photos of the children were attached to wooden blocks and placed in the blocks area. These were manipulated by the children to play, pretend, and develop positional language in the building corner and around the classroom.
I believe that an integrated, holistic approach to teaching and learning also focuses on connections to the NATURAL WORLD. I aim to foster children’s capacity to understand and respect the natural environment and the interdependence between people, plants, animals and the land. On the first day of my Phase 2 prac I took the class on a bushwalk with their older buddy class. They collected many natural items that were bought back to class for discussion and future learning activities were planned based on their observed interests during this walk. For example, due to the children's interests in the pink and grey galah and kookaburra that we saw on our walk and in the feathers they had collected, further learning experiences, such as those below, were planned for and facilitated.
We read the book Phoebe's Feathers and the children explored a provocation I set up with a "feather focus". The children were encouraged to use the visible thinking stratgey of "See, Think, Wonder" and record their wonderings.
In Visual Arts we carefully observed the shape and lines in feathers and drew these with chalk and markers. To further investigate the element of line, the children also used feathers to make prints.
EYLF 1.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 and
NQS Quality Areas 1, 2 and 3