A Brief Description of Early Years Learning Framework Portfolio - Term Paper Example

Running Head: EARLY YEARS LEARNING FRAMEWORK PORTFOLIO (EYLF) Early Years Learning Framework Portfolio (EYLF) Name: Institution: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Overview 2 A brief description of own understanding of the EYLF 3 Responses and learning outcomes of EYLF 5 Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity 5 Conclusion 15 References 15 Self Assessment Report 16 Overview This Early Years Learning Framework describes a 0-2 old child care room at Delin Preparatory school. The room is dominated with toys for the babies to play with, beddings for them to sleep on when they become sleepy, a display of pictures to keep the babies alert to avoid them becoming boredom and the room is colourfully painted. There are also books written in simple English, particularly for the 1 to 2 years old babies who are taught how to read and sound letters as well as identify symbols by their names. The room also has a section to keep the food prepared by parents for their children. Therefore, their educators are keen to the needs of the babies, particularly when they feel hungry they readily provide them with food. The room accommodates 20 children who are mostly babies and toddlers, both girls and boys. Majority are in the age group of 1-2 years. The toddlers also learn how to walk, talk with others and are taught how to eat by the educators. Basically, the framework provides a detailed discussion of the five learning outcomes for children whose age ranges from birth to 2 years in the identified room. The learning outcomes include, children have a strong sense of identity, they are connected with and contribute to their world, children have a strong sense of wellbeing, confident as well as involved learners and they are effective communicators. Such outcomes are enriched by the learning experiences of children through purposeful actions directed by the educators and families (Carr, 2001). In this Early Years Learning Framework, there is a provision of an outline of how Delin is facilitated as an environment for the babies and toddlers’ learning. The framework also highlights the highly desirable skills and knowledge as well as attitudes that are required of the early childhood educators and with suggestions on how the learning opportunities of children can be enhanced. A brief description of own understanding of the EYLF The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is very important since it provides an outline of the key principles as well as significant practices that strengthen and guide the work of the entire early childhood educators. In addition, EYLF clarifies the current understanding on how most of the young children learn. This implies that EYLF is used to enrich the learning experiences of children through purposeful actions that are majorly facilitated by the educators and their families. Therefore, the early learning environment framework is more or less applicable to services that cater for the children within the birth to five years age group. Such environments include preschool, family day care, occasional care, kindergartens, long day care and the play groups. Early Years Learning Framework is underpinned by the principles, practices as well as outcomes that essentially support and enhance the young children’s learning. This is guided from birth through five years of age and their transition to other or higher levels of learning. The framework strongly emphasizes on the play-based learning since play is considered as the best vehicle for the young children’s learning which provides the most appropriate stimulus to develop their brains. Furthermore, it recognizes the significance of communication and language, for instance, early literacy, numeracy, social and emotional development (Fleer & Raban, 2005). From the above illustration, the state of Beloging indicates that the ability to know where and with whom to belong to is very integral to human experience. Therefore, children initially belong to their families, cultural groups, neighbourhood and wider community. This suggests that belonging greatly acknowledges the interdependence of children with others, showing the basis of relationships in defining their identities. Based on childhood perspective and throughout life, relationships are considered crucial to the sense of belonging. This clearly demonstrates that belonging is very central to being, while becoming shapes who children are and who such children can become (Hertzman, 2004). The state of Being shows that childhood is time to be, seek as well as make meaning of the world. This recognizes the importance of both the here and now within the lives of children where children build and maintain their relationships with others, engaging them to the joys and complexities of that enable them to meet the everyday challenges of life. On this note, there is an implication that the early childhood years are not necessarily the preparation made for the future, but also concerns the present. On the other hand, Becoming reflects the process of both rapid and significant changes that take place in the early years children’s learning and growth. It is apparent that the identities, capacities, knowledge and skills, understanding as well as relationships change during their childhood. For instance, children are shaped by distinctive events and circumstances around them. Therefore, becoming larges emphasizes on the need for children to participate fully and very active in the society (Uprichard, 2007). Responses and learning outcomes of EYLF Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity Based on the state of Beloging, the babies at Delin preparatory school play by themselves, thus create friendships as their way of knowing where and with whom to belong to. The toddlers carefully listen and watch what the older babies do as they imitate them. This indicates how friendship through the idea of belonging is very integral to human experience. While in the child care room, the babies at Delin, specifically those who are able to speak eagerly question each others about their parents, what they eat and what they have in their houses. Therefore, children initially belong to their families, cultural groups, neighbourhood and wider community. Delin children create friendships. This is because they can be identified walking towards each other since they are freely left to move around the child care room. Belonging is a state of being that greatly acknowledges the interdependence of baby’s with others, showing the basis of relationships in defining their identities (Brooker & Woodhead, 2008). Educators at Delin cheers up their babies for answering well the question asked by them, this is considered as a positive experience that help such a child to understand or realize that he or she is significant and respected. This makes the child to develop a sense of belonging. When they are in the field playing, children feel accepted by others since in most cases they are heard calling each other’s names and holding one another. As a result, they develop some attachments as well as trust the fellows who care for them. This implies that children explore various aspects such as physical, emotional, cognitive, spiritual and social as they develop their sense of identity. Through the feeling of being safe, secure and supported by their teacher, babies at Delin School are examined to have the confidence of exploring and learning so many things as most of the time they want to touch anything they come across. The early childhood years are not necessarily the preparation made for the future, but also concern the present. Safe, secure and supportive environment such as Delin make their educators spend most of their time interacting as well as conversing with each baby in the child care room or outside the room. The babies at Delin initiate and join others freely in play and form various groups with an interest to play a single game. In this case, they explore aspects of identity as they involve in role play. While in their social groups, children of Delin School are keen to establish as well as maintain respectful, trusting their relationships with fellow babies. Studies indicate that babies growing into bigger children largely develop their resilience, inter-dependence and emerging autonomy. For example at Delin, they demonstrate increasing awareness of both the needs as well as rights of others through crying as a way to express their need to share what is given to others by their educators or parents at school. This is simply because feel that others should not miss to carry something to eat or eat alone while others watch them miserably. At Delin, educators maintain the high expectations of each and every baby’s capabilities. Furthermore, educators display delight, enthusiasm and encouragement for the attempts made by a child, for instance, in answering a question asked by the educator (Fleer & Raban, 2005). Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to the world The ability to have a positive sense of identity as well as respective and responsive relationship greatly strengthens the interest and skills of children in being and becoming active contributors to the world. At Delin, babies are very keen and aware of their surroundings. As a result, they become interested in things which they touch, hear, see, smell and taste. This implies that as young people shift to childhood settings, they broaden their own experiences as active participants in diverse relationships and communities (Uprichard, 2007). On the other hand, their educator ensures that there are enjoyable, caring and respectful relationships among the babies while in a child care room and field playing which they respond to accordingly. This suggests that when children are allowed to participate collaboratively in the daily routines, experiences and events they get opportunities to contribute to decision making as they become skilled at living interdependently. The babies at Delin prove to be playful and they respond positively to each other’s needs as they reach out for their friendship through signs of happiness, feelings of others and sadness. This demonstrates their sense of belonging and being comfort within their school environment. In this case, the children broaden their individual understanding of how the world they live in looks like. Babies also respond to diversity with respect and this is reflected in Delin where such babies recognize objects and the educator who takes care of them. Therefore, the educator takes a keen look at how each baby attaches and trusts her as well as other babies to encourage them to carefully build their relationships as they grow. Educators need to careful since babies can easily identify an act of unfairness and biasness as well as learn to act with kindness and compassion. As a result, their educator engages them in discussions that concern respectful and equal relations. This indicates that educators should draw the attention of the children they teach closer to the issues of fairness, particularly those that are relevant to them within their early childhood settings as well as the community they come from (Carr, 2001). The babies at Delin are left to test themselves on how far they can reach as their physical and social beings. The educators leave them to explore freely and safely, though, not allowing them to go very far. Therefore, educators are expected to search for the good examples of interdependence in various environments they work in. They should involve in adequate discussions with their babies on the ways through which both life and the health of the living things are interconnected (Hertzman, 2004). Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing A strong sense of wellbeing among the children provides them with confidence and optimism that maximize their learning potentials. It also contributes to the development of baby’s inborn exploratory drive, individualistic sense of agency as well as a desire to interact with the response of others. Wellbeing comprises of children’s good physical health, their feelings of happiness, satisfaction and the successful social-functioning. This greatly influences the manner in which the babies interact within their environments. The children at Delin have the ability to sense and respond to their feeling of belonging. At Delin when toddlers are well fed, they freely play by themselves and make body movements even if they are not able to walk. This implies that children’s wellbeing may be affected by what they all experience within and outside their early childhood settings. In order to support the children’s learning, the educator at Delin attends to all baby’s wellbeing by providing them with warm, trustful relationships, predictable as well as safe environments, affirmation and respect in all aspects of their emotional, social, physical, cognitive, creative, linguistic and spiritual being. As a result, the children at Delin like their educator so much as most of the time they are heard calling “teacher Grace how is you?” Through acknowledging each child’s cultural and social identity as well as responding sensitively to their emotional conditions, educators develop their baby’s confidence, a sense of wellbeing and the willingness to engage in effective learning (Woodhead & Brooker, 2008). Babies at Delin School develop their social and emotional wellbeing by sharing humor, satisfaction and happiness, particularly when they are playing, fed with food and commented for doing something good. However, when something unusual happens to them such as frustration, distress and confusion which are demonstrated through annoyance and crying, the babies show the need for urgency to meet their needs. In this case, babies clearly demonstrate their trust and confidence in others. On the other hand, the educator shows her genuine affection, understanding as well as respect for all the babies because she collaborates with them to document their respective achievements. She ensures that each baby’s success is shared with their parents. Therefore, it is her responsibility to ensure that all the babies experience equal pride in their efforts and achievements. In addition, the educator talks with the babies on their emotions as well as responses to various events with the aim of supporting their understandings of both emotional regulation and self-control. This is especially when they get annoyed by others and feels like fighting. She mediates and assists them so as to negotiate their rights in respect to the rights of others (Wood, 2007). Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners A sense of security, sound well-being among babies provides them with the required confidence to make experiment so as to try out on new ideas and explore in their lives. As a result, they develop their competence and become active as well as involved learning participants. At Delin, babies are able to recognize objects and people around them, sense happiness, feelings of others and sadness. They also show their interest in touching, seeing, tasting, smelling and hearing of things around them. This implies that children become thoughtful of themselves and the world through hands-on and involvement in active investigation. Therefore, supportive and active learning environment such as Delin Preparatory school encourages the engagement of children in their learning. At home their parents encourage them to be active learners in class so as to win others, but emphasize to their babies on having mutual respect for other babies to maintain the required discipline at school. Babies also use play to imagine, investigate and explore ideas. This suggests that babies express their wonders and interest in the environments they learn from, thus curious and enthusiastic participants within their learning settings. Furthermore, the educator responds to their displays of learning dispositions by making some comments on them as well as providing encouragement and more ideas. Therefore, educators should endeavour to provide the children with opportunities to revisit their ideas as well as extend their thinking abilities. The educator at Delin preparatory school listens carefully to the attempts made by the babies so as to hypothesise as well as expand on their level of thinking by conversing and questioning them. Through ensuring that their babies become confident and involved learners, they promote in them a sense of identity and their connectedness to others (Brooker & Woodhead, 2008). Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators Babies have different ways of how to communicate their needs for both comfort and assistance. For instance, at Delin some babies cry when others annoy, fight, quarrel or abuse. In doing so, they expect their educators to provide them with security by punishing those who wrong them. As a result, they feel comforted, secured and supported by their educators. This provides a clear indication that communication is very crucial to belonging, being and becoming. Since babies feel the sense of belonging if their language, communication modes and interaction styles are valued, they are eager to imitate what their educators say. Educators at Delin ably identify crying as the first language for their babies. Most babies, particularly those who not yet able to speak cry so as to communicate that they are in pain, hurt, hungry or left in cold, while others babble and coo when they need to be attended to. The use of home languages also underpins the children’s sense of identity as well as their conceptual development. Studies indicate that both literacy and numeracy capabilities are significant aspects of communication, and thus considered vital for any successful learning. Children at Delin show their literacy through various modes of communication, for instance, there are lessons for music where the children are taught how to sing and dance (Hertzman, 2004). Delin children interact both verbally and non-verbally that make them involve in enjoyable interactions, they learn symbols and pattern their systems of work. The educator engages in enjoyable interactions together with the babies as they all make and play around with sound. The children’s educator is attuned and responds very sensitively and appropriately to the efforts made by the babies to communicate. She interprets the languages, names of places and items for the babies so that they can be able to construct sentences, pronounce a word on their own and readily listen and respond to the children’s approximation of words. Additionally, the educator engages the babies in long-term communication on ideas and experiences that make them storytellers (Wood, 2007). As a trained teacher, the educator creates a literacy-enriched environment by making display prints written and illustrated in home languages and Standard English. Furthermore, she engages the babies in play with both words and sounds. This helps the babies at Delin to view, listen to the printed, visual and the multimedia texts as they respond with the relevant gestures, comments, questions and actions. Therefore, babies are able to understand the key literacy and numeracy processes as well as concepts, such as the concepts of print, letter-sound relationships and sounds of language (Fleer & Raban, 2005). Children who are particularly 2 years old are eager to make images and approximations of letters and words in order to convey meaning. The educator responds to the children’s images and symbols as they talk about some principles, skills and techniques as well as elements the children use in conveying meaning. While in the field, she also joins the children in their play and co-constructs some materials, for instance, signs that extends the play as well as enhance literacy learning (Wood, 2007). Conclusion The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is very important since it provides an outline of the key principles as well as significant practices that strengthen and guide the work of the entire early childhood educators. It is underpinned by the principles, practices and outcomes that essentially support and enhance the young children’s learning. The state of Beloging indicates that the ability to know where and with whom to belong to is very integral to human experience. It is also a state of being that greatly acknowledges the interdependence of babies with others, showing the basis of relationships in defining their identities. The use of home languages greatly underpins the babies’ sense of identity as well as their conceptual development. The early childhood years are not necessarily the preparation made for the future, but also concern the present. References Carr,M. (2001). Assessment in early childhood settings: learning stories. London: Paul Chapman. Brooker, L., & Woodhead, M. (Eds.). (2008). Developing positive identities. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Fleer, M., & Raban, B. (2005). Literacy and numeracy that counts from birth to five years: A review of the literature.Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training. Hertzman, C. (2004). Making early child development a priority: Lessons from Vancouver. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Uprichard, E. (2007). Children as ‘being and becoming’: Children, childhood and temporality. Children & Society, 22, 303-313. Wood, E. (2007). New directions in play: Consensus or collision. Education 3-13, 35(4), 309-320. Woodhead, M., & Brooker, L. (2008). A sense of belonging. Early Childhood Matters (111), 3-6. Self Assessment Report Student: ______________________________________________________________________ 1. In completing this Early Years Learning Framework portfolio I have learned the following about the context and early childhood education. (List at least three points and support your statements with short explanations- i.e., say why) (i) In order to promote a strong sense of wellbeing among the children, the educator should attend to all the babies’ wellbeing by providing them with warm, trustful relationships, predictable as well as safe environments. This ought to be directed in affirmation and respect in all aspects of their emotional, social, physical, cognitive, creative, linguistic and spiritual being. Wellbeing comprises of baby’s good physical health, their feelings of happiness, satisfaction and the successful social-functioning. (ii) Educators maintain the high expectations of each and every baby’s capabilities. I have learned that educators are expected to display delight, enthusiasm and encouragement for the attempts made by a child, for instance, in answering a question asked by the educator. This promotes a strong sense of identity among the babies taken care of. (iii) Communication is very crucial to belonging, being and becoming. Since baby’s feel the sense of belonging if their language, communication modes and interaction styles are valued, they are eager to imitate what their educators say. Therefore, in this Early Learning Framework portfolio, I have discovered that the use of home languages underpins the baby’s sense of identity as well as their conceptual development. 2. Two areas of my teaching practice I see as needing to develop next are outlined below. (Again, give reasons for your statements.) (i) As a trained teacher and educator, there is a need to create a literacy-enriched environment by making more display prints written and illustrated in home languages and Standard English. (ii) Engage the children in play with both words and sounds. This greatly helps the baby to view, listen to the printed, visual and the multimedia texts as they respond with the relevant gestures, comments, questions and actions. As a result, babies are able to understand the key literacy and numeracy processes as well as concepts, such as the concepts of print, letter-sound relationships and sounds of language. Read More