Report: Teaching for Quality Learning in Science through Play

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Assignment 2: Report: Teaching for Quality Learning in Science through Play

NOTE – CONCEPTS ARE SMALL STATEMENTS OF SCIENCE FACT, THEY ARE NOT GENERALISED STATEMENTS OF SCIENCE AREAS.
For example, a concept might be: “An electric circuit is a complete, unbroken pathway” – IT IS NOT CONCEPT= “ELECTRICITY” (It would be nice If they were some fun and age appropriate activities).

In this assignment, your task is to observe and participate in the normal practice in an early childhood centre. With educators linking their practice to the new Frameworks (early learning frameworks Australia/victoria), you are to look for how they have incorporated this into practice, how they are ‘intentionally’ teaching science.
Across several weeks, select two examples of children (Age 5-8) exhibiting new learning through play. This learning must be related to science or environmental awareness.
Specifications:
• This play can be with or without an adult present.
• Select 2 illustrations which are quite different in the nature of the learning that occurs.
It is preferable that both activities observed are of the centre educator’s practice however, if this is not possible, you may include one of your own activities.
Report format – please use sub-headings.
Introduction – Provide a paragraph on play theory – how children learn through play (350 words)
Two illustrations.- Prepare a 600 word piece about each ‘illustration’ which describes the type of learning- through-play which you have observed.
• Describe what the children are doing, who are involved (other children, parents, educators), and what they are saying and what others are saying to them. This forms your data.
• Analyse and discuss these data to identify children’s learning.
• As you are looking at the intentional teaching of the pre-school educator, you need to discuss what promoted those learning opportunities:
o children as peer tutors
o what the educator has done to either set the experience up for the children,
? enhanced the play experience through scaffolding (questioning, focussing or challenging)
? extended the experience through teacher-led activities.
• How did the tasks and resources affect children’s learning? How are tasks, resources and learning related to each other?
Conclusion (250 words)
Discuss how your two examples are linked to the early years learning framework and the importance of intentional teaching for promoting learning. Refer to broader educational research literature.

NOTE: Any observations or photos taken to support your report need to be linked and added in the appendix.

Examples of science activities and concepts:
• Light and colour: eg, Light is a mixture of many colours.
• Change of state. Example, Water to ice, Dissolving and mixing (salt in water > evaporation),( Oil & water).
• Cooking
Also here are some topics to choose from, can be find in the website or list below:
http://www.deakin.edu.au/arts-ed/education/sci-enviro-ed/early-years/index.php
• Working scientifically
• Air and flight
• Floating and sinking
• Light, vision and colour
• Sound and music
• Magnetism
• Electricity
• Force and motion
• Earth in space
• Rocks and soil
• Physical changes to matter
• Chemical change
• Bodies and skeletons
• Plants as living things
• Animals
IMPORTANT: ASSESMENT CRITERIA!
Report Assessment Criteria Marks
Introduction Play theory 20
Illustrations
One &Two
(15 marks each report) Contextual description: what the children are doing, who are involved (other children, parents, educators), what they are saying, what others are saying to them.
8 8
Evidence of children’s learning – your recorded notes, taken at the time, of what it was you observed which indicated learning on the part of the child(ren)
• Analysis and discussion of these data to identify children’s learning. 20 20
Intentional teaching elaboration – what did the educator do which promoted the learning? 5 5
Conclusion Linking to EYLF (EARLY LEARNING FRAMEWORKS VICTORIA) and research literature around intentional teaching 14
Total /100