Creating a community of confident learners

BY PAT BARBIERI Director of Early Learning

When children are around the age of eight they have already begun to develop an understanding of their self identity and their identity as a learner. The accelerated development and growth children experience during this period solidifies this identity, which in turn impacts their future approach to learning. Children’s sense of self also directly impacts their ability to engage in activities. Children who have a positive outlook on themselves are more likely to participate in social and academic activities and give themselves permission to explore in a new environment.

For many of our ELC children, this semester has been the first time they have experienced an early childhood setting. Our aim as educators is to provide a learning environment where children feel safe, supported and secure so they can follow their curiosity and intrinsic motivation to learn. During this important phase of education, children develop independence, social skills, communication and are introduced to skill learning which is exclusive to these early learning years. Children are on their own paths to discovering their learning dispositions and enhancing themselves to be empathic, communicative and creative thinkers. In our Toorak Early Learning Centre, we strive to support children to further develop their emotions and learn about how they can regulate some of these emotions. They make these discoveries through both implicit and explicit learning across the curriculum.

Our ELC specialist programs support children to extend their learning dispositions and discover passions. In STEM-X, children explore gravity and force. In Creative Arts, children enjoy investigating clay and creating self-portraits. Tempo and pitch is the focus in Performing Arts and children extend their skills and development in a range of gross motor skills within their Health and Wellbeing curriculum.

Building opportunities for children to engage purposefully with peers through play and learning supports the development of a cohesive community of learners. Through play, children experience the benefits and pleasures of shared learning, collaborating for purpose, problem solving, using imagination and creative thinking and utilising feedback from themselves and others to revise ideas and extend their learning.

It has been wonderful to see our youngest children at Toorak take responsibility for their own learning and contribute to their social environment, becoming confident and involved learners.

Building opportunities for children to engage purposefully with peers through play and learning supports the development of a cohesive community of learners.”