“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is Child-centred.
Element 1.1.2: Each child’s current knowledge, strengths, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program.
What range of strategies do you and your team implement to ensure that curriculum development and decision making remains child-centred, ensuring that children’s individual interests, strengths, abilities, backgrounds and cultures are the cornerstone of program planning and curriculum decision making?
As we’ve come to learn, a child-centred approach in curriculum decision making emphasises the importance of tailoring educational experiences to the unique needs, interests, and developmental stages of each child. The significance of this practice cannot be overstated, as it fosters an environment where children are engaged, motivated and empowered to learn.
By placing the child at the heart of the learning process, a child-centred approach enhances engagement and motivation as well as supporting the development of essential skills and respect for individual differences and diversity and subsequently fostering a generation of confident, curious, and capable learners.
Strategies to support implementation of a child-centred approach:
- Providing a range of open-ended resources and equipment to support opportunities for children’s choice and directing their own play, whilst fostering creativity, independence and problem-solving skills
- Adopting and maintaining a flexible and responsive approach that supports children to explore, experiment, make mistakes and take safe risks
- Educators demonstrating flexibility within the program and routines to incorporate children’s emerging requests, ideas, cultures and interests
- Educators consistently observing and listening to children to keep informed about their individual interests, needs, strengths and development
- Collaborating with families on a regular basis, both formally and informally to receive new information about children’s interests and development as well as providing feedback to families on their child’s wellbeing and development
- Collecting information about children’s interests, needs, strengths, family, culture and community at the time of enrolment and regularly updated
- Continuously reflecting on the effectiveness of the program and how it meets the individual needs of children and enhances their development and making adjustments where required.
Resources:
ACECQA- Child-centred Curriculum Planning (Birth-5 years)
The Sector- Looking beyond children’s interests for child-centred curricula
Narragunnawali- Curriculum Resources
We Hear You- Agency in practice
Within System7 go to Quality Area 1/ Module 2 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue if you identify any areas of improvement.
The Childcare Centre Desktop has a range of resources to assist services with educational program and practice. These include Educational Program Policy, Educational Program and Practice Procedure, All About Me- Child Introduction form, Critical Reflection Template, Assessment and Planning Cycle Audit and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA 1/ 1.1.2- Child-centred
National Regulations – 73, 74, 155, 156
System7 Module – QA1/ Module 2
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