Interpretations

It seems like the EYLF is hindering us in producing quality interpretations.

Before the framework came along we would write an observation of a child or group of children. We would peer into it, looking closely for evidence of learning and current developmental ability and then document it in our own words. Now what we're seeing is this:

Link to framework:

Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity.

Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators.

Is this a quality interpretation? I understand that people are going all out to understand the framework and show that they're linking it to their program, but this is not telling us much about the child's learning. The framework provides us with a common language to articulate our professional practice. It reminds us of the importance of Belonging, Being and Becoming. It gives us principles and practices to use to underpin our practice and it provides lots of outcomes that give us a guide as to what to cover when providing educational programs for young children.

An interpretation should specifically relate to the observation. These are some of my examples:

The children are showing that they have a strong sense of wellbeing, that they’re connected to their world, and that they are confident and involved learners through this play. We are allowing them to experience ‘learning through play’ and to explore their ‘learning environments’ in their own ways. We are giving the chance to just ‘be’ in the outdoor space. The children are learning about the natural world and exploring science concepts through nature play. They are also exploring maths concepts such as weight and volume.

The children all produced books that included drawings and a variety of types of mark-making, including scribbles, dots and small circles. They are showing that they are emerging as writers and developing the awareness that letter symbols create text, which has meaning. They are showing the awareness that books contain both text and illustrations, both of which convey meaning to the reader.

It was wonderful to see the girls’ level of creativity and their ability to play cooperatively together for such a long time during their morning outside. Their imaginative games kept flowing and changing without the need for any props other than the play equipment in the yard. The girls are showing their strong sense of identity and abilities as effective communicators who are confident to express themselves and keen to help and include each other in their play. They are showing their prior knowledge and their ability to transfer knowledge from one context to another.

H is showing that he’s a confident and involved learner, taking the initiative to select paint colours and fill the palette himself. The children are showing their interest in painting and colour-mixing, and demonstrating their ability to work as a team while constructing their own learning. They’re communicating with each other throughout the experience, and with me, showing that they’re effective communicators with the skills to give directions and to describe processes.