Part C: Teaching and Curriculum in Practice

During my 10-week placement, I made significant changes to the learning experiences of children and the physical environment in the classroom. I was confident in my ability to improve the children's learning needs and to build relationships with families and educators. My approach involved observing the children's current interests and gathering information from families through consistent interaction during drop-off and pick-up times, as well as from permanent educators. I incorporated play-based learning by integrating digital technologies and age-appropriate resources in each learning experience (ADGE, 2022). I adapted my practices from Piaget and Vygotsky's theories, which emphasize assimilating and accommodating cognitive knowledge and scaffolding experiences as a more knowledgeable person. Throughout the placement, I believe I developed a positive and trusting relationship with children, as outlined in Erikson’s theory of trust vs. mistrust (Nolan & Raban, 2015).

In the first quarter of 2024, as part of Professional Experience 4 (Capstone), various methods were utilised to observe and plan experiences for children aged 0-6. These methods involved observing small and large group experiences and were used to document, plan, and assess children's progress. A total of two DAP records were created based on this observation, including various types of digital images. These images, playing a significant role in assessing the children's development and planning their learning experiences, provided evidence for future accreditation. The observations also helped identify potential areas of improvement for educators.

DAP Record 1: Anecdotal 

Observed a group of children as they Learnt About Numbers.

DAP Record 2: Learning story

A child became engrossed in an alphabet sensory bin.

In this section, there are two pedagogical documentation, including the Skittles experiment and the creating of Olympic rings. The Skittles experiment was intentionally designed to help children learn about diffusion and solubility while creating Olympic rings aimed to help children understand the history of the Olympics and learn about continents and colours.

Pedagogical documentation 1: Skittles experiment

Pedagogical documentation 2: Creating Olympic rings