EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION

EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION ESTABLISHING CONTENT AND CONTEXT FOR STUDENT LEARNING The students Identify your students and ...
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EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION ESTABLISHING CONTENT AND CONTEXT FOR STUDENT LEARNING The students Identify your students and reasons for selection Our Kindergarten is managed and operated by the local city council. The area in which we work has a rapidly growing population, with a high proportion of families with young children. The local population is very diverse, with families from a wide range of socio-economic, cultural and religious backgrounds. This year we have a number of children attending our service for whom English is their second language. Within our centre there are two Kindergarten rooms, with two co-teachers and an assistant in each room running programs simultaneously. In total there are 104 children across the four groups at our centre. We follow a child centred philosophy, providing learning spaces and experiences that emerge from and support children’s interests and ideas, encouraging exploration and investigation through play. Throughout the week we (‘Room 2’ teachers) work with two groups of 26 children, all of whom are four or five years of age. The children attend our sessional Kindergarten program for 15 hours a week, over three sessions. We run an indoor/outdoor program, where children have access to both areas simultaneously. This allows them to explore and engage in learning experiences that meet their learning needs while allowing them to follow and extend on their own interests. We have a shared outside yard with the next-door room, which the children in both rooms can use together. We encourage the children from each room to form friendships with each other, and the children are able to visit each other’s rooms, further broadening their opportunities for learning. Because of our diverse group of children and the high number of families with English as their second language, we have decided to work closely with a child who has English as a second language. As we reflect on our own practices we hope he will benefit from our inquiry action plan.

Content for the program of learning Annotated program of learning showing relevance to curriculum requirements, literacy/numeracy development, incorporation of ICT and understanding of ATSI histories, cultures and languages Attached is a sample of our program (Appendix 1) Throughout a Kindergarten session, educators take photos and observations of the children engaging in a variety of both planned and spontaneous learning experiences, which reflect the interests and needs of the children. Observations can be taken on individual children, or small or large groups of children. After the session, we come together to document and reflect on the children’s learning to inform our future planning, in the form of a daily program. Our program stems from the children’s emerging interests and needs, and reflects the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. Together, educators document a selection of observations into the program, creating a “snapshot” of the children’s learning from the day. These observations are closely supported by outcomes in the VEYLDF, which outlines learning outcomes the children are currently working towards. The framework is the content of children’s learning, which is used to plan and assess individuals’ learning in the form of individual portfolios and the daily program. The children in our kindergarten group are working towards VELS Level 1. As we reflect on the outcomes of the session for the whole group, we document these in the program to support our observations. The outcomes are chosen based on the needs and interests of the children as they emerge throughout the term. We are also able to reflect on outcomes for individual children through portfolio 1

entries, which often stem from observations included in the daily program. In addition to our observations, ‘Interests and Experiences’ and ‘Modifications and Extensions’ boxes feature in the daily program. The ‘Interests and Experiences’ box is where we record the emerging interests of small and large groups of children. We are able to use this information gathered as a basis for future planning, which is documented in the ‘Modifications/Extensions’ section in the lower right hand corner of the program.

Context of student learning - range of learning levels Our kindergarten has a strong commitment to delivering a high quality program that is flexible and responsive to individual, family and community needs. The guiding philosophy and pedagogy of our Kindergarten is founded on essential core principles such as play based, child initiated and teacher facilitated learning; inclusive, equitable and respectful relationships; and family centred practice, which is reflective of current evidence, research and thinking. Each of these principles are promoted within the National Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF) and the National Quality Standards (NQS). Kindergarten staff hold the beliefs, values and principles contained in the EYLF, VEYLDF and NQS in high regard and strive toward achieving programs that cater for all children by providing quality emergent, individual and holistic learning for all. Within the kindergarten program we aim to provide a wide range of open-ended experiences in which children can participate and develop at their own rate. Our children are developing at their own individual rates, and demonstrate a wide range of learning levels within each of the five outcomes. For example, under Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity, some children demonstrate great confidence and a sense of belonging in the kindergarten, while others need greater support to feel secure and form attachments in the kindergarten environment. It is our role to establish the children’s current level of development, and how we can best support them to achieve the learning outcomes outlined in the framework. We establish this through observations, reflections and discussions between educators, families and the children.

Context of student learning – factors affecting learning Within the group of children, there are many factors that affect individuals’ learning. These include, but aren’t limited to:  Socio-economic factors  Religious and cultural background  Family composition  Additional learning needs  Frequency of attendance  Maturity level  Learning style Through information provided in the enrolment form informal conversations with Harmilaap’s mother, and our own observations, we identified some factors affecting Harmilaap’s learning:  

New country and culture; Harmilaap only arrived in Australia two months prior to the start of the kindergarten year, and has been living between Australia and India for most of his life Very little English; Punjabi is his first language 2

        

Parents speak English, aiding his language acquisition One child in the same kindergarten group also speaks Punjabi, but has slightly more English acquisition Strong interest in other children and motivation to make friends Confident expressing himself verbally Asks many questions, shows desire to learn English and more about the environment around him (e.g. “What’s this?”) Difficulty regulating own emotions Difficulty recognising different emotions in others Lack of positive social skills Possibility of a learning difficulty

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EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION Prior learning of students based on evidence Attached is a reflection of Harmilaap’s learning throughout the first few months of kindergarten, recorded through observations from educators.

Learning outcomes for the program of learning IDENTITY  sense and respond to a feeling of belonging  establish and maintain respectful, trusting relationships with other children and educators  respond to ideas and suggestions from others  demonstrate an increasing capacity for self-regulation  begin to initiate negotiating and sharing behaviours  Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect COMMUNITY  cooperate with others and negotiate roles and relationships in play episodes and group experiences  participate in reciprocal relationships  gradually learn to ‘read’ the behaviours of others and respond appropriately  Children become aware of fairness WELLBEING  increasingly cooperate and work collaboratively with others  manage change and cope with frustrations and the unexpected  show an increasing capacity to understand, self-regulate and manage their emotions in ways that reflect the feelings and needs of others LEARNING • use reflective thinking to consider why things happen and what can be learnt from these experiences • develop an ability to mirror, repeat and practise the actions of others, either immediately or later • engage in learning relationships COMMUNICATION  engage in enjoyable reciprocal interactions using verbal and non-verbal language  respond verbally and non-verbally to what they see, hear, touch, feel and taste  convey and construct messages with purpose and confidence, building on literacies of home and/or family and the broader community  actively use, engage with and share the enjoyment of language and texts in a range of ways  use the creative arts, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, drama, dance, movement, music and storytelling, to express ideas and make meaning

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What will be done for ….. students who need developing beyond the learning outcomes

students who need support to meet the learning outcomes

The program provides extended periods of time for children to engage in free play. The program is structured in this way to both extend and support children to meet or exceed learning outcomes. As Harmilaap demonstrates excellent thinking skills and cognitive ability, we aim to foster his cognitive development and learning beyond the learning outcomes. To do this we... - Plan a variety of experiences in the room so that individual children can participate in experiences that provide the appropriate level of challenge for their learning needs. - Provide open-ended experiences that allow children to learn at their own pace, and in which children have the freedom to extend their own learning with varying levels of support from educators. - Educators are actively involved in children’s play, taking advantage of opportunities to work closely with groups of children and to extend children in their learning. We look for opportunities to scaffold learning through conversation, modelling and by modifying learning experiences spontaneously as children take the learning experiences in different directions, e.g. Harmilaap’s house under veranda  providing paper and textas for Harmilaap to draw his ‘TV’. To support Harmilaap in his language acquisition, and social and emotional development, we will: - Take individual observations of Harmilaap’s development and reflect on his current interests and needs in order to establish goals for his learning. - Provide experiences that specifically focus on Harmilaap’s goals. This may include free play experiences that appeal to Harmilaap’s interests as well as small and large group learning opportunities such as discussions, stories and games. - Have discussions with Harmilaap’s family - Inquire into Preschool Field Officer support

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EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION QUESTION FOR INQUIRY AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING What is your question for inquiry and how does it relate to the improved learning of your students? How can I engage Harmilaap meaningfully in the program, effectively observing, planning for and assessing his individual learning?

Observing the practice of others (at least one observation) DATE: 23.05.2013 TEACHERS INVOLVED: Harvinder, teacher from FKA bilingual support service WHAT WAS OBSERVED? 

 

Harvinder spoke to Harmilaap in Punjabi, and she would often translate requests that we were trying to communicate to Harmilaap. He seemed to enjoy the ease of communicating with her in his home language as she took the time to listen to him and respond meaningfully in a way that he could understand. Harvinder spent time engaging in meaningful conversations with Harmilaap, finding out more about him and what he enjoys. She engaged in play with Harmilaap and encouraged other children to enter. She spoke in both English and Punjabi so that all children could be involved effectively. We noticed that when in the company of the support worker, Harmilaap appeared less frustrated with others, and was more easily able to engage in activities and overcome any conflicts that arose through the bilingual worker’s explanations in his home language. We also noticed how much he enjoyed spending time with the support worker and that he seemed more settled in the kindergarten environment when she was in attendance.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN? Through observing the support worker, we have gained some valuable tools and strategies to help us engage Harmilaap more meaningfully into the program: 



 

Valuing Harmilaap’s home language and supporting its use as much as possible in the Kindergarten environment. The FKA worker provided Educators with some key words in Harmilaap’s home language, which we now use to help explain situations and instructions to Harmilaap, e.g. wari = turn. We learned that an important step to engage Harmilaap in the program would be to assist him in forming some friendships with other children in the group and gaining familiarity with the environment and his peers. We also saw the importance of spending as much one-on-one time with Harmilaap as possible, to build our relationship with him. The importance of building a positive relationship with Harmilaap through meaningful interactions and dialogue, while also scaffolding Harmilaap’s language development. The importance of fostering a sense of belonging within kindergarten environment. 6

HOW DOES THIS HELP YOU ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION FOR INQUIRY? We now have more information to plan activities and experiences that will foster the outcomes mentioned above, for examples, see Appendix 2 (action plan).

EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION Talking to colleagues (based on at least 2 discussions) DATES: 12.08.2013 TEACHERS INVOLVED: Martha Atkins (Preschool Field Officer) WHAT WAS DISCUSSED? After Martha, a preschool field officer, observed Harmilaap in the Kindergarten environment, we had a discussion surrounding what she observed and documented. We discussed:  Concerning behaviours of Harmilaap, including his aggression, lack of empathy, rigidity and tendency to get “stuck” on ideas or objects, his language development, ability to recognise and interpret social cues.  Family background  Development throughout the year  Harmilaap’s strengths and interests

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?  

It is important to collaborate with the child’s family and other professionals in order to gain a well rounded understanding of the child (Martha intends to refer the family onto a speech pathologist and child psychologist). It will be important to explicitly teach emotions to Harmilaap, how to recognise and deal with negative emotions.

HOW DOES THIS HELP YOU ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION FOR INQUIRY?   

Through our discussion we have gained a broader understanding of Harmilaap’s learning and development, and the possible factors affecting this, e.g. possible Asperger’s syndrome. We will endeavour to access a broader support network of professionals allows us to better support his individual needs. The discussion has prompted us to work more closely with Harmilaap to learn and recognise emotions in himself and others, and how to deal with difficult situations. In turn, we hope that this will foster the development of meaningful relationships with his peers.

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Talking to colleagues (based on at least 2 discussions) DATES: 08.11.2013 TEACHERS INVOLVED: Jenna Pezzanite (Kindergarten teacher)

WHAT WAS DISCUSSED?    

Strategies to support children with English as a second language in the kindergarten and foster their sense of belonging. Strategies to work through challenging behaviours. Strategies to assist children to regulate their own emotions and cooperate with others. Together we shared about our experiences working with specific children and what we have found to be useful in supporting them in the program.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN? Jenna suggested some strategies that she has used in her own practice, such as:        

Inviting the child’s family to bring a family photograph to display at Kindergarten. Utilise a digital photo frame to display photos of the child and their peers engaging in the Kindergarten program. Spend time with the child looking through their portfolio, prompting them to point out peers and reflect on enjoyable experiences. Utilise FKA bilingual support service. Encourage positive relationships with children who speak the same language. In moments of frustration, redirect the child with a calming activity they enjoy doing, e.g. drawing, spending time in a ‘quiet space’ with soothing sensory activities available. Utilise board maker to aid in communicating needs and emotions. Call on the parent in difficult situations to help translate or help the child calm down when distressed.

HOW DOES THIS HELP YOU ADDRESS YOUR QUESTION FOR INQUIRY? This discussion provided us with some potential strategies and suggestions for fostering Harmilaap’s sense of belonging within the kindergarten environment, which we have included in our action plan.

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Other professional learning and how it helps you address your question for inquiry We attended a PD titled, ‘Assessing Children’s Learning Across the Year – Evidence of Individual Planning Cycles’. This PD gave us strategies to effectively document and reflect on children’s individual learning and development in order to identify learning outcomes that are reflective of each child’s needs. We investigated how to develop learning cycles for individual children - reflecting, reviewing and assessing. In this way, we are better able to continually revisit and extend upon each child’s current needs. Ie: think of goals and specific activities/experiences for each child, observe, reflect, modify or change the experiences to continue fostering their development. This PD prompted us to translate our observations and discussions about Harmilaap into an individual learning plan, which we developed through the observation samples given to us at the PD.

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EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION APPLYING KNOWLEDGE TO PRACTICE The action plan Use the learning outcomes already identified and the working documents you have to develop an action plan addressing your question for inquiry. Annotate your action plan to show how you intend to support the learning of your students based on your knowledge of their learning needs. Include a discussion of how you have applied your new knowledge to your action plan After gathering the new information we learnt through our discussions with Harvinder, Martha and Jenna, and through attending the PD mentioned earlier, we came together to reflect on Harmilaap’s learning and brainstorm ideas to support Harmilaap’s learning. Attached is our resulting Action Plan (Appendix 2).

IMPLEMENTING THE ACTION PLAN Based on at least 3 visits. You may record these separately or consolidate them into one entry. Mentor/experienced colleague visits – date: 05.09.2013 12.09.2013 19.09.2013 Signature (mentor/experienced colleague):

Summary of discussion and actions arising: Throughout the last few weeks of Term 3, we held conversations with Rebecca and Hebba regarding Harmilaap. We specifically discussed Harmilaap’s engagement in the program/sense of belonging, his social interactions and self-regulation, and about the experiences we had implemented as per our action plan. Here is a summary of their thoughts:  Harmilaap was proud of his finished photo project book and was keen to show the educator about his home life.  Harmilaap responded well to our strategies and was increasingly able to recognise his own emotions, particularly anger and frustration.  Harmilaap was more willing to accept direction, e.g. moving on from activities when encouraged.  We were both consistent in our strategies and used consistent and simple language appropriate to Harmilaap’s needs. Both held his hand, talked through situations.  Harmilaap grew in confidence to talk to other people (including teachers) and made more connections with other children. He was increasingly able to express his anger to children using words rather than physical aggression.

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EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRACTICE Assessing the learning of students Attach annotated samples of student work and discuss achievement of learning outcomes. Throughout the implementation of our action plan, we observed Harmilaap make great developments towards reaching the goals we set forward in the action plan. Overall, we noticed that Harmilaap is progressively demonstrating a feeling of belonging at Kindergarten. He often seeks out the company of Educators and other children, and has established some friendships among the group. (See portfolio entries – Picture from August 2013 and ‘Block building’ learning story). Harmilaap now follows Kindergarten routines with greater ease, and is less reluctant to follow the instructions given by educators. We have observed Harmilaap taking interest in joining in large group activities, and following the rules and expectations of the activity. Harmilaap is continuing to develop his ability to engage in cooperative play with other children. We have observed that he is more willing to consider the perspectives of other children and participate in the shared learning opportunities. (See portfolio entry – ‘Family role play’) Recently we have noticed a significant growth in Harmilaap’s English language acquisition, which has in turn promoted his social development and sense of belonging in the Kindergarten environment. Harmilaap is now using full sentences, and is able to express his needs and wants effectively. He asks many questions throughout the day to extend his own learning and responded positively to the activities outlined in the action plan. Harmilaap also frequently asks educators to read him storybooks and enjoys engaging with texts in a range of ways. Attached is a copy of Harmilaap’s transition statement, which summarises his current level of development under the five VEYLDF outcomes.

Areas of practice that need to be evidenced You need to evidence the following areas of practice within your inquiry as they are essential aspects of your teaching practice. Your mentor and/or experienced colleague will need to indicate where these aspects of practice have been witnessed. This section to be completed by your mentor and/or experienced colleague. Boxes to be ticked and evidence described as appropriate.  Program of learning is coherent and well structured 

Program of learning (action plan) directly arises from child’s interests, strengths and learning goals.



Format is clear and easy to read.

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 Uses effective verbal and non-verbal communication strategies 

Uses appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication for children who have English as their second language. Made great use of gestures, body language, simple English communication and utilised child’s home language to communicate effectively with the child.

 Parent/carers involved in their children’s learning 

Made efforts to communicate meaningfully with families through everyday conversations and invitations to come to kindergarten and involve themselves in the program.



Communication journal available for families to correspond with educators.



Had discussions with parents surrounding their concerns about Harmilaap’s learning and development and involved them in the process for securing PSFO and FKA support.

 Ensures students’ well-being and safety 

Creates an environment appropriate for children’s needs, interests and level of development. Is aware of and eliminates hazards in the environment.



Supervises children effectively in environment.

 Uses strategies to promote safe, responsible, ethical use of ICT 

Incorporates age-appropriate ICT into the program, such as use of the overhead projector, digital camera, etc.

 Demonstrates professional ethics and responsibilities 

Gained parent consent before requesting PSFO and FKA support.



Behave in a respectful and ethical way… Interactions with parents and children are respectful and confidentiality is maintained.

 Complies with legislative, administrative & organisational requirements 

Naomi and Emily comply with legislation, administration and organisational requirements. We received a ‘spot check’ from DEECD and received positive feedback.

 Engages with teaching colleagues, professional networks or the broader community 

Engaged in conversations with teaching colleagues.

Collaborated with other professionals such as Preschool Field Officers, FKA bilingual support officers.

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EVIDENCE OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE FOR FULL REGISTRATION EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Throughout this process, the importance of collaborating with a child’s family and professionals has been reinforced to us. By providing opportunities to get to know families in a meaningful way, we are able to deepen our knowledge of the child and context in which they are immersed, for example, through family picnics, conversations and communication journals. It is important to create a welcoming environment which encourages a sense of belonging for all families. This in turn fosters our relationships and encourages open communication between families and educators. We found it useful speaking with the FKA worker, Preschool field officer and other teachers about Harmilaap’s learning and development, as it gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas and consider different perspectives about factors influencing Harmilaap’s engagement in the program. Working with other professionals alongside the family allowed us to consider and learn a range of factors we hadn’t previously considered, for example, the possibility of Harmilaap having Asperger’s syndrome. When Harvinder (FKA worker) visited us, Harmilaap really enjoyed his time with her, chatting in both Punjabi and some English. She was able to explain routines and social expectations to him in a way that he could better understand. We were unsure of the effect of Harvinder’s visits, and what we could take from them, as we do not speak Punjabi ourselves. However, Harvinder provided us with the Punjabi translation of some ’key words’ that we could use with Harmilaap. Specifically, we asked her to translate the word ‘turn’ for us, so we could further facilitate Harmilaap’s social interactions, as he enjoys cooperative games. This small piece of information was wonderful – Harmilaap responded positively when we used the word, and it seemed to make the context and expectations for group games clearer to him. We believe that it is crucial to value and support a child’s home language within the program. The process further highlighted the importance of building a sense of belonging for children in their Kindergarten environment. A primary intention behind our practice is for every child to feel safe, secure and supported in the Kindergarten environment. This process illuminated possible ways we could facilitate this. For example, using Punjabi key words with Harmilaap, the ‘Sharing Box’, creating a Kindergarten photo book, spending time with Harmilaap looking through his portfolio and inviting his family to spend time with him at Kindergarten and contribute to the program. After reflecting on our observations and discussions surrounding Harmilaap’s learning and engagement in the program for the year, we became even more acutely aware of how Harmilaap’s behaviours changed when he began to make positive connections with adults and peers, and felt like he had a secure ‘place’ in the program. This process prompted us to more closely consider how we could implement effective individual planning cycles for each child. It has been reinforced to us the importance of planning individually for each child to ensure their interests and needs are catered for in the program. Having a cycle enables us to get a clearer picture of how each child’s learning and development evolves throughout the year. From the information gathered through the inquiry process, including attending a PD, we created a template to aid our planning for and documentation of Harmilaap’s interests, needs, and ways to engage him in the program. We have found that the template prompted us to more effectively focus on Harmilaap’s existing strengths and interests, and how we could use these as a basis for creating learning opportunities most beneficial for him within the kindergarten program. We were disappointed to hear that Harmilaap would not be returning to kindergarten in Term 4, as we would have loved to revisit the action plan, and further reflect and extend upon the learning that had been documented. We feel it would be greatly beneficial to draw upon what we have learnt 13

throughout this process and embed this into our practice for 2014, for example, developing a more streamlined individual cycle template for each child, and revisiting this at regular intervals throughout the year. We feel that this template would also be a very clear way to communicate the children’s learning and goals with their families, and will endeavour to do so the future.

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