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My progress achieving Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and community

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My progress achieving Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and community

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Prior to beginning my university course I had very little knowledge surrounding the legislative, administrative and organisational requirements for an early childhood teacher. I know have a clear understanding of these requirements and will continually refer to them as a graduate teacher. I am aware of the professional ethics and responsibilities of teachers, set out by the Victorian institute of teaching (VIT), and understand that early childhood teachers have a responsibility to care and educate children in early childhood settings. During my placement I was also made aware of my responsibility as a teacher to report any concerns or suspicions about child abuse or neglect. I believe in the child comes first principle and I will be looking for opportunities to further my knowledge and understanding about child protection through professional development. I have also learnt more about how to engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and community through my observations of my mentors whilst on placement. The professional relationships we create with families is highly important as they will have a greater impact with the relationship we form with their children. According to Friend & Cook (1992) Multiple studies support the conclusion that family involvement in education can lead to positive benefits for children, such as increased school attendance, higher academic performance, and improved attitudes about school. Parents/carers are also able to give insight into their child’s interests, dislikes and strategies they may use at home that could be utilised in the preschool. By maintaining these relationships teachers form deeper understandings to better guide teaching practices and pedagogical philosophies. It is important to include families in the ongoing planning of the program to gain crucial insight into appropriate ways to celebrate cultural celebrations/traditions. Getting to know the families’ practices and preferred ways in which to reflect them is important in order to disrupt any assumptions I may have about them, and finding ways to adapt my practices to better reflect the families.

Throughout my placement I was able to familiarise myself with the legislative, administrative and organisational requirements for an early childhood teacher. The artefacts provided highlights these requirements that I was able to look at each day during placement as they were easily accessible and displayed in the staff office where I completed my planning sessions. I was able to access the planning & programming folder to learn about the development of my mentor’s program and how they planed it. I also familiarised myself with the accident and medication book used for the different groups of children. These documents are very important as they keep a record of any accidents/incidents and provides important information regarding a child’s medical needs such as asthma or allergies. Knowing where the first aid kit is located is also of high importance and I was made aware of this on my first day as well as locating the children’s medication and where it is kept. The child’s rights are of high importance to be familiar with and I spent time reading over The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child during my placement. Children have a right to learn and it is my belief that children should be involved in the planning of their program. Children should be involved in decision making and their interests should be highlighted through learning experiences and activities so they feel seen and are more likely to participate and try new things. According to MacNaughton, Smith and Hughes (2007, p. 461) “a decision to include children in decision-making expresses the ethical belief that children have the right to be consulted and involved in decisions that affect them. Such a decision is a mark of excellence because involving children in designing programmes increases the likelihood that they will meet their wants and needs.” Thus highlighting how important it is that the interests of the children, their capabilities, their strengths and areas of improvement are highlighted in the planning of early childhood programs.

Throughout my placement I understood the importance of creating relationships with the children as well as their families. I was able to interact with parents/carers both at the preschool and online via the preschools online social platform called KinderLoop. As evident in my artefact provided I received positive feedback from a parent regarding my relationship with their child and how they greatly appreciated the time I took to get to know their child. This highlights the importance of involving the parents/carers in their child’s learning and to keep them updated by sharing photos and information. The online platform KinderLoop is a great way to communicate with parents/carers and I was able to utilise this during my placement and was able to interact with families directly. This also made it easier to interact with families in person as they dropped off/picked up their child and allowed me to further develop a relationship with the families and get to know them and in turn get to know their child better. As well as developing relationships with families, I recognise that quality teaching is dependent on collaboration with my peers, sharing resources and best practices as being a vital part of keeping my teaching practice and skills current and dynamic. I will continue learning and developing as a graduate teacher, I have joined the Australian Education Union (AEU), which provides continued support and education. It is important to actively participate in as many external professional communities as I can because, it will allow me to constantly improve on my teaching practice by seeing new methods which I might not have heard about before. Therefore, I have demonstrated my achievement in Standard 7 at a graduate level.

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Evidence to support 7.2 comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements 

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This artefact is a photo of The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of The Child

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Evidence to support 7.3 engage with parents/carers

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This artefact is a photo of a message received by a parent on the preschool online platform

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Evidence to support 7.2 comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements

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This artefact is a photo of administrative folders displayed in the staff office

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Evidence to support 7.2 comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements 

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This artefact is a photo of the code of ethics displayed in the staff office

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Standard 7: Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and community
Chosen Descriptors:
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
7.3 Engage with parents / carers

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My progress achieving Standard 6: Engage in professional learning 

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My progress achieving Standard 6: Engage in professional learning 

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I have been able to progress my learning surrounding Standard 6 throughout university and whilst attending placements. I have thoroughly enjoyed furthering my knowledge during my studies and I understand the importance to continue furthering my education as a graduate teacher. Standard 6 is highly important as there is rapid change all around us, finding time to update my knowledge, skills and professional thinking is vital. As a graduate teacher it is my responsibility to evolve alongside policies, current literature, and advances in technology and society. DuFour & Dufour (2005) supports the view that the changes that really matter in education are not structural changes, but those that build teacher capacity and professional culture. As a graduate teacher I am committed to continual reflection and participation in professional learning to improve my teaching practice. Throughout my progress of achieving this standard I recognise the importance of committing to professional learning by attending regular staff meetings; engaging in professional development programs; networking with colleagues; and seeking feedback from colleagues and mentor teachers to improve my teaching abilities. McArdle, Gibson & Zollo (2015, p. 32) state that ‘After you have graduated and qualified, and begin working as a teacher, your commitment to professional development and learning (PDL) continues to shape who you are and the kind of teacher you will become.’ The teacher I want to be is one who continually develops their teaching pedagogy by engaging in professional learning. My progression in achieving this standard has been documented in my artefacts and I look forward to being able to add to my professional learning.

During my placement I was able to attend Professional Development sessions (PD’s) to help further my knowledge and improve my teaching practice. One of the sessions I found to be very beneficial was a PD session about sensory play presented by Robyn Papworth. I learnt a lot during this session and I was able to implement some strategies into my learning experiences. I learnt that sensory play facilitates exploration and naturally encourages children to use scientific processes while they play, create, investigate and explore. I used this information to inform a lot of my hands-on experiences with the 3-year-old group. I explored activities such as painting with hands/fingers to further develop fine motor skills whilst incorporating sensory play. Through this PD session I discovered that sensory play also contributes to brain development. According to Gainsley (2011, p. 2) ‘stimulating the senses sends signals to children’s brains that help to strengthen neural pathways important for all types of learning.’ This is a perfect example as to why ongoing professional learning is important for teachers as you can always learn and discover new information to improve teaching practices.

Throughout my placement the most vital part was my planning time with my mentor teachers. During this planning time I was able to achieve standard 6.3 as I engaged with colleagues to improve my practice. As evident through my artefacts I made sure I took notes during my planning sessions so I could record any feedback from my mentor teachers to help improve my teaching practice. I also made sure to constantly check in with my mentor teachers throughout the sessions and ask relevant questions. I believe the ability to seek and then apply constructive feedback is highly important for all teachers. Through these experiences I now understand the importance of professional learning to update and maintain my skills, knowledge and professional thinking, whilst critically reflect on my teaching practice. Therefor, I have successfully achieved Standard 6 at a graduate level.

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Evidence to support 6.2 Engage in professional learning and improve practice

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This artefacts provides evidence of a PD session I attended through the Australian Education Union to support and educate Early Childhood teachers

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Evidence to support 6.2 Engage in professional learning and improv practice

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This artefact provides evidence of a PD session I attended about sensory play by Robyn Papworth

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Evidence to support 6.3 Engage with colleagues and improve practice

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This artefact is a photo of notes I had taken during planning time with my mentor teacher.

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Standard 6: Engage in professional learning
Chosen Descriptors:
6.2  Engage in professional learning and improve practice
6.3  Engage with colleagues and improve practice

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Evidence to support 5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

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This artefact is a photo of a group time I led during placement. Group time experiences offer an opportunity to assess and provide feedback to students on their learning

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My progress achieving Standard 5: access, provide feedback and report on learning

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My progress achieving Standard 5: access, provide feedback and report on learning

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Since beginning my university course and during placements I have added to my knowledge of Standard 5. Prior to my course my knowledge surrounding this standard was very limited. I thought the role of an early childhood educator was similar to a primary school teacher where certain developmental milestones had to be achieved. I now understand the different ways in which learning can be recorded and the importance of this standard in an early childhood setting. I have discovered that it is important to use a range of assessment techniques and modes to give children a variety of opportunities to demonstrate their learning and understanding. Assessment also plays an important role in identifying children with special needs or learning difficulties. I have learnt that there are many curriculum documents early childhood teachers need to be aware of such as the EYLF. According to McArdle, Gibson & Zollo (2015, p. 117) ‘Curriculum documents can become a powerful means for articulating and justifying your practice, examining your perspectives and opening up dialogue about teaching and learning.’ Knowing the curriculum and what is expected for the age of the child is important, however, being a good teacher also means looking at children’s interest and creating engaging learning experiences. This is evident as McArdle, Gibson & Zollo (2015) also state that to be able to switch children’s learning ‘on’ you need to design and plan engaging and intellectually challenging learning experiences that encourage participation and cater for the diversity of your learners. Assessing, providing feedback and reporting on learning is one of the most important tools a teacher can utilise in order to see where a child is at with their learning. Knowing how each child learns is highly important as it allows you as the teacher to continuously set new learning goals for each child to further their learning.

Throughout my placement I have been able to observe and learn different assessment strategies used by my mentor teachers to document a child’s learning and development. I have also been able to implement different strategies myself with learning experiences I set up whilst on placement. The evidence I have provided in my artefacts demonstrate my achievement of standard 5 and my ongoing commitment to this standard as a graduate teacher. As my placement was held in term 4 of the school year, I was able to observe my 4-year-old mentor teacher use assessment documents to help with their transition statements. The learning assessment document in my artefacts had several different learning criteria areas and using a range of resources, my mentor teacher was able to evaluate whether this learning area had been met. I was able to observe my mentor teacher carrying out these assessments and was also able to add my own observations of the children to assist with their transition statements. This demonstrates standard 5.4 Interpret student data as this learning assessment document provided data to determine not only learning it also provided information on the child’s emotional, behavioural and language development.

Through my learning experiences I was also able to provide feedback to the children on their learning and to expand their learning further. The artefacts provided demonstrate a learning experience using scales and an observation of this experience. This gives insight into how I achieved standard 5.2 provide feedback to students on their learning. I used teaching strategies during my learning experiences such as using open-ended questions to determine the learning of each child. Based on the answers of the children I was able to provide feedback to let them know if they were correct or if I needed to give more information to them for their learning to develop. Group time is also another activity that can be used to provide feedback to the children on their learning. Having group discussions is a great way to see what each child has learnt during the group time and to see what they still need to know in more detail. Feedback that teachers give to children is important for, not only the teacher, but for the children to see their learning has grown. The experiences and the mentoring I have received throughout my placement has led me to successfully achieve Standard 5 at a graduate level. I will also ensure the assessment is reliable, valid and flexible to suit the varying learning abilities of each child. By catering for diverse needs, I will provide children with an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding and achieve their developmental goals.

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Evidence to support 5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning

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The artefact is an observation of a learning experience that was able to provide feedback to students on their learning.

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Evidence to support 5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning 

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This artefact is photo evidence of a learning experience that provided an opportunity to give feedback to children on their learning.

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Evidence to support 5.4 Interpret student data

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This artefact is photo evidence of a learning assessment completed by the 4-year-old teacher to assist with the child's transition statement

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Standard 5: access, provide feedback and report on learning
Chosen descriptors:
5.2 Provide feedback to students on their learning
5.4 Interpret student data

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My progress achieving Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments 

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My progress achieving Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments 

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Throughout my studies and placement I have come to appreciate the importance of creating safe and secure learning environments. I believe every early learning setting should be a safe environment where all children feel comfortable. Educators play a major role in shaping the culture that is created within an early learning setting. Relationships with children, their families and fellow educators are crucial to maintaining safe and supportive learning environments. Standard 4 is important as it emphasises the crucial need to maintain and support safe learning environments. I believe the relationships we form with the children and their families remain one of the most significant factors in generating successful social, emotional and developmental outcomes for children. I plan to facilitate these relationships through effective communication and establishing positive engagements to encourage cohesion and support. According to Jones & Jones (1986, p. 333) ‘Classroom management involves establishing positive teacher-student and peer relationships.’ As a graduate teacher I will make it a priority to foster a supportive learning culture and environment by establishing and communicating clear expectations; give children responsibility and autonomy over their learning; foster positive attitudes towards learning, participation, and achievement; create trusting, positive relationships with the children; and, create a physical environment that is appealing, fun, educational and safe.

Throughout my placement, I have demonstrated my ability to create and maintain a supportive and safe learning environment using a wide range of teaching strategies. The artefacts provided are an example of how I was able to successfully meet this standard at a graduate level. I was able to maintain supportive relationships with the children as I took the time to get to know them, observe their behaviour and gain insight into some strategies to better assist their emotional needs. I implemented teaching strategies for specific children based on my observations and discussions with my mentors about what has or hasn’t worked. During my group times I made sure to acknowledge the group time expectations, I had visual aids of these expectations for the children to see as documented in my artefacts. I used teaching strategies such as whole body listening, personal space invaders and zones of regulations. Whole body listening was a great way to focus the children on what they needed to do for me to be able to continue with the group time, personal space invaders was all about not getting into someone’s personal space. During group time we talked about the zones of regulations which can be referred to in my artefacts. If we were outside the green zone we came up with solutions to get us back into the green zone. For example, when some children were feeling yellow such as silly/wiggly I would get the children to stand up and do some stretching, shaking or wiggling to relax them again. According to McArdle, Gibson & Zollo (2015, p. 6) ‘a good teacher builds a whole range of strategies and a repertoire of skills and knowledge.’ It is important to have a range of strategies in our toolbox to be able to call upon according to any given situation. It is also important to use critical reflection to assess what has or hasn’t worked and try another strategy if needed.

Through my observation artefacts I have also provided evidence of how I have implemented strategies for specific children based on what I have observed and what knowledge I have gained as I got to know them better. I was able to assist with a child named Brendan who was experiencing separation anxiety. After spending time with Brendan and getting to know his interests and after speaking with my mentor teacher I was able to come up with learning experiences that made him feel comfortable and happy each time he came to the pre-school. Through these strategies I was able to gain Brendan’s trust and he began greeting me with enthusiasm each time he arrived and was able to say goodbye to mum without any anxiety and was exited to explore what I had set up for him to interact with. Brendan’s relationship with his friends were also able to develop as his confidence grew and he wanted to join in with their play. I also worked closely with another child named Brodie and I have documented our journey through my artefacts. I was able to use teaching strategies to help support and manage challenging behaviour thus demonstrating my achievement of standard 4.3. I will continue to add strategies and resources to my teaching pedagogy to better assist the children I will be teaching. I have achieved standard 4 as a graduate teacher as I am able to create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments.

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Evidence to support 4.3: Manage challenging behaviour

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This artefact is an observation of my progress working with a child with challenging behaviour and my achievement meeting this standard.

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Evidence to support 4.1: Support student participation 

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This artefact is an example of how I supported student participation using visual representations of emotions and maintaining personal space

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Evidence to support 4.1: Support student participation 

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This artefact is an example of the expectations of the children's participation in group time.

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Evidence to support 4.1: support student participation

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This aretfact is an observation of my progress working with a child displaying separation anxiety and my achievement meeting this standard.

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Standard 4: Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments
Chosen descriptors:
4.1 Support student participation
4.3 Manage challenging behaviour

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Evidence of 3.5 Use effective classroom communication 

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This artefact is a picture of a Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). I implemented this PECS board for a child who was non-verbal as an effective use of classroom communication

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Evidence to support 3.3 Use teaching strategies 

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This artefact is an image of a sand timer, an egg timer and circle mats. These are used for effective teaching strategies

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Evidence to support 3.3: Use teaching strategies

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This artefact is a box of fidget toys I have used throughout my placement to help children during group time who often fidget and distract others.

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Evidence of 3.3 Use teaching strategies 

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This artefact is an observation taken during placement of a range of teaching strategies used for a specific child.

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My progress achieving Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

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My progress achieving Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

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During my studies my knowledge surrounding effective teaching and learning strategies has greatly increased. I now recognise that for my teaching to be effective, I need to create learning opportunities for children that are engaging and enriching. As a graduate teacher I want to ensure children feel safe, supported and have a genuine sense of belonging in their learning environment. I strive to implement learning experiences that incorporate a range of teaching strategies, challenge children, are thoroughly planned, logically structured and according to Cooper & McIntyre (1996), are not so predetermined that they are impervious to the learning pace and style of the children and their interests.

As a graduate teacher I will continually reflect on the ways that I can adapt and improve my learning environments to create relevant, challenging and meaningful teaching and learning. To achieve this I will be needing to use a wide range of teaching strategies; include individual, small group and whole class activities; demonstrate a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to support child engagement; and continual reflection and renewal of my program.

Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning is important to be able to create a successful program for children in an early childhood setting. In order to plan and implement an effective early childhood program it is important to first know the children and how they learn, how to best teach content based on their interests and teaching strategies which will engage them. According to Ames & Archer (1988, p. 262) ‘how students approach tasks, engage in the process of learning, and respond to the situation may be related to their own perceived ability as well as to the perceived goals of the environment.’ Encouraging children and recognising areas of strength as well as areas of improvement is important for the ongoing success of each child’s learning and development. Children need to be seen as capable learners, as educators it is our duty to guide and encourage students using appropriate teaching strategies.

The artefacts I have provided highlight how I have met this standard at a graduate level. Throughout my placement I have implemented many different teaching strategies to assist with the children. Based on my observations I noticed many different behavioural challenges and learning difficulties from some of the children thus highlighting the importance of implementing appropriate teaching and communication strategies. Each child has different needs, interests and abilities so I recognised that not all strategies will work for every child so I needed to be adaptable and try different things if something wasn’t working. One child in particular had difficulty during pack up time, this was noted in the above observation artefact. I was able to adapt my teaching practice to assist this child by using various tools such as sand timer, positive reinforcement and making a game out of a traditionally boring task. This demonstrates my ongoing commitment to getting to know each child on a deeper level, recognising their interests and trying a range of strategies to better assist them. For some children, they were unable to remain still or focused during group time. A strategy I used to help with this was using circle mats for children to sit on, I placed them close to me so they could see easily. I also used fidget toys for some of the children who would pick at the group time rug or put fingers in their mouths for comfort. The fidget toys gave them an outlet for fidgeting and they were no longer distracting other children who wanted to learn. I also let children make their own choices if they wanted to participate in group time or not. The options for not participating were to be in the quiet reading area or quiet drawing table. This gave the children a sense of agency and the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.

Throughout my placement I also demonstrated my ability to use effective classroom communication by demonstrating a range of verbal and non-verbal communication strategies. As an educator both verbal and non-verbal communication skills are needed to form a successful learning environment. A child in my 3-year-old group was non-verbal during the sessions, English is his second language and at home he predominately speaks mandarin. A communication strategy I used for this child was PECS board. I used PECS boards as a way for him to be able to communicate his needs to me and to help him make choices during the session. The PECS board was also used to demonstrate the routine of the day to him so he knew what was going to be coming next. I made sure to always narrate what I was doing with him, he understands English and was able to follow instructions given to him. I paid close attention to his interests, he particularly enjoyed playing with a blue truck and enjoyed magnetic shape toys. I made sure to have these available for him each session which helped settle him at the beginning of each session. Throughout my placement as a pre-service educator, I have developed an understanding of the fundamentals to create effective and engaging teaching experiences. I have been able to use critical reflection to create learning experiences that are relevant to the children’s interests and abilities. I will continue to use appropriate resources and a range of teaching strategies to construct teaching and learning experiences that challenge, engage and motivate each child.

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Standard 3: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning
Chosen descriptors:
3.3 Use teaching strategies
3.5 Use effective classroom communication

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Evidence to support 2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

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This artefact is a numeracy puzzle table set up based on the children's interest and to promote number and letter recognition

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Evidence to support 2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

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This artefact is a numeracy activity based on the children's interests

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My progress achieving Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

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My progress achieving Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it

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My understanding of what early childhood teachers taught was very limited prior to starting my course. I first believed that the curriculum was set out for each centre to follow and that the same specific learning goals had to be met each term. As I have progressed through my studies I now understand that the curriculum is individually set by the early childhood teacher and the content revolves around the children’s interest and intentional teaching. From my mentor teachers I have observed that content selection is organised into effective learning experiences based on the children’s interest. As a graduate teacher I now have an understanding of the importance in knowing the content and how to teach it. I have achieved this standard by paying close attention to the interests of the children and developing appropriate learning opportunities. I am guided by the learning outcomes set out by the early childhood curriculum and I incorporate these based on my observations of the children. I have developed my strengths in providing key literacy and numeracy concepts such as number and letter recognition as well as incorporating Indigenous perspectives into learning experiences.

Standard 2 is important as it helps children understand key topics which are provided in an appropriate way that encourages children to develop their learning. According to Crow (2010) Lee Shulman coined the term "pedagogical content knowledge" to represent the intersection of knowing a subject matter well and knowing also how to teach that subject. Furthermore, Shulman (1986, p.4) stated that, ‘Pedagogical content knowledge also includes an understanding of what makes the learning of specific topics easy or difficult’. This is why it is important to be able to understand the different learning styles of the children we are teaching to be able to plan appropriate content. I was able to demonstrate this through the use of age-appropriate learning content. When working in the 3-year-old sessions my numeracy and literacy provocations were different to what I provided to the 4-year-old sessions. I also have a greater understanding of how knowing the content and how to teach it is important for effective teaching and learning, I have embedded this into my teaching as demonstrated by the artefacts provided.

I have achieved standard 2.5 literacy and numeracy strategies by providing appropriate learning experiences depending on age and interest of the children in my sessions. I have provided evidence of my literacy and numeracy provocations I used throughout my placement. The children in the 3-year-old sessions had an interest in puzzles and enjoyed interacting with them. From this observation I set up numeracy puzzle tables for the children to gain number recognition in a fun and interactive way. I observed the children enjoying the hands-on activity which prompted me to think more on this and provide a numeracy painting experience. The children had been reading the book ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ by Eric Carle so I came up with my experience based on this interest. The children were instructed to follow the print out sheet provided. The sheet had a picture of a caterpillar head and a number next to it. The children then had to add finger prints relating to the number on the sheet. The fingerprints represented the body of the caterpillar and also introduced counting skills. Crow (2010, p. 2) states that ‘knowing content is crucial to being inventive in creating worthwhile opportunities for learning that takes learners' experiences, interests, and needs into account’. Through my artefacts I have demonstrated my commitment to providing engaging content based on the children’s interest so the children are inspired to learn.

As early childhood educators it is important to make sure that both fellow educators and children are sensitive towards the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and what it means to them. Promoting reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is a key part of teaching, and ensuring that all people are treated as equals. My artefacts provide examples of how I achieved standard 2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. I was able to embed Indigenous perspectives in my learning experiences as this was also part of my inquiry project. I provided experiences predominantly for the 3-year-old group as they had not yet been introduced to Indigenous culture. I was able to provide many hands-on experiences such as paintings, creating with clay and using clapping sticks whilst learning an Indigenous song. It is important to recognise Indigenous culture and to have this represented in an early childhood centre with artefacts such as the Aboriginal flag. McArdle, Gibson & Zollo (2015, p. 24) state that ‘if children and their families cannot see themselves represented and reflected in the setting, what message does this send? What will they come to understand about themselves?’ I have demonstrated my ongoing commitment to ensure I embed Indigenous perspectives into my learning experiences and to be able to promote a sense of belonging for all children as a graduate teacher. I am able to know the content I am teaching and provide appropriate learning experiences for the children I am teaching. Therefor I have achieved standard 2 as a graduate teacher as I know the content and how to teach it.

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This artefact is a photo of my acknowledgment of country set up

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clay experience with Bunjil the eagle provocation and Welcome to country book to inspire the children.

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Bunjil the eagle painting experience using hands and sponges

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Australian animal puppets with names in Woiwurrung langauge 

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Moved our acknowledgment of country area to the Gunya tree (Gunya means shelter) 

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Setting up for acknowledgment for country using clapping sticks and reading Welcome to country  

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Modifications:
Throughout the implementation of my action plan I made some modifications. When I first read 'Welcome to Country' By Joy Murphy the children found it hard to concentrate and it was a little heavy for them. I noticed they really liked Bunjil the eagle so the next time I read the story to them I had a Bunjil the eagle puppet with me and asked the children to call out whenever they saw Bunjil the eagle on the page. This provided the children with a higher level of engagement and participation in the story and a connection to Bunjil that was demonstrated in their group artwork. Another addition to my project was to add the 'Gunya' outside. I worked with my mentors to create the teepee and set this up as a dramatic play area for the children to engage with outside. I also modified when I did my morning group time. Some children were only just coming back to the pre-school after a long time away due to Covid-19. This meant that some of them needed time to adjust and have time to be with their friends. Because of this I changed my group time to just before snack time, giving the children enough time to settle and play in the morning.

What went well?
I was very impressed with the level of engagement from the children as I introduced Indigenous Perspectives to them through books, hands-on experiences, songs and acknowledgment to country. The children demonstrated to me great dispositions for learning such as curiosity, creativity, persistence and enthusiasm. The children have developed great confidence in asking questions and wanting to know more about Aboriginal People and their cultures. The children are noticing more of the artefacts in the centre and engaging with them knowing more about them. For example they see boomerangs displayed in the room and are able to talk about what they can do and what they are used for. They also notice the Aboriginal Flag and are able to identify the colours and what they represent. They children really enjoyed the hands-on experiences, it provided them with a sensory experience and a way for them to connect to their learning. The children began actively engaging with the acknowledgement to country, we practiced this in every session and the children were able to follow along with me. They responded enthusiastically to the clapping sticks and really enjoyed the Indigenous song 'Inanay Capuana'. We practiced this song a couple of times during my inquiry project as the children would often request it. My mentors provided feedback during my sessions, they praised my confidence whilst leading group times and noted my selection of resources were appropriate and expertly chosen. The children's group artwork of Bunjil the eagle was a great success, the children were proud of their creation and worked collaboratively together to finish it. During my inquiry project I too became a co-participant, co-learner and co-constructor as I have discovered new way of implementing Indigenous perspectives into my teaching that I can now add to my teaching toolkit. The success of my inquiry project was evident through my observations of the children's engagement with the experiences I provided and also their own spontaneous learning. They demonstrated their understanding to me through our group time discussions about whose land we learn and play on. The children were able to provide examples of how we can look after each other "by being kind and helpful" and how we look after the land "by saying thank you to Aboriginal People" and "not dropping our rubbish on the ground". The children began implementing what they had learnt into their dramatic play area, they were cooking damper in the sandpit and their sticks became spears, the rocks on the ground became camp fires and the plants became food. It has been a joy to watch the learning come to life and to see the beginnings of deeper understandings and respect for Aboriginal People and their culture.

Reflection:
By using different teaching strategies I was able to gather evidence of what worked and what didn't. The bunjil hand paintings with sponges was a teacher led experience and was more structured. I found myself wanting to correct and assist more with this experience resulting in the paintings all looking very similar. With the Bunjil group artwork I was hands-off with this experience, it was child led and they had full creative control. I really enjoyed how the artwork turned out and process of letting go myself and letting the children explore their creativity. I would like to implement more child led experiences in the future as it provides a richer learning experience for the children and myself. I have also learnt that continuous planning, observations and reflections are key to providing effective teaching. I want to be more flexible to adapt the program where needed, paying close attention to the children's interest and continuing to embed spontaneous learning experiences.

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Torres Strait Islander flag displayed in room 

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Evidence to support 1.1 physical, social and intellectual development

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I set up an obstacle course for the children to engage in more physical challenges

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My progress achieving Standard 1: Know students and how they learn 

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My progress achieving Standard 1: Know students and how they learn 

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Since starting my studies I began forming an idea of how I would be able to form relationships with children so I could discover how they learn best and what strategies I could use to assist in their learning. I have discovered the beauty of learning through play and spontaneous learning experiences. I have discovered that the most important part of being a teacher is the relationships we have with the children and their families. The best way to foster this relationship is to be able to know the children we are teaching and how they learn. This standard is important as it is a guide to how educators can plan and implement appropriate learning experiences. All children need to be challenged in order to stay engaged however if this challenge is too great, they will being to loose confidence in the task and their effort and participation will falter. This is why it is important to know the children we are teaching and the learning levels in which they are capable of. Throughout my placement I have been able to observe the different learning styles children have and how they approach challenges/learning experiences. As well as using observations it is important to also build a relationship to get to know the children. According to Powell (2011, p. 10), 'knowing students means more than merely acquiring social or administrative information—students' names and ages, something about their friendship circles, a bit about their family backgrounds, a few statistics from their academic record. To maximize learning, we need to dig deeper than this superficial acquaintance'. As a pre-service teacher I have demonstrated ways in which I endeavor to develop a deeper relationship with the children I teach.

The artefacts I have provided highlight how I have met this standard at a graduate level. An example I provided was a relationship I built with one of the children Brendan. I have attached a photo of Brendan completing a puzzle during our session. This is significant as I worked closely with Brendan as he was displaying separation anxiety when his mother dropped him off at pre-school. I spent time getting to know Brendan to assist with an easier transition at drop off and to help him feel comfortable and happy during the session. This took time and I used different teaching strategies while working with Brendan such as giving many suggestions with what he could do/play with, I was constantly talking with him using supportive language and a calming presence. Brendan enjoyed digging in the sandpit and this developed into an interest into pirates which I was able to pick up on and create spontaneous activities around this. Each time Brendan arrived at the pre-school I greeted him with enthusiasm and made sure I had appropriate resources set up for him to engage with to help settle him. I learnt through conversations with him and my mentor that he enjoys puzzles, I combined this with his interest with pirates and set up a pirate puzzle for him. This resulted in other children joining in and helping to complete the puzzle which promotes social skills, language development and a sense of belonging for Brendan who had struggled to play with other children. This demonstrates my ability to know students and how they learn as well as getting to know children on a deeper level. According to McArdle, Gibson & Zollo (2015, p. 201), 'Learning experiences will be more authentic and engaging if teachers have taken time to plan ideas around what they know about their learners. Taking time to observe and interact with children is an important part of the planning process'. By taking the time to engage in meaningful discussions with children I am able to enhance their learning environment by providing experiences based on their interests.

The next piece of evidence I have provided is artefacts regarding physical, social and intellectual development. I have images of children engaged in an obstacle course and also children I observed playing their own game of passing a large ball back and forth to each other. Based on my observations of the children engaging in physical play I created an obstacle course for the children to further develop their gross motor skills and to assist children who require additional physical challenges to assist with emotional regulation. I observed the children needing to spend more time outside due to Covid-19 so it was important for me to develop active play experiences outside for the children to participate in. Dinkle et al. (2019) suggests that play allows children to develop physically, by promoting gross and fine motor skills; socially, by supporting peer interaction; and cognitively, by allowing children to use problem-solving and investigation skills. A way to provide an active play experience was to encourage children to develop their own obstacle course. I discussed with the children what they would like to have for their obstacle course as I believe it is important to involve the children in their learning and give them a sense of agency with their play experiences. They wanted tunnels to crawl through, ladders to climb and soft fall mats to land on. I provided these materials for the children and assisted them with the set up. We talked about safety, turn taking and looking after each other and the equipment. This experience provided endless fun and learning opportunities as they changed and developed their obstacle course. I was able to observe the children further to see how they worked together, what they enjoyed and what they didn't. I was able to gather this information to assist with planning future learning experiences. I have therefor achieved standard 1 as a graduate teacher as I know students and how they learn.

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Evidence to support 1.2 understand how students learn

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After getting to know the children and their interests I learnt Brendan enjoys puzzles and this activity settles him when missing his mum.

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Evidence to support 1.1 physical, social and intellectual development.

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I observed children passing a large ball to each other and other children began joining in the game.

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Indigenous artefacts displayed in the Kinder 

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After gathering evidence from my first week, my action plan will be implemented from week 2. I will be working with the 3-year-old group who attend Monday and Wednesday sessions and I will be continuing the inquiry project until week 4 with a total of 6 sessions. I will also have the opportunity to extend further research with the 4-year-old group who are more familiar with Indigenous practices. I have researched appropriate material to use using google searches, YouTube videos and Instagram accounts of Indigenous Early Childhood Educators to help create my action plan. I have had many conversations with my mentors to also gain a better insight into the children's interests so I can make my experiences enjoyable for the children. I have also applied knowledge I have gained through my university studies about how to provide learning experiences that embed Indigenous perspectives.

Monday 18th October 2021

For my first session I will begin by asking the children what they already know about Indigenous People.

Explaining to them who Indigenous People are and why it is important to respect their land.

I will introduce the acknowledgment of country and invite the children to repeat the words and actions with me.

Involve the children in a group discussion about ways in which we can look after the land, the animals and each other.

Read 'Welcome to Country' By Joy Murphy so the children can gather more information about Indigenous People

Wednesday 20th October 2021

Begin the session with acknowledgment of country

Re read 'Welcome to country' By Joy Murphy to establish the learning and what the children retained from the previous session

Hands on activity - making our own Bunjil paintings with hands and sponges as Bunjil is important to Indigenous People and can be easily identified in the 'Welcome to country book'

Monday 25th October 2021

Begin session with acknowledgment of country

read Indigenous counting book based on observations gained in week one of children exploring numbers. '123 of Australian Animals' by Bronwyn Bancroft

Hands on activity - start making Bunjil group artwork - a large artwork of Bunjil completed by all the children -  start with the outline and paint on a large piece of paper

send a msg to parents to collect bark, leaves or feathers to add to group artwork

Wednesday 27th October 2021

Begin session with acknowledgment of country

Introduce clapping sticks - how they can be used, importance to Indigenous People

Play song using clapping sticks to clap to the rhythm of an Indigenous song 'Inanay Capuana'

collect leaves, bark, feathers from outdoor area and add to items brought in by parents to continue with our group artwork

Hands on activity - set up clay with Bunjil as a prop on the table add feathers/bark/leaves for them to use with the clay. Fine motor sensory activity and reinforcing Indigenous perspectives using provocations.

Monday 1st October 2021

Begin session with acknowledgment of country

Read Indigenous book 'Kookoo Kookaburra' by Gregg Dreise

Introduce some words in the Woiwurrung langauge using Australian animals as props to support this

Set up provocation with Australian animal puppets and their names in the Woiwurrung langauge as well as Indigenous books in a quiet reading area

Continue with Bunjil the eagle painting

Wednesday 3rd October 2021

Begin session with acknowledgment of country

revisit 'Inanay Capuana' song again using the clapping sticks so the children can continue practicing the song

Complete group painting of Bunjil the eagle

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Ames, C, Archer, J 1988 'Achievement goals in the classroom: Students' learning strategies and motivation processes.' Journal of educational psychology, vol. 80, no. 3, pp. 260-267.

Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations for the Council of Australian Governments 2009, The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia Belonging, Being and Becoming, DEEWR, Australia.

Cooper, C, McIntyre, D 1996 'Effective teaching and learning: Teachers' and students' perspectives', Journal of Education for Teaching, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 341-341.

Crow, T 2010, 'An educator's challenge is knowing what to teach and how to teach it', Journal of Staff Development, vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 10.

Dinkel, D, Snyder, K, Patterson, T, Warehime, S, Kuhn, M, Wisneski, D 2019, ‘An exploration of infant and toddler unstructured outdoor play’, European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 258.

DuFour, R & DuFour, R 2013, 'Learning by doing: A handbook for professional learning communities at work TM', Solution Tree Press.

Friend, M & Cook, L 1992, 'Interactions: Collaboration skills for school professionals', Longman Publishing Group, 95 Church Street, White Plains, NY 10601.

Gainsley, S 2011, 'Look, listen, touch, feel, taste: The importance of sensory play', Extensions, Curriculum Newsletter from HighScope, vol. 25, no. 5, pp. 1-4.

Jones, V. F, Jones, L.S 1986, 'Comprehensive classroom management: Creating positive learning environments', Publication Sales, Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 7 Wells Avenue, Newton.

Hamm, C 2015, ‘Walking With Place: Storying Reconciliation Pedagogies in Early Childhood Education’, Canadian Children JOURNAL OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 57

MacNaughton, G, Smith, K & Hughes, P 2007, ‘Young children’s rights and public policy: practices and possibilities for citizenship in the early years’, Children and Society, vol. 21, no. 6, Wiley Blackwell, pp. 458–469.

McArdle, F, Gibson, M & Zollo, L 2015, 'Being an early childhood educator: bringing theory and practice together', Allen & Unwin, Sydney.

Powell, W & Kusuma-Powell, O 2011, 'How to teach now: Five keys to personalized learning in the global classroom', Ascd.

Shulman, L. S 1986, ‘Those Who Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching’, Educational Researcher, pp. 4–14.

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How can acknowledgment of country and Indigenous perspectives be introduced to children in an early childhood setting?

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How can acknowledgment of country and Indigenous perspectives be introduced to children in an early childhood setting?

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Based on my observations and discussions with mentors, I have observed the 3-year-old group is not embedding Indigenous perspectives into their program and has stopped doing their acknowledgment to country. Because the room is set up with Indigenous artefacts and the other groups are embedding Indigenous perspectives into their programs I believe it is important to include the 3-year-olds in this as well. This also relates to Principle number 4 from the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia which is Respect for Diversity. Principle 4 notes that ‘Educators recognise that diversity contributes to the richness of our society and provides a valid evidence base about ways of knowing. For Australia it also includes promoting greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being’ (EYLF 2009). My mentor for the 3-year-old-group expressed to me that she would really like to implement the acknowledgement of country again. I believe it is important for children to have an understanding that we share a history with Indigenous Australians and learn more about the land they play on. According to Hamm (2015, p. 57) thinking about the land in different ways opens up a space to explore the possibilities of generating new reconciliation pedagogies that are respectful and that recognize the local Aboriginal groups. This helps to teach the children about respecting other cultures and for us as educators to promote a diverse and inclusive learning space. I have sought out professional advice from my 4-year-old group mentor teacher who is actively embedding Indigenous perspectives into her program. I will be researching appropriate learning experiences and researching the Wurundjeri people whose land the Kindergarten is on. My mentor teacher has highlighted to me that it is important to embed Indigenous perspectives in a non-tokenistic way and ensure significant research is completed when embedding learning experiences about Aboriginal cultures. Hamm (2015, p. 58) states that knowing and understanding the land with Aboriginal cosmologies requires seeing much deeper than the surface. It involves feeling those deep connections that have existed for thousands of years and understanding trees, rocks, and rivers. This is why it is important for me to do my research when embedding Indigenous perspectives into my learning experiences and going deeper than just surface level education surrounding Indigenous people and their culture.

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I am attending a sessional Kindergarten and will be in the 4-year-old and 3-year-old group. The kindergarten has one room that services all of the different groups so the educators share this space, they collaborate the setup of the space and also clear away resources the other groups won’t be using. On my first day I was with the 3-year-old group and I observed an Australian flag, an Aboriginal flag and a Torres strait islander flag hanging inside the room. There was also different Indigenous artefacts throughout the room such as Indigenous dolls, animals and puzzles with Indigenous people on them. I observed the 3-year-old children children playing with these artefacts and not knowing about their history or what they represent. This led me to a conversation with the 3-year-old teacher, after observing there was no acknowledgment to country being performed in the 3-year-old group. My 3-year-old mentor teacher told me that the 4-year-old groups do a fantastic job at imbedding Indigenous practices into their program and that she had started with an acknowledgment to country in term 1 and 2 however, by term 3 she had stopped this practice and wasn’t exactly sure why. She expressed to me that she does feel unsure on how to embed indigenous practices and would like to begin incorporating the acknowledgement of country again. I also observed the children don’t come together for group time at the beginning of the session, doing an acknowledgement of country at the start of the session is a great way to incorporate group time and coming together to understand the importance of learning whose land we are on. As I attend the 4-year-old-group I observe that my mentor teacher is embedding Indigenous perspectives in an authentic non-tokenistic way, she is incorporating an acknowledgment to country each day and asks questions such as “what does it mean to look after the land” this is a great way to engage the children and see what learning is taking place. I would like to have guidance from the 4-year-old teacher to guide me in implementing my action plan.

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Standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it
Chosen descriptors:
2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
2.5 Literacy and numeracy strategies

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Standard 1: Know students and how they learn
Chosen descriptors:
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.2 Understand how students learn

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Part 3. Achievement of the Australian Professional Standards (APST)

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Part 3. Achievement of the Australian Professional Standards (APST)

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The implementation of my action plan was completed during the 3-year-old sessions however, I did complete some sessions during the 4-year-old groups as well. I embarked on a journey to embed Indigenous perspectives into learning experiences and to re-introduce acknowledgement of country to the 3-year-old group as they were no longer practicing this. My first session began by having a group discussion with the children about what they already know about the flags in the room. They correctly identified the Australian flag and some children did know the Aboriginal flag. This then led to a discussion about what the know about Aboriginal People and a chance for me to explain what the colors of the Aboriginal flag mean. This gave me an insight into what the children already know and discovered they remember/know very little about Aboriginal People. This meant I would be introducing just the basics of Aboriginal culture and continue reintroducing them each session to give the children a chance to retain the information before moving on to different topics. I introduced the children to the acknowledgment of country that their service already use and I asked the children to follow along with me. We then had a discussion about ways we could look after the land, the people and the animals as it states in the acknowledgement of country. This allowed me to record their responses and gain a deeper insight into what they understand about looking after the land and each other. I read 'Welcome to Country' By Joy Murphy so the children can gather more information about Indigenous People and their cultures, the children were very interested in Bunjil the Eagle who is the creator spirit for the Wurundjeri People, I made a note of this for future sessions. I used a myriad of different resources to enhance the children's learning and interests into Indigenous perspectives using visual arts, dramatic play, painting, collaborative group art and songs. I began my action plan during my full responsibility weeks so I took ownership of the learning experiences, the group times, setting up provocation tables and spent time gathering materials for my sessions including; books, art supplies and ICT tools such as speakers and iPads.

As my teaching style is largely informed by hands-on activities and experiences I made sure to include many of these into my action plan. The children were able to explore different sensory experiences using clay and painting with their hands. The group art project of Bunjil the eagle was displayed in the classroom as the children added to it so their learning could be made visible and have a connection to what they were learning about. During our sessions together the children were given the opportunity to speak their hundred languages in group time discussions, during their hands-on experiences and whilst engaged in dramatic play. As part of my teaching strategy I was able to use open ended questions during our sessions such as;

How can we show kindness to one an other?

Why is it important to show respect to each other?

How can we look after the land?

A dramatic play area was set up outside using an A frame made out of bamboo and covered with leafy branches. When completed the A frame looked like a teepee and the children were able to use it as a shelter. The word 'Gunya' was written on bark and hung onto the front of the shelter, Gunya is an Aboriginal word for a small, temporary shelter, traditionally used by Australian Aboriginal people. I was able to observe the children reenacting what they had learnt from the books we had read using the Gunya. They were making camp fires using rocks they found in the outdoors area, talking about making damper and hunting for food. This was a highlight for me during my inquiry project and provided a great example of a spontaneous learning experience that provided a lot of learning and fun.