Assignment 1 - Support the holistic development of children in early childhood

ASSESSMENT

Activity 1: Develop some ideas for equipment, materials and games to improve Joel's fine and gross motor and fundamental movement skills. Joel (5 years 6 months) is becoming interested in team sports but needs support to improve games skills such as throwing and catching and dodging.

Activity 2: Consider a child who is continually pushing their way past other children who are being knocked over or disturbed in their play. Think about the different approaches you would have if the child was an infant, a toddler, a preschooler or a school-age child. How would you initiate a one-to-one interaction with the child? How would you developmentally appropriately help the child to understand and accept responsibility for their own actions?

Activity 3: What sort of experiences could you offer an infant, a toddler, a preschooler and a school-age child and a preteen so they could practice social skills?

Activity 4: Consider the following scenario. How would your reaction differ if it was an infant, a toddler, a preschooler or, a school-aged child? Amanda is showing signs of frustration and is beginning to become upset. She has already lashed out at another child and has thrown the resource she was engaging with away. How will you acknowledge the child's feelings and support her to see mistakes as opportunities to learn and also to feel better about herself? Record your responses.

Activity 5: Consider the following scenarios. How would you intervene and intentionally scaffold the child's level of understanding so that the child is now more able to continue and extend their learning? What sort of open-ended questions would you ask? What additional resources would you provide for additional practice? How will you break the task down into a step-by-step process that you can explain and demonstrate to the child?

What other methods will you use?

1. Joan (9 months) has been trying to make a tall tower with building blocks that are different sizes.

2. Jim (30 months) is trying to use a bike with pedals for the first time.

3. Jamie (4 years) is trying to work out how to make the weighing scales balance in the role-play shop.

4. Jack (6 years) is trying to work out how to make the gears work on an action building set.

Activity 6: Click on the following hyperlink and watch the presentation of the well-known picture book Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas. Take particular note of the way the presenter introduced the book by talking about memories; listen to the way he used his voice and notice the way he maintained eye contact with his audience (you). How did he complete the reading of the book?

Look at the background behind the presenter. Do you see how he set the scene to suit this particular story?

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+Mem+Fox&qpvt=YouTube+Mem+Fox&FORM=VQFRML#view=detail&mid=A986ACD4635CA02495E0A986ACD4635CA02495E0

Access copies of children's books at your library. Select at least one for each stage (infant, toddler, preschooler and early school-age). Practise reading each book; deciding how you will make the book interesting for the children.

Organise times to read each of the books to the relevant age group. Think about:

• how you will introduce the books you have chosen to read to the children, being mindful of the different age groups of your audience.
• how you will hold the book, ensuring everyone can see the illustrations.
• how you will use your voice to maximum effect.
• how you will engage with the children during the reading of the book (maintaining eye contact is very important).
• how will you complete your reading of the book.
• how you will "set the scene" for the reading of each book.
• Apart from enjoyment, what do you hope the children will gain from the reading experience?

Activity 7: Consider the table on p321 of your text, which has five sample suggestions for resourcing the learning environment to offer challenge, intrigue and surprise for different stages of development. Which of the suggestions will suit the following children's expressed ideas? Can you think of any additional ideas?

1. An infant (0 to 12 months) who is showing an interest in movement and people's faces.

2. A toddler (12 months to 3 years) who is showing an interest in mending things like his father.

3. A preschooler (3 to 5 years) who is showing an interest in playing games with their peers.

4. A school-age child (5 to 6 years) who is showing an interest in learning about sustainability.

Activity 8: Think of some things that inspire and give you a sense of awe and wonder. Would those same things be suitable for children? If not, what are some things you would introduce to children? For example, documentaries about nature are always astounding, but are they appropriate for young children? What would be a more active way for children to learn about different species of animals or the power of waterfalls or great human endeavours they might one day aspire to?

Plus, how do you think you could inspire children to treat others as they would like to be treated? Could you perhaps use some of the lessons learnt from nature (the connections between people's actions and animal and plant wellbeing, for example)?

Activity 9: Revisit Elements 3 and 4 to refresh your memory about how to assist children to see their mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow and how to provide opportunities for scaffolding learning and development. How will you apply this to a young child (4 years old) who is becoming upset because the mud pie he is trying to make keeps collapsing?

Consider the strategies you will use including the sustained shared conversation you will have with the child.

Activity 10: Read the section "Supporting the understanding of symbols" How could you discuss/plan/encourage/challenge children to see the relationship between symbols and patterns; letters and sounds; numbers; time; money; musical notation in different environments such as at the service; at home; in the community.

Activity 11: Not only do children love stories being read to them, but they also love having stories told to them. There is a difference! Storytelling requires no book and it's extremely effective in engaging children in the power of story. Refer to http://dvlprz.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/18-storytelling-techniques.html for easy techniques to try.

When you have done that, look at http://www.pinterest.com/nestbliss/preschool-kindergarten-storytelling/

These web sites show you lots of ways to incorporate puppets and other props to enhance children's enjoyment of language and literature and many of them are so simple, yet very effective.

Now look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p9Fw1CsYxA for a demonstration of The Gingerbread Man being told. In this version, notice the way the storyteller uses his face and arm gestures in a consistent fashion to represent the characters of the story. Think about the pace of his telling and the clever way he uses pauses to highlight parts of the story.

Your task now is to choose a story and tell it to an age group of your choice. Write an evaluation of your experience using the following points to guide you.

• How did you introduce your story?
• What props did you use?
• How do you know the children were engaged with the story?
• What would you do differently next time?

Activity 12: For this activity you will need a copy of The National Quality Framework, The National Quality Standards and the relevant approved learning framework for your service. Look back at the tasks you have just completed and navigate your way through the documents to find the areas that relate to each task. Make a list of each task and its relevant documentation.

Activity 13: Locate copies of The Early Childhood Code of Ethics and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In your own words, write a short statement of your understanding of each document, including how they each relate to your work with children.

Activity 14: You have been asked by your supervisor to create an information sheet to help new childcare workers understand how the following topics can influence early childhood development. Create this information sheet by writing 100 words on each of the following topics. Ensure that you proof read your work carefully.

• poor diet
• lack of play
• limited stimulation of early brain development
• lack of materials and resources
• inconsistent or nonexistent emotional support or comfort
• trauma

 Activity 15: Go to http://youtu.be/M89VFIk4D-s and

https://www.aedc.gov.au/resources/detail/brain-development-in-children and take notes on the following points. 

Submit these notes as your assessment.

• early brain development
• importance of the early years for subsequent educational success
• basic knowledge of developmental theory
• biological and environmental influences on development

Assignment 2 - Use information about children to inform practice

ASSESSMENT

Activity 1: Read Chapter 16 in your textbook. This will form the basis of the knowledge and skills you require to complete this activity. Take particular note of the different types of observations, what their specific purposes are and how they are done. It is strongly recommended that you have several practices before you begin this activity.

• Choose three children of varying ages, to observe, listen and talk to, over a sustained period of time. The children may attend your service, or they may be children of friends or family members.
• Using four different types of observations for each child, do a series of five observations at different times and on different days for each child. Use Christian names only and remember to document details of date, time and setting.
• When you have completed all of your observations for each child, look for any patterns that indicate such points as: current interests, social interactions, types of play the child is engaging in, particular behavioural patterns, developmental milestones.
• Use the following questions to focus your thinking about the child's actions and behaviours.
• Do your answers highlight any significant behaviours?
• Link your responses to the relevant National Quality Standard (NQS), as well as the relevant learning framework used in your service.
• Please submit all documentation along with your responses to the following questions.

Information gathered about individual children should form the basis for all of the programs planned by the educators for the group they work with. Even with a child initiated, play based program that is documented by learning stories, we can see where the educators have used their knowledge of child development, plus their knowledge of the children's current interests and skills to extend on the play (learning) that is going on in the  room.

Activity 2: Use the observations and information you documented for one of the children you used in Task 1. How would you use this to contribute to the learning framework used in your service?

Remember to indicate which NQS and which EYLF principle (or other framework) you are referring to.

Activity 3: How would you use the following methods to gather and record information: questioning; discussions with families; anecdotal information; learning stories; jottings; digital images and samples of children's work?

Activity 4: How would you analyse observations of children's behaviours including aspects of their development; their knowledge, ideas, abilities and interests; their social interactions and their reactions to a play environment?

Activity 5: How would you write reports that record observations accurately and respectfully to the level of detail expected in an education and care service?

1500 words

6 references.