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Using different part of body to draw. A photo from Google.

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Using different part of body to draw. A photo from Google.

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A child is free to play and the educator plays along without concerning the mess. The photo is taken during the placement for unit ECE2004

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A child is free to play and the educator plays along without concerning the mess. The photo is taken during the placement for unit ECE2004

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An learning space from learning environment. The photo is taken during the placement for unit ECE2004

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An learning space from learning environment. The photo is taken during the placement for unit ECE2004

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ACECQA 2018, Quality Area 1 Supporting agency: involving children in decision-making, National Childcare Accreditation Council, Australia.

David L 2016, Montessori Method (Montessori), Learning Theories, viewed 11 August 2020, https://www.learning-theories.com/montessori-method-montessori.html.

Department of Education and Training 2016, VICTORIAN EARLY YEARS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK; FOR ALL CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO EIGHT YEARS, viewed 11 August 2020,<https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/edcare/veyldframework.pdf>

Hoffnung, M, Hoffnung, RJ, Seifert, KL, Hine, A, Ward, L, Pause, C, Swabey, K, Yates, K & Burton, R 2015, ‘Theories of development’, Lifespan development, 3rd Australasian ed., John Wiley & Sons, Milton , pp. 41-42, viewed 30 July 2020, <https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/reader.action?ppg=65&docID=4742142&tm=1501465347285>

IPSP & Yorganop n.d, Theories and theorists in Early childhood, IPSU News, Western Australia.

Saul McLeod 2018, Erik Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, SimplyPsychology, viewed 30 July 2020,https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html#:~:text=Initiative%20versus%20guilt%20is%20the,years%20in%20a%20child's%20life.

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For supporting children to promote their agency through their interests, knowing what children like is essential. This can be achieved by asking parents through parent interviews, email, or survey. Then talking to children, listening to their words. This can be achieved through sharing time, storytelling, drawing, or even observing children. Responding to children's interests by offering choices of experiences based on what children are interested in learning about (ACECQA 2018) and creating the learning environment where children are provided with a variety of resources to choose from and allow children to make choices independently (ACECQA 2018). Different resources with different contents, including the natural resources; the equipment is shelving at children's heigh, therefore children can choose and play with the resources. 'Setting up play spaces with areas that allow children to choose between quiet and busier areas, indoor or outdoor play, in large groups, small groups or solitary play' (ACECQA 2018). 'Arrange activities, routines and the physical environment so that children have a range of opportunities to make choices about what they will do and how they will do it' (ACECQA 2018). Thinking about the solution to control the messy play so the resources do not be limited and the playtime is not interrupted, for example: cover up the play spaces with table cloths. ' Providing space where children can store and independently access their own belongings' (ACECQA 2018). Considering a democratic system of decision-making where children could bring out issues, contribute their opinions, and voting on relevant issues (ACECQA 2018).

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How does supporting children's interests promote their agency?

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How does supporting children's interests promote their agency?

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The artifact from mixing colour activity

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The artifact from mixing colour activity

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The mixing colour activity that Elli and I played. A photo from "No time for flash card' website.

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The mixing colour activity that Elli and I played. A photo from "No time for flash card' website.

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The sessions were started by asking what Elli wanted to do and the activities would depend on her decisions. Elli would start with the drawing activity. Then she changed the activities by herself or by the suggestion from adults. No matter what, I tried to let Elli choose the activities and follow her decisions. When Elli with her mother, the process was easier than when Elli with her father. She could change the activity whenever she wanted, for one time, she changed her mind from drawing to imagination monster hunts, or for another time, she played drawing with a different part of the body, building a tower from the materials around her or pretend to be a speaking banana. Ell’s mother would laugh and play along with her. Elli had to persuade her father to be able to change the activities and sometimes she was refused. At that time, I tried to convince Elli’s father that his daughter had been creative; most of the time he did not say anything, but there was one time I got the answer that Elli was tried to not obey his command. Therefore, the frequency of changing activities is lower, compared with the mother. When Elli with her mother, she laughed more and expressed more facial emotion while with her father, Elli concentrated on the task more. Elli respected her parents although they did the wrong thing, she only warned them by words, rather than throwing things or destroying the unwanted results. Elli has a good knowledge of colours at the age of 3-year-old. She told me all the basic colours in the pencil case when we did drawing (which were blue, red, yellow…) Then we moved to the higher level when I taught her recognizing light blue and dark blue and she learned it quickly. Her knowledge of colour has moved to the next level when we had a painting session and she mixed the two colours to create the other colour. I tried to engage her by asking ‘what will happen if you mix those two colours?’. Sometimes Elli did not want to do it, so I tried to encourage Elli by saying ‘I really want to know, but I don’t have the paints, can you help me find out, please?’, and it worked. We did the painting sessions and focusing on mixing colours for couple times and now Elli knows how to create grey by using black and white, pink by using red and white and orange by using yellow and red. I heard from a parent that Elli has tried mixing different colours after the sessions were ended and they are trying to teach her mix the colour with the measure.

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Elli is 3 year-olds and 5 months. She is a confident learner who can express her opinions and decisions without hesitance. She likes drawing, singing, and dancing. Elli is interested in colours and has a good knowledge of colour.  She has a wonderful imagination, that she uses in playing (pretended and constructive play) and storytelling. She is a kind girl who has sympathy and respect for people. Elli is a dynamic girl who loves to move around when she is playing. Elli’s parent supports their child’s knowledge and development in different ways. While Elli’s mother focuses on free play, fun time, and creativity; her father focuses on discipline and real-life knowledge.

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For the privacy reason, the name of the child is changed.

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According to the National Quality Standard, quality area 1, ‘agency is defined as being able to make choices and decisions to influence events and to have an impact on one’s world’ (ACECQA 2018) and the agency is one of the elements which shape children’s experiences of becoming, according to outcome 1 (EYLF 2019) At the age of 3, children are at the end of ‘Autonomy vs Shame and doubt’ stage and start the next stage, which is ‘Initiative vs guilt’ (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). Children at this age learn many skills, and the task is to learn to be independent (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). According to Lev Vygotsky, children learn from people around them by observation and doing things with them (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). They have the ability to learn new skills, practice the skills that they have known without the assistant, and ask for the assistant if they need it. If children are been free to explore and know that parents are waiting for helping children patiently (Saul 2016), they become more ‘confident and secure in their own ability’(Saul 2016), have ‘self-control without a loss of self-esteem’ (Saul 2016). Also, children at the age of 3 started to assert themselves more frequently (Saul 2016) because they are at the entry of the Initiative vs guilt state (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). Children spend most of their time playing, ‘particularly make-believe’(IPSP & Yorganop n.d). Play is essential in this stage, providing the opportunity for children to explore their interpersonal skills through activities (Saul 2016). ‘Children begin to plan activities, make up games, and initiate activities with others’ (Saul 2016) which happened with Elli when she was playing with her mother. Children start being thirsty for knowledge at this stage, ‘their natural curiosity also leads them to ask lots of questions’ (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). Some questions or activities can be silly in the eyes of adults, however, that’s the way children develop their understanding of the world (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). Adult’s attitude is the most affected in children’s development in general and especially in these two stages. According to Maria Montessori, respect for children is essential to develop their independence (David L 2016), it also ‘promotes enthusiasm and curiosity-driven learning’ (IPSP & Yorganop n.d). If adults overly control or not given the opportunity for children to assert themselves or criticize the child for failures during the autonomy vs shame stage, children begin doubting themselves, become overly dependent upon other and lack of self-esteem (Saul 2016) and ‘if children are treated respectfully and helped to formulate and pursue their goals without feeling guilty, they will develop the virtue of purpose in their life’ (Hoffnung M et al. 2015). When children are active participants in their own learning (IPSP & Yorganop n.d)without doubting themselves or feel shameful of what they want to do, their agency is promoted. Elli is a confident child in general and her parents have done a good job. However, she was more engaged and confident leading her playtime when she was with her mother rather than with her father.