My Teaching Portfolio by Rachna Ranjeev Menon

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 01:44:23 UTC

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 02:13:57 UTC

My understanding of this standard is that how educators need to fully understand the children in the class. Usually the class is diverse, be it culture, race, capabilities and even additional support to some children. Therefore, knowing the learners fully and being able to plan around their strengths and interests. This standard is important because it helps us develop a deeper connection and understanding of each learner in the class. The plans we create will be enable for us to identify where and when the learner is lacking, succeeding, what works for them and what does not. This helps them in their development and growth as an individual.

The artefact I have provided is a planning cycle. This meets the standards because it helps me recognise their interests through my observations. It then helps me come up with strategies which will help me come with activities that enhance their interest. Through this planning it will help me learn more about the learners and also learn about my planning style which will help me reflect and improve in my future planning.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 02:37:18 UTC

Being an educator, it will vital to include and treat everyone equally. Therefore, it is important for us to know how to manage children with disabilities. We would need to realise their needs and get the learners to feel as secure as possible in a group setting. This is why this standard is important to help us understand each learner better by being able to support them in any way possible. This would also include talking to families and specialists to aid us come up with strategies for the child to grow without any hindrance. This will help them participating in group activities and build relationships with his/her fellow peers. This will include continuous communication with the parents and consultation.

In my pedagogy, it is very important for me to include everyone and create a safe and secure environment. Therefore, I closely worked with children's families and other educators to come up with strategies and plans on how to manage children that need additional support. The artefact shows how it meets the standard by designing and implementing a plan on how to assist the child in risk prone environments.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 03:09:09 UTC

This standard is familiarising the learners with Aboriginal history, experiences, language etc. It is very important for children in Australia to know our history so they are more connected to the land and country they are living in. This standard is very important because as an educator in Australia, it is a mandate to learn about the country, the more we are familiar with the content, the more comfortable we are teaching it. This will then project into our teachings and onto the children. This will also result in children from Aboriginal backgrounds to feel more safe, as we provide an inclusive environment. Knowing the content will provide opportunities to the children allowing them to explore the content in depth.

The artefact I have provided meets the standards as my mentor and I realised there was nothing in the Aboriginal corner that talks about the language. Therefore, I suggested we have flashcards with words and the illustration on it. This give them opportunities to learn more and also educate someone later on. I have also played a game of pictionary which tests the class on the language, making them more knowledgable about it.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 03:43:47 UTC

This artefact is a collaborative plan with the lead educator and myself. This is the room with 4-5 year olds, which means they are headed to school very soon. Therefore, I found it important for the children to be familiar with the alphabets. The first step was to know how to write their name. Therefore, the artefact displays a signing station which we set up. Every morning, I would encourage them to write their name on the whiteboard. This meets the standard because helps the children in the room to apply their exisiting knowledge. As an educator, I am supporting their literacy learning and also helping them achieve their goals to write smoothly.

As an educator, I did research on how to get them to write effectively, I had a few planning experiences which not everyone would participate. Therefore, this strategy of making it compulsory for children to sign in made them get involved more and also achieving their goals.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 06:34:07 UTC

This standard is very important because efficiency is very important when it comes to planning. Only with a structure, will the lessons and plans will flow smoothly. This assists the learners and the educators for a seamless class and all is under control. With proper planning, it gives the educator time to observe and implement that into learning experiences. With planning, it also engages the learners and will help them develop their learning and grow as they grow older. Without a plan, the children will not be achieving their goals and will not grow as an individual. Planning spontaneous activities will work for short-term but if there is no thought to the plan, it is not benefitting anybody. It is very important to identify the children's strengths and weaknesses and work on that before they start the next chapter.

The artefact I have displayed shows the planning tool that I used to observe and experiences based on my observations during their free play time. My planning is not only based on observations but also conversations I have had with the children. I try and keep it an informal relationship so that the children are more free to voice any challenges they face. This helps me make intentional learning activities. This is done so that children have complete agency over their play. So that they are independent and make their own decisions also stems from planned experiences.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 08:05:54 UTC

During my experience, I have learnt that every planning experience may not work and you may not receive the desired outcome. When an experience turns out unsuccessful, it is vital for educators to understand that we need to focus on the process and understand what may not have worked. This will only help us extend the learning and help the learners grow. Hence, it is important for us to reflect on our unsuccessful planned experiences. This is why this standard is important.

The artefact I have provided shows my reflection on my experiences that I planned. Reflection was a regular part of my planning experience as this helps educators to continuously improve our experiences in the future.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 09:54:29 UTC

This standard is very important because I believe having a daily routine will plan and set out the tone for the day. This also helps us optimise our day by having a clear outline of the day.

During my placement, there was a generic routine for the room which my mentor and I collaboratively decided to have a revised version. We were able to develop a routine for the room. When planning the routine we kept in mind that it gave enough time for the children their time to play, have meals and rest.

The above artefact meets the standard as it shows that we are maintaining and setting up a routine for the learners to have a productive day.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 09:58:42 UTC

It is very important to ensure that the environement that the children are in are safe and secure. It is the educators role to mitigate any risks or dangers before the children play, indoors or outdoors. There was a indoor risk plan however there wasn't any for the outdoor area apart from the centre's general guideline. Therefore, this illustration portrays strategies of keeping the children safe. This map is also displayed around the outdoor areas as a reminder for educators to keep this in mind at all times. This will be the best way to support every child in any space they are spending their time in.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 10:01:38 UTC

Providing feedback to the children on their learnings is very important. This encapsulates their journey which will show their development progessions throughout the days, weeks, years. This will help the educators see where the child might be lacking and how we can help them improve and potentially reach their goal. This also helps in enhancing their experiences based off their strengths and interests. The artefact I provided are some of my notes which summarises a child's assessment at the end of a quarter. My mentor assisted me by showing some examples of summary learning. Since I am a student, I did not get hands on experience with the systems they use. However, my mentor showed me her summaries and allowed me to practice by making notes on one child. This is so that I have some experience and learn what is expected later on.

This will help us see the short term goals which then will lead to the bigger picture. This can also be used to build stronger communication with the parents and immediate families to give them a snapshot of their child's progression in the centre and what we will be working on to get them ready for the next step.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 10:01:43 UTC

Learning stories are a common practice at my centre. This is important because it shows day to day updates on what the child is doing at the centre resulting in celebrating their accomplishments they have achieved. This helps us communicate with the families about the interesting/extraordinary pointers that the educators get to see the children doing during the day. Using these same pointers, it helps the educators to see their learnings and helps us see how they have reacted to our planning experiences. These stories also help educators with planning their goals in the future and how we extend from that. The artefact I have provided is stories from an app called Storypak. This platform enables us to add pictures/videos of the child and talk about the interesting moments which we then link to the EYLF outcomes. We also talk about the future plans for the child. This is then communicated and shared with the families which then give us feedback on and also help celebrate the child's achievements.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 10:50:00 UTC

Engaging with colleagues or other professional is crucial especially during your placement. Placement is the time when you have time to make mistakes and learn from it. Therefore, getting feedback on how improve my teaching practice is a great measure to provide seamless support to the children. This also means collaborating and connecting with educators will help me grow which wiill result in better efficient and better experiences for the children as well. Informal/formal meetings with other educators also helps you learning from people with experience and bouncing off ideas with each other. This will end up in enhanced outcomes than isolating yourself from the professional work environment.

The artefact I used is the Reflective Protocol which shows my goals for the week, my strengths I have obtained and my mentor's observation on me which in return works as reflection on what I should be working on. This helps me with how I can better my teaching style and in return provide the children with the best support possible.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 10:50:17 UTC

During my placement, the lead educator made sure that I shadow her during her planning time. This helped me see how educators manage their time and what their process is to assist the children in their development. During this time, I was also encouraged to ask any questions and get feedback from her which would help me in my placement and my future. The artefact shows my notes from one of my meetings where I was asking on how to complete the planning cycle. Also, how different it is from StoryPak and how observations are filled on the platform. This meeting helped me develop planning cycles and also get ideas on how to plan experiences during my time at the centre. My educator would monitor my observation notes, planning cycles, child notes and learning stories on StoryPak weekly or bi-weekly to make sure I have full understanding of planning.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 11:49:41 UTC

As mentioned in my philosophy statement, I find it very important to build bonds with children's families. This is because the children have a closer relationship with them and this can help us understand the child better by knowing their behaviour, patterns, interests and more. Therefore having meaningful, significant communication with the families it will help us with making efficient learning plans.

The artefact meets the standard as it is an example of a form filled out by the parents who was willing to help us educators in regards to the growth and development of the child. The information helps us with information that we might not be able to attain otherwise, therefore it is vital piece of information for the coming quarters therefore engaging with parents, families and carers is a crucial step in my practice.

s8076974_ — 2023-11-18 11:49:50 UTC

The Early Childhood Australia Ethics outlines what educators and other professionals in the industry should do when working in these institutions. It talks about the behaviour that is expected from anyone working in this field. Children as young adults however it is our duty to make them feel as secure as possible so that they feel they are at home away from home. It also mentions how the guidelines is not expected to give any solutions to any challenges as they are very individual and situation based. However, it talks about what we are supposed to follow in order to be ethical and protect the child's safety.

It talks about given children the agency over their life and day to day actions. We should not force them to do anything that will make them uncomfortable. We as educators have a lot of power therefore we should not exploit it and keep them as safe as possible by not causing any danger emotionally or physically.

It also discusses relationships with families and colleagues by keeping it respectful and professional. Understanding each one of their views and not discriminating them in any circumstance.

Overall, having a complete relationship and keeping in mind of understanding the child and their families and not only focus on 'teaching them'. Protecting everyone's identities and being safe with and to everyone in the centre.

(Early Childhood Australia. (2019). Code of Ethics. In Early Childhood Australia. https://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ECA-COE-Brochure-web-2019.pdf)

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