Ordinary moments that cultivate extraordinary learning opportunities for infants by Kate Hanhela

Context/Place Walk:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:27:53 UTC

My name is Kate and I completed my observations and placement at a centre called Josie's Bright Beginnings, in a babies room with children aged 0-2 years old. You enter the centre through a bright foyer which is decorated with flowers, children's creations and multicultural artworks. The aboriginal flag and other indigenous artwork is displayed. The babies room is also brightly decorated and the walls are covered in children's art and creations. There is a large group time area, as well as secure area for babies that cannot yet walk. The far corner of the room features a music area as well as a play mat with open shelving that stores the children's toys (blocks, duplo and other toys). Through the large windows at the far end of the room, you can see a large grassed area and play equipment.

Question: How do social interactions support children's language development and in building communication skills?

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:28:42 UTC

Plan:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:29:47 UTC

When considering future learning opportunities it is important to provide children with a language rich environment and opportunities to build upon their communication skills and language development, especially in relation to problem solving, sharing and working well with others which feature as invaluable communication skills. Providing play based activities and opportunities for collaboration allows children to learn about their own strengths and capabilities, as well as those of their peers whist building upon their communicative development. They are allowed to see themselves as valued contributors and develop as individuals. This also provides them with a language rich environment to help foster their verbal language development and vocabulary and foster peer teaching and learning.

Moving forward in my own teaching practice, I want to remember to ask children open ended questions and plan curriculum around the children's interests to boost engagement. I also intend to consider the VEYLDF learning outcomes, and areas that children can be observed to be lacking in to plan lessons and activities in the future and what I can do to provide a language rich, collaborative environment for children.

Presenting children with opportunities to extend on their prior learning and experiences through play assists them in drawing connections between their newly and previously acquired knowledge. This can be done through providing multiple exposures to related materials and introducing components that aid in communication and language skills such as vocabulary. As an educator it is important to consider the ordinary moments as opportunities to learn what about what children's interests are as a way to keep them engaged and assist young infants in their growth as individuals. This is particularly important in relation to ordinary moments that result in learning that occur outside of intended teaching experiences. For example, ordinary moment two presents the educator with the opportunity to introduce words/descriptive language to the child in relation to both shapes and colours in a context where the child is already engaged and actively participating to help them build connections.

Interpretation/Analysis:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:30:24 UTC

The main learning that could be observed occurring in all three documented ordinary moments was that children develop their communication skills through exploration, imitation and organic experiences with their their environment and those around them.

The children in all three ordinary moments can be seen to be making sense of their environment through their own experiences and the process of trial and error. This observation aligns with ideas expressed in Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, and the concept that children in the observed age group (0-2 years old) learn through lived experience. Refer to ordinary moment 3, when Child A comes to the realisation that their own hands can be used as tools that they can use in artistic self expression when painting. According to Piaget children progress through stages of development based in their age and that "language is secondary to action" (McLeod, p. 14), which supports the observations of these infants in their exploration and experimentation as precursors for their verbal language development.
This links to the VEYLDF Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing. This is evident through the children's engagement "in increasingly complex sensory-motor skills and movement patterns" as well as their ability to "manipulate equipment and manage tools" (Australian Government Department of Education and Training, p. 35).

Children can be observed learning about their own capabilities as individuals, though self expression and exploration, as well as through their social interactions. Lev Vygotsky's Socio-cultural theory explains this learning by theorising that ‘development and learning occurs in the context of children’s communities’ (Nolan & Raban-Bisby, p. 7). Socio-cultural theory considers the influence that both interactions and the environment plays in shaping children's learning and development. Vygotsky's term the 'more knowledgable other' (McLeod) proposes that children learn through social interactions and learn how to complete tasks beyond their skill-set through guidance and support attained from a more knowledgable individual. In an educational context, it is often the educator who extends on the child's learning through the introduction of appropriate, relevant vocabulary. In relation to these ordinary moments, the more knowledgable other (the educator) verbally narrates the child's experience and provides them with multiple exposures to relevant words to build the child's communication skills and knowledge of verbal language. In other instances children can also act as teachers in relation to spoken language when communicating with their peers.
This relates to both the VEYLDF Learning Outcome 5 and Outcome 1. Firstly, Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators, because in all ordinary moments children use their communication skills, although non-verbal, to communicate with their peers and educators as well as successfully receive and interpret signals from their peers and environment. For example, Child A in ordinary moment one communicates displeasure with their peer through physical interaction. Secondly, the VEYLDF Learning Outcome 1: that children have a strong sense of identity, as they're observed to display confidently demonstrate their knowledge and autonomy through solo-play and connecting with others. This relates to all ordinary moments in the sense that children display the capability of self-direction and independent play as well as the capacity for social interaction.

Children draw upon their prior experiences when they interpret new information, and their learning is often influenced as a result of their own existing knowledge and understandings. The influence of these past experiences is evident in all three everyday moments when children can be observed to draw from their existing knowledge and learning when they interact with materials in their environment. This is demonstrated through the children's knowledge of how to use a paint brush, how to stack blocks and the knowledge that you can see through the toys provided. Albert Bandura's Social learning theory highlights the influence that ‘experiences have in shaping children’s behaviour’ (Nolan & Raban-Bisby, p. 10), which suggests that these children learn through their experiences both independently and with others. As stated by Albert Bandura, "new patterns of behaviour can be acquired through direct experience or through observing the behaviour of others" (Bandura, p. 3). This can be observed in Ordinary moment three, when Child A observes another child's painting technique then imitates it themselves.
This links directly to the VEYLDF Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world. Children are seen to be "broadening their understanding of the world in which they live" and "are playful and respond positively to others, reaching out for company and friendship" (Australian Government Department of Education and Training, p. 29), this is seen through the infant interactions with materials and with their educators.

Ordinary Moment One:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:30:56 UTC

Child A and Child B are sitting together on the play mat playing with a set of wooden blocks. Child A is using the blocks to stack on top of each other, they stack the blocks before Child B uses their hand to knock the blocks over. Child A begins to collect the blocks and stack them again. Child B knocks the stack of blocks over again and laughs. Child A begins to frown and starts collecting the blocks and placing them away from child B. Child B reaches for the blocks but before they can pick one up, Child A hits Child B's hand.

Ordinary Moment Two:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:31:12 UTC

Child A is sitting on the ground playing with wooden framed shape toys that have clear coloured plastic inside them. Smiling, the child picks up a square that has yellow inside and lifts it to their face, placing it in front of their eye and using it to look through. The child gives the square to the educator sitting next to them. The child then picks up another triangle with pink plastic inside and places it over their eyes and turns to the educator again and looks at them through the triangle. The child laughs when the educator raises the square to their own face, looking back at the child through the yellow plastic.

Ordinary Moment Three:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:31:25 UTC

Child A is sitting at the art table engaging in a painting activity. The child begins by dipping the paint brush into the blue paint and uses dabbing motions to paint on the provided piece of paper. The child then dips the paint brush into the pink paint, and then into the green paint. They then begin to use streak like motions to smear the combination of pink and green paint onto their page. After observing the child sitting opposite them using their hands to paint rather than a brush, the child then places the brush on the table and uses their hands to scoop up purple paint, then using their other hand they scoop up more pink paint. They then begin to rub their hands together, mixing the paints together. The child looks up smiling at the near-by educator, then begins using their hands to paint.

Rationale:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 07:33:17 UTC

It can be observed in all three every day moments that children seek social interaction with those around them. Children offered their own knowledge to their peers and educators and can be observed to build their own understandings as a result of their experiences. This relates to the The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) Learning Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators. Children in all three observations engaged in non-verbal communication with their peers and educators to communicate and express their feelings, intentions and perceptions. The everyday moments are all connected due to the children's exploration and interactions with their environment, which aligns with VEYLDF Learning Outcome 2, that Children are connected with and contribute to their world. Children in all three observations are members of their centre community and display a sense of confidence and belonging in their childcare room and feel comfortable contributing to interactions.
The VEYLDF outcome 4 relates as well, due to children in all three ordinary moments being observed to be confident and involved learners. They confidently explore their environment and the materials around them, as well as actively engaging with their environment and peers. The children are observed to be displaying interest, vivacity and imagination, as well as expressing themselves creatively.

References:

katehanhela — 2021-05-25 08:00:14 UTC

The Department of Education and Training 2016, The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, p.29, accessed 24 May 2021,

The Department of Education and Training 2016 , The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, p.35, accessed 24 May 2021,

Bandura, A. 1971, Social Learning Theory, General Learning Corporation, Stanford University, p. 3, accessed 25 May 2021,

McLeod, S. 2018, Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, Simply Psychology, p. 14, accessed 24 May 2021,

McLeod, S. 2020, Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, Simply Psychology, article, accessed 24 May 2021,

Nolan, A & Raban-Bisby, B 2015, ‘Theories and perspectives’, Theories into practice: understanding and rethinking our work with young children and the EYLF, Teaching Solutions, Blairgowrie, VIC, p. 7, accessed 25 May 2021.

Nolan, A & Raban-Bisby, B 2015, ‘Theories and perspectives’, Theories into practice: understanding and rethinking our work with young children and the EYLF, Teaching Solutions, Blairgowrie, VIC, p. 10, accessed 25 May 2021.