week 2

                                                                                      30- September - 2024  

During drop-off time today, I helped the educator in the room settle the children, since some were crying because of separation. As one of the children reached out to me, they opened their hands and asked for a cuddle. After giving him a cuddle and putting him on my lap, I told him what would happen shortly. I told him we would have morning tea, and Mum would pick him up in the afternoon. It shows that I have respectful relationships with children and respond to their needs. When I develop secure relationships with the children, where they can come to me for comfort or needs. I have demonstrated Quality Area 5 relationships with children standard 5.1 by being responsive and interacting with them in a meaningful way, which leads to building trusting relationships between children that allow them to feel secure, confident, and included (ACECQA, 2024). I also demonstrate the EYLF Principle of Secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships. I have also shown Outcome 1.1 of EYLF which is that Children feel safe, secure, and supported when I acknowledge and respond sensitively to children's cues, signals, and home languages, value children's attempts to initiate interactions and conversations, provide consistent and warm caring relationships that support children's sense of security (AGDE, 2022). This was shown when I responded sensitively to children's cues of comfort when one child opened his arm asking for a cuddle. 

After that, my room leader came into the room and I told her what I wanted to do. I created a matching colours box with recycled cardboard based on the children's interests and the curriculum that they were learning about color. After preparing the activities, I communicate with the room leader and other educators before implementing them. Based on our discussion, we agreed to do the activities progressively, with smaller groups of children at different times, so that each child could participate meaningfully, with one educator engaging with them and one educator supporting the rest of the children outside. To demonstrate how to do the activities, I called some of the children to the table, gathered them around, and engaged with them, providing positive reinforcement. Several of the children in the baby room were unable to stand alone, so I placed the box on the floor to ensure all of them could participate. Moreover, I have designed this activity to be challenging for older children, but also accessible for younger ones. In the box, the older children can sort and match the blocks, while the younger children can practice hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills by placing the blocks. By doing this, I have demonstrated Professional teaching standards, which align with Australian teaching standard 2: Know the content and how to teach it, and standard 3: Plan and implement effective teaching and learning. This is demonstrated by using knowledge of the teaching area's content and teaching strategies to develop engaging teaching activities, design and implement learning programs based on curriculum knowledge, and set explicit, challenging, and achievable learning goals for all children (AITSL, 2018). Using recycled boxes to create the activities, I have demonstrated sustainability practices aligned with EYLF's sustainability principles. Through choosing recycled materials and engaging children in the activity, I have taught children how to reuse these materials (AGDE, 2022). As part of quality standard 3, I have demonstrated a commitment to environmental responsibility and supporting children in becoming one (ACECQA, 2024). Communicating with the room leader and other educators to develop the best strategies before implementing activities has demonstrated one of the principles of the Early Years Learning Framework which is collaborative leadership and teamwork. I shared responsibility and professional accountability for children's learning and development through teamwork (AGDE, 2022). My activities are designed to enable all children to have access to the activities and to improve their development skills. I have shown dignity, equity, diversity, cultural competence, and inclusion. Also, one of the EYLF principles is equity, inclusion, and high expectations where I recognise that every child has a right to participate in activities, regardless of their circumstances, strengths, their gender, and their capabilities (AGDE, 2022).

                                                                           4- October - 2024 

The first thing I do in the morning is communicate with my room leader about our daily routine strategies. During the day, we divide time based on the children's routines, such as changing nappy time, rest time, bottle feeding, and managing breaks. This aligns with Professional Teaching Standard 4, which focuses on creating and maintaining supportive and safe learning environments (AITSL, 2018). By implementing routine, curriculum, and legislative requirements, I provide a safe and orderly learning environment for children to focus on their learning tasks.

I asked the room leader for permission to implement a plastic wrap painting activity, and she agreed. I planned this activity after observing the children's engagement with free painting the previous day. The children spent a considerable amount of time on the activity and expressed interest in continuing. I prepared the activity while other educators assisted the children with morning tea. After that, I gathered the children for the activity. I demonstrated the activity by modeling and showing how to complete the task. It was evident that the children followed my actions and even imitated my words, such as "Wow" and "Rainbow." Some children asked for more turns.

The activity I implemented is closely aligned with Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, particularly the sensorimotor stage, which occurs between birth and two years of age. During this stage, children learn about their environment through their senses and motor activities (Beloglovsky & Daly, 2015). As the children painted through the plastic wrap, they engaged their senses of sight and touch, exploring textures and colors. The children learned cause and effect as they pressed, spread, and manipulated the paint under the plastic. They observed the direct impact of their actions on the paint’s movement and appearance, which contributed to cognitive growth and the development of problem-solving skills—key aspects of the sensorimotor stage (Beloglovsky & Daly, 2015).

I also demonstrated intentional teaching, as outlined in National Quality Area 1, Element 1.2.1, which states that “Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions” (Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2023). By extending the children’s learning through activities connected to their interests, and using play-based learning and teaching strategies, I was able to model and demonstrate the activity. Additionally, this aligns with Professional Teaching Standard 1: Know students and how they learn, where I used teaching strategies based on my knowledge of the children's physical, social, and cognitive development.