Early Childhood Education & Care Assignment

Part 1: Legislation and ethical practice

1. List the three approved learning frameworks currently used in Australia and the websites they can be retrieved from:

• Explain the differences between the approved learning frameworks identified in question 1:

(25-50 words)

• Describe in your own words the two functions of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) in relation to children’s education and care.

Use the Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming: Educators Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia to guide your response. (25-50 words)

• The EYLF outlines a vision for Children’s Early Education and Learning. The framework states:

“All children experience learning that is engaging and builds success for life” (pg 7)

The framework then continues to explain the vision under three predominant aspects of children’s lives. Identify the three aspects of the vision and explain in your own words what each one means.

(50 words for all three sections )

• The following question will require you to access the EYLF (Resources for Assessment). Read the scenario and respond to the following:
• List three EYLF Principles and describe how each Principle relates to the scenario
• List three EYLF Practices and describe how each Practice relates to the scenario

(15-25 words per Principle and Practice.)

Five-year-old Amanpreet arrives in the morning and walks straight over to the music corner where she hears some Indian music playing. Anna had set this up specifically for Amanpreet as she knew how much Amanpreet loves to dance. Anna asked Amanpreet’s mum for the CD to play.

Her friend Ying is also in the music corner with Amanpreet.

Amanpreet finds some bells on an elastic band and places them carefully around her ankles, she raises her hands in the air and begins to twirl her hands around. Her bangles and bells make a tinkling sound as she moves through space.

Ying says to Amanpreet: Why are your hands moving like that? Do you want your bangles to make a sound? Amanpreet says “This is an Indian dance called Kathak. When you dance this dance you have to have bells on your ankles. I saw the ladies dance like this at our Indian group. It’s a love dance”.

Ying says “I like your dance Amanpreet, can you teach me”?

• The Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (Resources for assessment) has similar ‘Practice Principles’ to the Early Years Learning Framework. Using the scenario provided, identify three ‘Practice Principles’ that are evident based on the choices in the table below. Place an ‘x’ next to your answers.

Cody’s grandma, Aunty Betty, noticed that one idea on the children’s program was to plant a vegetable garden. She offered to help dig the patch with the children and provide some bush tucker seedlings for the children to plant.

• Who is responsible for implementing the EYLF? Reference the Educators Belonging, Being and Becoming: Educators Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework in Australia or the Victorian Early Years Learning Framework in your response.

(15-30 words).

• To answer the following question you will need to access the EYLF (Resources for assessment) and read pages 16 to 21.

Educators will use many pedagogical practices to facilitate children’s learning.

Read the statements below and match them to the correct pedagogical practice term.

Pedagogical practice terms to select:

• There is an international document that recognises the child’s right to play.
• Record the name of this document
• State the number and title of one article that is relevant to play.

Part 2: Supporting child development and learning

Exploring different theoretical perspectives provides an opportunity to think deeply about how development occurs, the factors that influence development and how early childhood professionals can support and enhance children’s development effectively.

1.  Explain the term ‘developmental theory’ in your own words. (15 – 40 words)

• Fill in  the table below for 3 different theorists:
• Name the theorist and their developmental theory.
• Describe the key ideas of the theory.
• Write one implication for educators.

• From a developmental perspective, there are ‘typical’ and ‘age-appropriate’ expectations of development.

In table below list three developmental milestones or characteristics typically presented during each stage of development.

• Consider the importance of play and respond to the following:
• Describe the difference between play-based learning and free play. Explain in your own words the importance of play in children’s learning. (50-80 words).
• Refer to two theories that support the idea that play is central to children’s learning and development. Explain the key idea and concepts of each theory. (Approximately 100 words).
• Refer to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child [UNCROC] and identify the most relevant article to this topic. Describe three strategies educators could implement to support this article. (20-30 words per strategy)
• Based on this information describe what the implication would be for children if they have limited access to play opportunities and play materials? (15-30 words)
• A lack of play limits opportunities for brain stimulation describe what the implication would be for children if they receive limited brain stimulations? (15-30 words)

• Suggest a playexperience idea that will develop the literacy skill for each concept area in the table below, using your knowledge of child development. Include the following information to support the planning of a play experience:
• Description of the experience.
• List of resources and materials that would be used.
• The target age of your experience.
• The safety measures you will use to minimise risks for children and others.
• Suggestions about how the experience may relate to a child’s interest.
• Refer to the EYLF and identify a pedagogical practice that you would implement during the experience. You can also refer to EYLF outcomes- Educators promote the learning section of the document.

• Access the link about Reflective Practice (Resources for assessment) and read the document to respond to the following:
• Describe in your own words your understanding of reflective practice. (60 – 80 words)
•  State two reasons why it is important for us to be a reflective educator.
• List the Quality Areas the Reflective Practice document refers to using the correct headings from the National Quality Standards. Access the Guide to the National Quality Framework to support you with answering this question.

• The Reflective Practice document also refers to an inquiry cycle process to support and improve reflective practice that involves four steps:
• Being alert and aware
• Analysis
• Action
• Assess.

Read the scenario below and answer the following questions:

1. Identify one area of practice for improvement relating to the curriculum. (e.g routine, program, or interactions) from the scenario.
2. Apply the four steps (of reflective practice) to this area for improvement and discuss how you will support the children’s play and development.

Scenario:

You are an educator in the baby room which caters to 0-18-month-olds.

Each morning the babies arrive there are a lot of tears. Educators expect this due to separation anxiety most of the babies are going through. They are sometimes dropped off to the main room with all the other children and other times the babies are dropped off in the veranda area outside. 

The educators are supervising closely and often say how the morning routine is rushed and hurried and very busy with all the children together. The educators only have a few minutes with each parent as they make a quick exit to escape the volume of noise in a busy baby play space.

Sometimes the babies are placed directly down on baby play mat outside and parents leave without an educator talking to them. Babies then sit on the mat and watch the educators pass by frantically. The babies often send non- verbal cues through facial expressions to the educator to be picked up, however, the educator misses these and continues on. There are a few scattered rattles on the baby play mat but some babies are beginning to pull up on furniture and start to move around and are not interested in rattles anymore. The baby mat is set up next to the arrival walkway where many parents and children are constantly walking back and forth.

Part 3: Observation and assessment.

1. Access the Guide to the National Quality Framework (Resources for assessment). Refer to the National Quality Standards in the guide and identify:
2. One standard and one element relating to the observation and assessment of individual children.
3. The relevant National Law and National Regulations relating to the Standard.

• List two workplace practices for each part that you must follow when observing children addressing:
• Ethical considerations.
• Report writing.

• Access the following text (Resources for assessment containes scanned chapter):

Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2018). Programming and planning in early childhood settings. (7^th ed.). Victoria, Australia: Cengage Learning Australia Pty Limited. Refer to pages 294 – 314 to answer the following question:

1. .Identify the purpose of each observation technique (that are used by education & care services) listed in the table. (40 – 60 words per technique.)