Connecting placement to place/thought and the concept of grouping

 Today commenced the first day of the Early Years Learning Project and was a very relaxed environment. To be honest I feel that the environment was filled with great learning experiences, however, my mentor believes that children need to be re-directed when they are on the same activity for a long time… I do understand children need to have a variety of learning experiences and can get attached to one experience, however, I also strongly believe children are growing learners who are able to make decisions themselves, based on how they feel. I love seeing children engaged in experiences that excite them, but most of all, are enjoying their time. I feel that taking them away from an experience isn’t what I want to do because children need to express themselves within the learning environment. Overall I had a great time working with the students, as well, as parents and children throughout the program and I do feel that it is very beneficial for both parents/children. It allows the children to interact with other children, and also moves them out of their natural environment.

From reading MacNaughton & Williams chapter 9 called grouping I have been able to make connections the learning from placement. I believe my past experiences with grouping, haven’t always been essential for my learning as I have been apart of the level of ability grouping which I feel isn’t the best tool for grouping, as children can feel embarrassed about being in the lower levels. I also feel children will develop further within mixed ability grouping as children learn off each other. Placement is a great example of mixed age grouping, as the range of children that are offered for the program are between 0-5 year old which means children of those variety of ages, can interact freely within each other. Mixed grouping ability ‘enhances literacy learning. For instance, using mixed groups of children that include children without language delay may provide additional modeling opportunities for children with language delay’ (Lonigan et al. 1999, p.318). I truly believed mixed grouping of gender, culture and different ages is essential to the development of children as it allows for demonstrating our diverse culture, great interactions and allows children to learn from a variety of children.

References:
MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2009, Techniques for Teaching Young Children; Choices for Theory and Practice, 3^rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, NSW.

The importance of co-constructing meaning to me as a pre-service teacher

Reflecting on co-constructing meaning has never really come to my thoughts as I feel that co-constructing meaning comes naturally without thought, however, upon my current learning and development as a pre-service teacher I feel that children learn best through exploration, creativity and engagement. According to MacNaughton & Williams (2009, p. 233) ‘Sharing meaning with others enables children to reconstruct there on meanings’. As a classroom I feel it is important for children to socially interact with one another as this does have an impact on their language development, as well as enhance their understandings of meanings within the world around us. Children who express themselves through feelings, or generally anything that allows them to explore are within a community of learners. I believe as a pre-service teacher that in a class environment, we are equal human beings who are gathered together for the sake of becoming a community of learners. 


From my past schooling experiences, I don't feel multiculturalism was demonstrated to the best it could of, I can remember it was recognised and touched upon, however, I feel nowadays its very crucial to show how each individual is welcome and accepted due to the fact that some children can be less accepting if they are not fully aware of accepting differences. As a multicultural society, it is always essential to me that everyone has equal access to the learning environment for example, learning equipment, space and knowledge. I strongly feel that children’s interactions within each other is a requirement to learning as children learn from each other, children thoughts can be redirected and thought different from another perspective with the help of another individual. This therefore impacts on a child’s ability to reconstruct meaning to themselves and the world around them. My goal in my teaching career is to ensure culture is strongly embedded into the classroom, and to ensure I demonstrate the importance of equality, race and gender and to always be accepting of one another.


References:
MacNaughton, G & Williams, G 2009, Techniques for Teaching Young Children; Choices for Theory and Practice, 3^rd edn, Pearson Education Australia, NSW.

Bunjilaka

My visit to Bunjilaka at the Melbourne Museum allowed me to further my prior knowledge of Aboriginal history. Reflecting on my past education in primary school, the topic of Indigenious Australian’s wasn’t covered appropriately as my only memory of the topic was dot painting. Extending on my education and knowledge I had been exposed to many beliefs and ideas that Aboriginals were all about, which therefore meant dot painting wasn’t the only way to cover a topic.

Through my visit at Bunjilaka, I have been able to think beyond my usual thinking and I recognised the importance of culture, family and connection to the Indigenous Australian’s. As a pre-service teacher I do believe that children’s family and culture are one of the most important elements to a classroom and I feel children should share themselves through their heritage. My big concern as a pre-service teacher is being accepting of others, and demonstrating with children the importance for treating each other with respect and equal. Making connections with family history is essential to my learning in the classroom as I believe children will be able to explore their similarities as well as learn from each others differences. The topic of Indigenous Australian’s to me is an essential part of learning and I do believe that teaching this topic is crucial to being realistic and real. I feel that teaching should be directed to specific language groups that are within Australia, so therefore children are learning through real experiences and learning about specific cultural backgrounds.  Bringing the children’s culture into the topic of Indigenous Australian’s for myself as a pre-service teacher is important as I feel that we are a diverse society and we should all be celebrating our diverse cultures.