Journal Week 4 909 | Early Childhood Educ

Journal and Reflection: Week 4

(4 March – 8 March 2024)

Link to:

National Quality Standards Q1 Educational Program and Practice
Australian Teaching Standards 2.1 Content and teaching strategies of the teaching area
Australian Teaching Standards 2.4 Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
EYLF Principles. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
EYLF Practices. Cultural responsiveness
EYLF Learning Outcome 2. Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Play pedagogy: Purposefully framed play, Modelled play
Teaching Strategies: Sustained shared thinking, co-constructing, facilitating

We start the day with Acknowledge of the Country. We are working on embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in our curriculum and learning experiences. During morning group time, we talked about our family members, including Mum, Dad, ourselves, and any pets we had. In addition, we discussed our nicknames and what our parents called us.

To promote polite conversation, we used the Talking Stick as a tool, allowing the holder to communicate and express themselves vocally while others calmly listened and waited their time.

Beginning each day with an Acknowledgement of Country shows respect for Indigenous cultures and customs, establishing a positive tone for the day's activities.
Incorporating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewpoints into the curriculum honours and celebrates Australia's First Nations heritage.
Using the 8 Ways of Learning during morning group time exposes children to varied information sharing methods and encourages inclusive learning.
Using the Talking Stick to share stories promotes respectful communication and active listening among children, promoting a sense of belonging and mutual respect within the group.
Learning about children's ethnic backgrounds and languages fosters linkages between the classroom and the larger community, promoting diversity and respect. Reading books about family and cultural identity helps children comprehend and appreciate a variety of perspectives.

This activity promotes a comprehensive approach to education by including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewpoints while also encouraging cultural diversity and respect in the learning environment.

Community Links: To promote diversity and respect, we look into the nations of origin of children's parents or grandparents. Furthermore, we promote linguistic variety by learning greetings in several languages and displaying them on the wall for parents and visitors to enjoy. Furthermore, we expand our understanding of family dynamics through literature, such as "Back on Country" by Adam Goodes and Ellie Laing and "The Family Tree" by Josh Pyke.

Building our Family House-ART AND CRAFT

Link to:

National Quality Standards Q 1 Educational program and practice
Australian Teaching Standards 1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development characteristics of the students
Australian Teaching Standards 4.1 Support student participation
Australian Teaching Standards 4.2 Manage classroom activities
Australian Curriculum. Visual and Media Arts
EYLF Learning Outcome 4. Children are confident and involved learners
EYLF Learning Outcome 5. Children are effective communicators
Play pedagogy: Guided play, free play, Purposefully-framed play
Teaching strategies: Intentional, Sustained shared thinking, Facilitating

This exercise invites children to use arts and crafts to visualize the shape of their houses and describe who lives inside them through drawings. This creative approach allows children to explore their identity and physically communicate their understanding of family dynamics.

The activity corresponds with art and craft paedagogy, giving children a platform to express their imagination and creativity while using visual mediums to portray their houses and family members. Art and craft activities help children develop physically, socially, and intellectually while also allowing them to express themselves creatively and improve their fine motor skills.

Exploring forms and their qualities is fundamentally mathematical. Children can recognise forms like squares, rectangles, triangles, as well as circles as they build different portions of their houses. They also learn about shape properties like sides, angles, as well as symmetry, which serve as the foundation for mathematical comprehension. Educators develop strong relationships with children by taking an interest in their lives and fostering self-expression through activities like these, which promotes a sense of belonging and connection.

Drawing Our Family for the Family Tree

Link to:

National Quality Standards Q 1 Educational program and practice
Australian Teaching Standards 1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development characteristics of the students
Australian Teaching Standards 4.1 Support student participation
Australian Teaching Standards 4.2 Manage classroom activities
Australian Curriculum. Visual and Media Arts
EYLF Learning Outcome 4. Children are confident and involved learners
EYLF Learning Outcome 5. Children are effective communicators
Play pedagogy: Guided play, free play, Purposefully-framed play
Teaching strategies: Intentional, Sustained shared thinking, Facilitating

In this activity, children draw their family relatives to help create a family tree. Children can explore and express their familial connections and interactions by developing graphic representations of their family groupings. This approach helps children gain a better understanding of their own identity and the dynamics of their family.

This practice helps children develop key social and emotional skills. Drawing family members for the family tree allows children to have a sense of belonging as well as connection to their family. They reinforce the impression that they are part of a bigger familial community by physically representing their relatives, which helps them feel more secure and identifies them.

By sketching and placing family members on a family tree, children develop a better knowledge of their family's relationships. They understand the family dynamics such as relationships between parents and children, siblings, and wider family connections, which helps them develop social awareness and empathy.

Sharing their family tree sketches with peers and educators allows children to practice their communication abilities. They learn to verbalize information about their family members, including names, years of age, and interactions, which helps them improve their verbal communication skills.

When children discuss their family tree pictures with their peers, they learn about the variety of family structures and backgrounds. This experience builds respect for various family compositions, as well as inclusivity and acceptance within the classroom. Children who participate in this activity not only express their creativity, but they also develop emotional and social abilities, which are necessary for developing strong connections and a sense of belonging within their family and community.