Part 1
Collect information – Observation
What do you observe or notice? Look for the extraordinary in the ordinary moments by making learning visible.
We can see that young toddlers are playing in the sand with their teacher. The video highlights the interaction between a teacher helping a young girl playing in the sand. Soon, more toddlers started joining the activity, and the first child we saw in the video looked eagerly as another child took something out of the bucket, in which the first girl put sand in. The teacher helped the children by filling the moulds with sand and showed them how to make a “sand shape” using a mould that was shaped like a train or a castle. The little girl present at the beginning of the video enthusiastically tried making the shape and was encouraged by the teacher, who cheered for her. Next, the video showed another toddler who tried making another shape on an elevated area through help from the teacher, who filled the mould in the girl’s hand with sand. As the teacher helped the second girl make shapes with sand, the first girl and another young boy were seen carefully observing the interaction between them. Towards the end of the video, more toddlers were seen to join the sand activity, with about six toddlers, including girls and boys, engaged in the activity.
Question and analyse observation
What do you understand about what you observed? What did you find interesting or extraordinary?
I observed that children learn a lot quicker when they are in a group and that toddlers are very good at observing everything, which enables them to learn things quickly. It was interesting to see young toddlers around the age of three carefully observe their teacher’s actions and imitate them to learn the activity taught by their teacher.
The girl at the beginning of the video was accompanied by her teacher, who was digging sand out of the pit to help the toddlers play. As soon as the sand was accumulating in the area between the girl and the teacher, the toddler started scooping sand into the bucket that was dropped near her by another toddler. The first girl continued scooping sand into the bucket till she observed that the teacher was doing something different than her. She carefully observed her teacher and stopped her activity to reveal a shape from a mould filled by the teacher with sand. As soon as the shape was revealed, the girl became excited, drawing three other children to the sand activity. Soon, another child was seen trying another shape which she placed at an elevated space near the sandpit. The first girl was seen observing the second girl and patiently waiting before playing with sand. A young boy was observed to carry a sieve towards the sandpit, and it seemed like he was trying to communicate with the teacher by audibly prompting her attention towards him. Later, both the first girl and the young boy were seen patiently observing the second girl get help from the teacher, after which they started playing with sand on their own. Two other young boys were spotted participating in the sand activity, where one of them made the first shape with the help of his teacher. It was extraordinary to see children participate independently in an activity without being prompted by an adult, and the toddlers participated in the sand activity out of their interest, which showed they were curious about learning new things.
Collect information – Observation
What learning is being demonstrated? What can you extend on?
Suggest a few experiences. What are the interests and strengths of child/ren observed? Link the information to EYLF/VEYLDF learning outcomes.
The learning demonstrated in the video would be visual learning and focused observations.
This observation can directly be linked as it demonstrates the learning outcomes one, two and four as the children had a strong sense of identity, were connected with their environment and were confident, involved learners. It was evident that the children were actively participating in the activity and were curious to learn the activity using the moulds. The child at the beginning of the video learned how to make shapes using the mould and proceeded to imitate her teacher to make the sand shape. We also observed how all the five toddlers were curious about the sand activity and patiently waited for their turns while observing their surroundings, such as looking at the second girl and the teacher making flower shapes using the mould and sand. In addition, the curiosity of toddlers was also expressed remarkably in the video, which showed how they are actively observing their surroundings to constantly learn and grow. This video demonstrated that children are visual learners who observe their surroundings to learn, and they learn to interact with others through empathy, respect and care. They are also quick to become aware of fairness, and they develop autonomy and inter-dependency that shows their sense of identity.
Learning Intention/s to achieve by the end of experience (one or two): Children will learn comprehension and observation, they will develop or discover their curiosity, researching, creativity, imagination and enthusiasm. They will also learn to interact in a group.
Strategies: What strategies you might use to promote children’s interest, play and learning? This might include interactions, resources, intentional teaching. You might include some examples of modelling, scaffolding or open-ended questions. How will you encourage children to learn from each other? How will the environment support play and learning?
The best way children will be able to learn, adapt and find interests is through play. I will use the sand activity to encourage imagination, enthusiasm, creativity and motivate them to learn. I will pique their interest and will encourage them to develop their social and motor skills through visual learning. I will also cheer them to interact with each other to exchange their ideas and learn through socialising. I will introduce different tools to engage in the sand activity, such as more shapes, different moulds, sand trays and other tools that will motivate them to engage in the activity and build their social skills.
Question and analyze observation
I will form a group of at least 4 children so that they are comfortable and can be equally paid attention to. I will promote them to socialise among themselves to develop their verbal and non-verbal skills and learn to communicate effectively. It will also make them respond to diversity with respect and demonstrate fairness. This will improve the learning outcomes one, two and four, making the children more involved in learning while interacting with other children.
While the activity is in progress, I will ask the children open-ended questions such as “Can you do it in another manner?’, “Tell me what you are doing?” “How did you do that?” In this way, the learning skills they improved during the activity will be demonstrated. I will reassure them if they get stuck somewhere in the process and encourage them to express their thoughts and interact with their peers.
Act and Do (Implementation)
Implement your experience. Did you need to modify it for any reason? Any emergent experiences that arose? Give specific examples of children’s involvement. What learning processes have you observed the children using (problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching, investigating…)?
Upon implementing the experience, I observed children interacting among themselves and developing a sense of belonging within the group; they also became socially responsible and developed confident self-identities. They also felt secure, supported and safe within the groups and during the activity. The children developed investigating, experimentation, co-operation and creativity, and they resourced their learning through forming connections with their peers.
The other children who were not participating as much as the two girls became enthusiastically involved in playing with sand and experimenting with the different tools present for them. It was a demonstration of their developed observation skills and their ability to easily adapt to their environment. The use of different tools to participate in the activity will prove to aid in developing the children’s motor skills and performing other tasks successfully in the future. It will also improve their creativity and imagination as they explore ways to innovate their play experience. I understood that children are quick learners with exceptional observational skills.
Review and Reflect (Evaluation)
Review: With the learning aims and the EYLF/VEYLDF learning outcomes in mind, evaluate the learning and the planning. What worked well? What can you improve? Do you need to repeat, refine or extend the plan? How will you follow up?
Forming smaller groups allowed the children to interact with their peers and learn from one another in an interactive environment. Children use their observational skills to learn from each other and develop their social and motor skills. The children displayed curiosity and eagerness to learn from their peers and imitate the actions to determine and experience innovative ways to perform tasks.
The children learned different shapes, and they learned that sand could be moulded into other different shapes. I would ask them what shapes they think would be exciting to try next and if they would like to add any other tools to make the activity more fun. I would ask them why sand does not hold a shape for a long time and how it can be moulded easily; how does the texture feel to them. Such play activities would keep the children enthusiastic, imaginative, innovative, curious and creative throughout the activity.
Reflect: What did you learn about yourself and your practice as a teacher. Any changes to your practice as a result?
As a teacher, I’ve learnt that I must get the children interested in an activity and then allow them to find out how to accomplish it on their own or with the assistance of their peers through group activities. I should also be patient with the kids and make sure they accomplish the majority of the learning on their own, keeping my involvement to a minimal until it’s absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, constantly checking on the children throughout their play activities to ensure that they are all engaged, having fun, and, most importantly, safe from harm.
References:
Focused Observations Chapter 2 Video 3. 2013. Youtube.com. Accessed from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sl0Srx7P5s
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