Whitney Westrope
Professional Portfolio
Know students and how they learn
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning.
Young children learn through authentic, playful experiences that are not only appropriate for their intellectual development but allows them to feel comfortable to physically and socially master complete the task. It is vital that the tasks and investigations presented are hands on, appeal to the children's senses and can be completed as a group, with a partner or individually. Through these rich, child-led experiences, we can see the interconnectedness of the mind, body and spirit (DEEWR, 2009) and how the holistic nature of play and development go hand in hand. The experiences in our Kindergarten class are just that, they allow the students to connect to the concepts presented in a way that is is physically accessible and achievable (although a challenge to master at times) as well as intellectually appropriate and not too abstract for them to begin to comprehend.
The students used their senses of touch, sight and smell to explore a sensory tub filled with water and citrus fruits. The sensory tub allowed them to manipulate the fruit using kitchen utensils and discover what happens to the fruit when it is squeezed, crushed or swished through the water. By connecting this experience with the student's' senses as well as allowing for individuals or groups to play in the sensory tub, the children were able to connect in a socially appropriate way to their peers. They were also able to draw a pervious schema regarding past experiences related to the citrus fruits and how the smell, taste and texture reminded them of familiar experiences.
An Easter provocation was set up after initial discussions about what happened to Jesus at Easter. We read stories, sang the song "He died upon the cross" and watched a short story about Easter to help the students begin to develop a simple understanding. There were lots of questions about how Jesus felt leading up to the crucifixion, so an provocation invitation was set up for the children to 'act' out parts of the Easter story. This connected to the students on cognitive and physical level, as they were able to physically and verbally act out parts that resonated with them in a comforting and safe way.
Whilst looking at numbers 1 to 5 (number recognition, making and matching quantities), an experience was set up to entice the students to continue to explore numbers in a playful way. They were encouraged to choose a number rock and find the matching quantity and if they wanted to, put the matching amount of rocks in their cup. This experience allowed students to explore numbers using manipulatives so they were able to physically make and match number quantities. It is important for young children to gain an understanding by working with their peers, check answers and gauge appropriate behaviour. The students were able to do this in their instance and gain not only an simple understanding of numbers but also how to work with a peer to complete a task.
EYLF Outcomes: 2.4.4, 3.2.5, 4.1.3
NQS Quality Areas: 1, 3 & 5
Domains: Personal, social, emotional, linguistic, cognitive, physical, creative.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. Commonwealth of Australia.