Creating a Supportive, Flexible, Safe, and Inclusive Learning Environment
My teaching philosophy is based upon creating a supportive, flexible, safe and an inclusive learning environment for my students. I comply with the EYL framework and make use of the play based curriculum to impart knowledge. I believe at an early age playing can serve as a link to learning experience and children can acquire skills through play based learning (Education.gov.au,2018). I make use of the play method in my teaching through group activities, visual display and props. It helps in stimulating the perception ability of the children and promotes learning. As an educator I am aware of the Children’s right of education and strive to create a holistic and inclusive learning environment enriched with moral values. I assist the family members of the disabled children to seek social and government support so as to sustain an inclusive learning environment (Humanrights.gov.au, 2018). Also, my teaching practice is built upon the ECA Code of ethics where I endeavour to reinforce a culturally safe inclusive learning environment. I do so by engaging children in the celebration of different festivals and organising group activities where children talk about their traditional costume and cuisine (Early Childhood Australia, 2018). In addition to this, my teaching practice is also based upon the Australian Professional Teaching Standards. To ensure this, I make use of observation, documenting and planning in my teaching process. I also maintain a collaborative relationship with my colleagues and children so as to ensure a positive and secure learning environment (Aitsl.edu.au,2018). I believe it creates a strong relationship based upon strengths, knowledge and professional experience so as to enable a positive working environment.
This assignment would focus on the generalist and specialist teaching methods used by me in accordance with the teaching philosophy to promote a positive academic environment.
The general technique of teaching is used in an academic environment while dealing with content-related subject matter or factual information (Cook et al., 2013). It has been said that making use of techniques such as listening, questioning, story-telling and singing can help in improving the retention power of the beginners (Davis,2014). While teaching students, I make use of three generalist techniques that include, singing, listening and modelling approaches.
Singing: Singing can be considered as one of the generalist technique that helps in the process of imparting education to beginners and early school children. The technique can be defined as a process of collective approach that makes use of sound and rhythm to facilitate refined learning and understanding (Edwards et al., 2014). According to a research study conducted by Chapman (2016), it has been mentioned that singing the lessons to the children enhances their retention capacity up to 35% compared to traditional reading out process.
Generalist Teaching Techniques: Singing, Listening, and Modelling
According to Piaget’s theory, external environment plays a major role in the growth and development of child.In this context, it can be said that children are fast learners and possess the tendency to grasp tunes and beats easily which makes singing a feasible and effective teaching technique. It should be noted here that while using singing as a teaching technique it is extremely important to take note of a few important factors such as the theme of the music, key, interval timing, diction and diction. These factors determine the choice of an appropriate repertoire that is used in the process of teaching. In addition to this, it should be further noted that, while teaching beginners, incorporating singing as an educating method not only helps in stimulating the retention ability but also enhances the ability of the children to work within a group, develop their listening ability and the building up of self-awareness. At the same time, it also helps in making children active and alert to the beats of the song and improves their pronunciation and speaking ability. It has been found that rhymes, multiplication tables, names of places and objects can easily be retained by children on the basis of regular practice and singing.
The second method that has been identified as an effective generalist method of teaching includes ‘listening’. It can be stated here that listening forms an integral part of the communication process. Enhancing the communication ability of the children can effectively lead to healthier growth and development. Listening can thus be defined as the medium of interaction between the educators and students that help in the development of an effective communication style(Boud & Feletti, 2013). Research studies reveal that between the age of 1 to 5 years, children do not possess the ability to communicate effectively and voice their feelings (Hamanda, 2016); (Anthony,2013). During this phase it is extremely important to pay close attention the other forms of expression used by the child to communicate and express their feelings.
Some of the methods used by the children to communicate include using fragmented sentences, broken phrases, gestures and rhymes. Often, adults seem extremely distracted and devoid of patience while dealing with children due to frequent pause, stammering or poor sentence construction. Interjecting the child before he could frame a sentence, maintaining a closed body gesture and being preoccupied or distracted while the child is trying to voice out an opinion can heavily impact the existing relationship between the carers and the child (Hamanda, 2016).
Specialist Teaching Techniques: Problem Solving, Task Analysis, and Documenting
It should be noted here that, active listening forms an essential part of the learning process and facilitates string relationship between the carers and the children. According to Bowlby’s attachment theory it has been predicted that the ability of the children to develop an innate attachment with their caregivers actively help in the process of the establishment of a safe and secure environment (Anthony, 2013). Thus, it can be said that active listening can facilitate better understanding about the child psychology and behaviour.
As an educator it is important to actively take note of the gestures and body language of the toddlers. For instance it can be stated that children yawning and rubbing their eyes are more likely to be tired or bored while children making eye-contact are more involved in the ongoing session. Also, as an educator it is important to provide equal opportunities to every child so as to develop an insight into their psychology and thought content. Some of the teaching strategies that can be used in the process would comprise of techniques such as asking open ended questions, avoiding any judgemental comments, using appreciation and encouraging phrases, helping with words and smiling often.
Another effective generalist teaching is the inclusion of the modelling technique. It can be defined as the process where the instructor imparts a new concept by means of a series of command or instructions. This technique is used for a number of processes that comprise of imparting conceptual understanding for the first time, for instance, simple addition. While making use of this teaching technique it is extremely important for the educators to take into consideration the prior knowledge of the pupils about the subject and accordingly design the set of instructions (Boud & Feletti, 2013).
The factors comprise of processes such as creating clear aims and objectives, providing an example, exploring and recreating the thinking process, clearly demonstrating the process, involving the children through the example, helping the children get to the response, provide a platform for the children to solve the problem independently and finally drawing out the learning outcome (Holley & Dansereau,2014). Hence, it can be said that the process of modelling progresses in a step-wise manner.
The underlying theory of modelling can be defined as setting a dynamic example to the pupils so as to promote learning by the process by observation. It should be mentioned here that modelling has been reported to be an active learning process that facilitates rapid learning through observation. The educator can make use of the sensory perceptions such as touch, smell and vision to facilitate a deeper understanding of the concept (Holley & Dansereau,2014). The modelling technique makes use of processes such as disposition, meta-cognition, student-centred training, scaffolding technique and task and performance (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). It helps in inclusive teaching and at the same time helps in the development of a clearer concept. However, the disadvantages associated with this form of teaching include, blocking the creative and self-thinking ability of the children. It can also hinder the development process if the teachers do not practice empathy or engage children within an inclusive environment (Knight, 2014). The level of instruction complexity varies across developmental stages. For instance drawing lines to add 2 and 2 at the age of four and five gradually gives way to teaching complex algebra at the age of 15, increasing the level of difficulty and complex instructions through the stages of development (Australiancurriculum.edu.au., 2018).
The specialist technique of teaching involves imparting training to the children to facilitate skills to comprehend complex problems and scenarios. This method of teaching is based upon the development of a conceptual framework so as to make the learning process easy(MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). The specialist techniques chosen by me involves problem solving, task analysis and documenting which would be discussed in the following paragraphs.
One of the specialist methods of teaching chosen is documenting. Documenting forms an integral part of the teaching process as it includes maintaining a track of the student’s progress development. Documenting can thus be defined as the procedure of keeping a record of the teaching efforts put in. Studies mention that the best procedure to maintain a record is to maintain a teaching portfolio (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009); (Kolb, 2014). The advantage of maintaining a teaching portfolio is multidisciplinary as it helps in evaluating the child on a broader perspective and the evaluation is not restricted to a single discipline.
In addition to this, studies mention that it helps the educators in the process of designing study material and accordingly devise teaching strategies and develop learning goals. It serves as an improvement tool for the educators who continuously endeavour to deliver the best form of education. (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009).
Documenting also helps in evaluating the teaching style of the educator and accordingly the educator could co relate the teaching style to the national and international level of teaching and improve on the same (Koffka,2014).
The second specialist method of teaching chosen by me is Task Analysis. The concept of task analyzing can be defined as the process that requires consideration of the learner’s pre-requisite skills prior to selecting a task, breaking the tasks into steps, choosing an appropriate method of teaching, teaching the basics of the task and monitoring the progress evaluation. The underlying development theory is to guide the child so that he acquires the ability to master the initial steps to reach at the final answer (MacNaughton & Williams, 2009).
Studies reveal that task analysis is another specialized process of modelling. This technique is extensively used by the educators at level 2 so as to impart the skills of solving math problem (Davis, 2014). For instance, to solve a story sum that requires performing a subtraction, educators break the sum into parts and explain the question (Mansour, 2013). Further, the educators proceed with instructing the children to draw lines equivalent to the greater number in the sum and strike off the smaller number and then count the left over. The left over forms the final answer. It helps in improving the reasoning skills of the children at the early childhood phase (Silver, 2013).
The third method that has been chosen as a specialist method of teaching includes problem solving. It can be defined as a practical approach that helps in triggering the reasoning and understanding ability of the child and teach a method in order to solve a problem (Silver, 2013). The principles of problem solving expands over a number of factors that include, modelling a useful problem-solving method, teaching within a context, helping children develop an understanding of the problem, taking enough time to prepare a lesson, asking questions and linking up errors to misconceptions (Sluckin, 2017). The theory of problem solving is broadly based upon Wood’s problem solving theory (Singer, 2017). Studies suggest that it is extremely important to include real life examples so as to facilitate better understanding (Van-Hoorn et al., 2014).
For instance, training children to add a unit if the problem deals with measurement entities and not to do so if the problem does not involve unit. These concepts help in developing skills to solve difficult problem in future.
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Methods of teaching |
Children’s Rights Education (Human rights.gov.au.,2018) |
ECA Code of Ethics (Early Childhood Australia.,2018) |
Early Learning Framework Principles (Education.gov.au.,2018) |
Australian Professional Teaching Standard (Aitsl.edu.au) |
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Generalist Methods: |
General Rights |
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Singing · Babies · Toddlers · Pre-schoolers · Foundation level |
1.The Australian government guarantees the right to education to all 2.Primary education can be availed free of cost 3.The government recognises the liberty of the parents to choose the school for their children 4.The government recognises the inclusion of a holistic curriculum to engage students in a healthy academic and moral learning environment |
In context to the babies a teacher is expected to act in the best interests for all children In context to the toddlers, a teacher is expected to maintain a safe and healthy environment In relation to pre-schoolers a teacher is expected to understand the uniqueness of each child and build a learning environment free from any pressure In relation to the foundation level, teachers must respect the special relationship between children and families and actively incorporate the same throughout every interaction |
Instil a sense of belonging, being and becoming. For babies: The educator could start with a Hello song so as to make the students familiar with each other’s name in the class For toddlers: The educator could engage in teaching nursery rhymes For Pre-schoolers: The educator could introduce basic vocabulary such as animal names and sounds through music For Foundation: The educator could use props and teach theme based songs such as hello-goodbye and carols |
Standard 1: To know the students and how they learn Standard 2: To know the content and how to teach it |
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Listening · Babies · Toddlers · Pre-schoolers · Foundation Level |
Babies: Respect the rights of children as mentioned in United Nations Conventions on Rights of Children Toddlers: Maintain a culturally safe academic atmosphere Pre-schoolers: Ensure children with special abilities can get access to education Foundation level: Maintain a holistic learning environment with the cultural and linguistic consideration |
Allow expression of personality and uniqueness Engage babies in open-ended conversation such as ‘what would you do on the weekend?’ Educators could engage toddlers in visual interpretation of a picture such as a park scene and ask them to talk about it For pre-schoolers, educators can engage them in talking about their favourite character such as a superhero For the foundation level, educators could engage children in sharing their experience about something they did on an occasion in front of the class. |
Standard 3: To plan and implement effective teaching Standard 4: To maintain a supportive learning environment |
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Modelling · Babies · Toddlers · Pre-schoolers · Foundation Level |
In context of babies, the educator is expected to honour playing as a process to impart learning. For toddlers, educators are expected to appreciate the difference in ability to grasp things For pre-schoolers, educators must respect the potential of each child For Foundation level: The educators are expected to promote holistic learning with respect to the difference in cultural background |
For instance, the educator could engage babies to learn counting For toddlers: The educator could teach skip counting such and even numbers such as 2,4,6… For pre-schoolers, the educator could teach simple addition by drawing lines For foundation level, the educator could teach mental addition |
Standard 4: To promote supportive and safe learning environment Standard 5:To access and generate feedback about the student’s learning |
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Specialist Methods: |
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Documenting · Babies · Toddlers · Pre-schoolers · Foundation Level |
Babies: Educators must appreciate and document the progress level Toddlers: Maintain a close contact with the family members to guide the progress Pre-schoolers: Must advocate the rights of children with special needs Foundation Level: Must provide constructive feedback to parents |
Must record the general class behaviour for babies. For toddlers, pre-schoolers and foundation level must keep a track of the grades and performance in class |
Standard 5: To access and provide feedback about the learning process |
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Task Analysis · Babies · Toddlers · Pre-schoolers · Foundation Level |
Must record the general class behaviour and attendance for babies. For toddlers, pre-schoolers and foundation level must keep a track of the grades and performance in class |
For babies: To teach counting with the help of abacus For toddlers: To teach forward and back counting For pre-schoolers: To teach story sums For foundation-level: To teach units |
Standard 5: To access and provide feedback about the learning process |
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Problem Solving · Babies · Toddlers · Pre-schoolers · Foundation Level |
Must record the general class behaviour for babies. For toddlers, pre-schoolers and foundation level must keep a track of the grades and performance in class |
For babies: counting with the use of props For toddlers: To teach simple subtraction For pre-schoolers: To teach simple subtraction through story sums Foundation level: To teach simple multiplication operation |
Standard 5: To access and provide feedback about the learning process |
As discussed before, the early education involves a play based learning process to acquire literacy and numeric skills. The Australian learning framework thus essentially focuses on imparting skills in an inclusive environment with the consideration of the age and developmental stage of the children (Education.gov.au.,2018). The Australian curriculum essentially focuses on playing and learning from birth to eight years old so as to promote the sense of belonging, being and becoming. According to the professional code of teaching ethics play based curriculum helps in promoting an effective learning process on account of the increased perception of senses and level of concentration engagement (Kold, 2014).
Conclusion:
Hence, to conclude it can be said that incorporating the correct method of teaching can help in proficiently acquiring the learning outcomes. The generalist and the specialist methods of teaching helps in imparting the practical skills to the children to face real-life incidents in future. It is important that educators take into consideration the grasping ability and the prior knowledge of the children and appropriately design a curriculum so as to impart in-depth conceptual understanding and quality education.
References:
Aitsl.edu.au (2018). [online] Aitsl.edu.au. Available at: https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/apst-resources/australian_professional_standard_for_teachers_final.pdf [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].
Anthony, S. (2013). The child’s discovery of death: a study in child psychology. Routledge.pp.68
Australiancurriculum.edu.au. (2018). Learning F-2. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/learning-f-2/
Boud, D., & Feletti, G. (2013). The challenge of problem-based learning. Routledge.pp.92-95
Chapman, J. L. (2016). Singing and teaching singing: A holistic approach to classical voice. Plural Publishing.pp.37-43
Cook, R. E., Klein, M. D., & Chen, D. (2015). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with special needs. Pearson.pp.113
Davis, J. (2014). Examining early childhood education through the lens of education for sustainability: Revisioning rights. In Research in early childhood education for sustainability (pp. 37-53). Routledge.
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Education.gov.au. (2018). Early Years Learning Framework | Department of Education and Training. Retrieved from https://www.education.gov.au/early-years-learning-framework-0
Edwards, R. A., Kirwin, J., Gonyeau, M., Matthews, S. J., Lancaster, J., & DiVall, M. (2014). A reflective teaching challenge to motivate educational innovation. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 78(5), 103.
Garvis, S. (2013). Beginning generalist teacher self-efficacy for music compared with maths and English. British Journal of Music Education, 30(1), 85-101.
Hamada, Y. (2016). Shadowing: Who benefits and how? Uncovering a booming EFL teaching technique for listening comprehension. Language Teaching Research, 20(1), 35-52.
Holley, C. D., & Dansereau, D. F. (Eds.). (2014). Spatial learning strategies: Techniques, applications, and related issues. Academic Press.pp.80
Humanrights.gov.au (2018). Children’s Rights | Australian Human Rights Commission. [online] Humanrights.gov.au. Available at: https://www.humanrights.gov.au/our-work/childrens-rights [Accessed 24 Oct. 2018].
Knight, C. (2014). Teaching group work in the BSW generalist social work curriculum: Core content. Social work with Groups, 37(1), 23-35.
Koffka, K. (2013). The growth of the mind: An introduction to child-psychology. Routledge.pp.117
Kolb, D. A. (2014). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. FT press.pp.97-112
MacNaughton, G. & Williams, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children choices for theory and practice (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Pearson.pp.77-92
Mansour, N. (2013). Modelling the sociocultural contexts of science education: The teachers’ perspective. Research in Science Education, 43(1), 347-369.
Silver, E. A. (2013). Learning to add and subtract: An exercise in problem solving. In Teaching and learning mathematical problem solving (pp. 31-54). Routledge.
Singer, E. (2017). Child-care and the psychology of development. Routledge.pp.65
Sluckin, W. (2017). Imprinting and early learning. Routledge.pp.76-82
Souto-Manning, M. (2013). Multicultural teaching in the early childhood classroom: Approaches, strategies, and tools, preschool-2nd grade. Teachers College Press.pp.11-17
Van Hoorn, J. L., Monighan-Nourot, P., Scales, B., & Alward, K. R. (2014). Play at the center of the curriculum. Pearson.pp.65-67
Watson, A. (2016). Revisiting professional teacher standards. Australian Journal of Music Education, 50(1), 27.
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