Class Information
Children in the Early Years:
Children enter early childhood settings as active, experienced learners.
- are active learners with diverse potentials and expectations
- are rapidly growing, developing and changing in complex ways
- are particularly dependent on adults for physical and emotional wellbeing
- are advantaged by partnerships between the school and families
- move towards collaborative learning
- are social learners who develop and review their understandings through: relationships, language based interactions, play, scaffolding and modelling
- are motivated to learn through curiosity, imagination and creativity
- learn in authentic, real-world situations
- represent their understandings in a variety of ways
- learn through physical activity and develop a complex variety of capabilities
- use and enjoy repetition for practising and consolidating skills
Early childhood teachers demonstrate deep respect for the abilities of children as they take up the role of jointly developing meaning with them.
Early childhood teachers make decisions about learning based on the recognition that:
- learning takes place in authentic and real-world situations
- learning involves initiation, negotiation and mediation
- content and skill development is understood within the framework of the child’s current knowledge
- learning is assessed with the child actively involved in the process
The early years are particularly suited for nurturing in children self regulation, sustained shared thinking, creativity, oral language skills, team work and positive attitudes towards learning – resources that can greatly assist later school successes and work effectiveness.(Bowles and Gintus, in Bennett, 2007) in Reflect, Respect. Relate, DECD, 2007
Primary and Middle Years students are students who come from a range of backgrounds and environments. They have their own personal knowledge and experiences, needs, interests, concerns, expectations and hopes.
In addition, Primary Years learners:
- have high levels of energy and enjoy physical activity resulting in natural movement and noise in both class and play spaces
- are experiencing different kinds of friendships and exploring power dynamics
- are exploring the similarities and differences between being male and female
- are experimenting with identity and referencing themselves against peers
- are keen to extend their capabilities and self-expression
- are able to engage enthusiastically and expand their thinking in ways that are reflective and spontaneous.
Middle Years learners are:
- experiencing adolescence and the accompanying emotional, physical and sexual changes
- learning to form, articulate and manage relationships
- keen to develop greater interdependence with their peers and independence in their lives
- questioning schooling and their engagement with schooling, reflecting on who they are, where they belong, what they value and where they’re going
- developing their own voice, often challenging the voices of their parents/caregivers, teachers and society
- aiming for a stronger sense of belonging through participation in wider adolescent cultures
- becoming aware that they can make changes for themselves and others.
To meet the needs of this range of learners, the learning process is complex, dynamic, interactive and cyclical, not linear. It involves students continuously extending, elaborating, reformulating and reflecting upon their knowledge and values.
Within this idea of progress in learning, students are active learners who learn at different rates and need multiple challenges. They also need to be supported in developing responsibility for their own learning, and enthusiasm for continuous learning.
(Adapted from SACSA – Learning and Learners in the Early Years)
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