STANDARD 1: KNOW STUDENTS AND HOW THEY LEARN
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students and how these may affect learning
Evidence
Observations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ie-11-MV5p_kgsPiGp-u2pYjYx_VPHqGizZW8Oe3Df0/edit?usp=sharing
See portfolio text submission document (pp. 13-17) if this link does not work
Annotation
My evidence for this focus area is three observations of the focus child / children (one learning story, one time sampling record, one running record), noting their engagement in learning.
Reflective statement
To ensure that learning is relevant and meaningful, teachers must have a holistic view of their students which encompasses all aspects of development. Observing students is fundamental to the role of a teacher as it provides insight into these individual physical, social and intellectual characteristics (Colville, 2018).
As students have been learning online for much of the last two years, the opportunity to interact with their peers both during and outside of school was limited. When observing the year 1/2 classes, I noticed improved engagement and overall attitude in lessons after students were given the opportunity to talk amongst themselves at the beginning of the Google Meet. In a June 2021 survey, The Commission for Children and Young People (pp. 3) found that the social interaction children engage in at school is very important for their mental health and wellbeing, and the absence of this whilst in lockdown has resulted in many young people feeling isolated and disconnected. Therefore, allowing time for students to talk to one another at the beginning of class contributes to meeting their social needs.
Understanding learners’ unique interests and abilities also allows for teachers to develop engaging and meaningful learning experiences that are relevant to students’ level of cognitive development (Colville, 2018). When considering my observations of the focus children, my observations of Emily indicated that she enjoyed playing and experimenting with craft materials. This suggested that lessons which involved hands-on, craft-related activities were likely to be enjoyable for her and result in improved engagement.
References
Colville, M. (2018). Observation based planning. In E. Irving, & C. Carter (Eds.), The child in focus : Learning and teaching in early childhood education, (pp. 319-354). Oxford University Press
Commission for Children and Young People. (2021, June). Checking in with children and young people : Lockdown 4. Commission for Children and Young People https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/assets/COVID-Engagement/CCYP-Youth-Survey-Snapshot-June-21.pdf
