Our Team is our Greatest Resource
Just think about all the resources that you utilise each day with your children at your centre, there are many possibilities to extend on and take children on their own individualise learning Journey. We see this each and every day, examples of this are through the captures on StoryPark, in-the -moment within the classrooms and through our sharing on our community of practice meetings. None of this would be possible without children’s greatest resource, which is…… YOU – their educator.
Your knowledge to observe and extend in the moment is what brings the program and the resources to life for children.
If you are unsure what a child-led program or child–led learning environment is, let’s discuss this first.
Child-led learning
Child-led means children are equal participants in their education. Basically, the children will lead their play. Our role as educators is to be listening and observing this play, ready to extend with the children. We know as educators that children learn best when they are interested in the experience or activity. When you follow your child’s lead in play, you can take advantage of things that interest the child to help them learn something new through play.
As an educator, part of your role is to know what intentional resources you need within your classroom to be a real champion of a child-led program. Within our Journey Standards, specifically within our Journey Approach to education and care, this is a great starting point for you to review and reflect on to ask yourself, apart from me, what resources do I need to continue this learning on with the children “This is where our third teacher comes into it – our environments.”
National Quality Standards
Behind educators and families being a child’s first teachers, our physical environment holds the key to influence how and what children learn. If you look at our National Quality Standards- in particular the National Standard 3.2 that states- Standard 3.2: The service environment is inclusive, promotes competence and supports exploration and play-based learning, and within our very own Journey Approach to education and care under Physical environment- both of these resources discuss the importance of how an environment can foster children’s curiosity, encourage communication and relationships, invite children to explore and dive deeper into their learning as well as enhance investigation and exploration. This, coupled with educators practising a child-led program, is the ultimate key to your role within your centre to the path to exceeding.
Your Team as a Resource
The great news is that you are not alone, within Journey we have amazing resources and the tip of your hands to assist you with achieving what we have been discussing above. Not only do you have the Journey Standards, supporting the standards coming to life you have the Journey Standards checklist that allows you to review, reflect on and challenge what else you need to support you to have the best child-led program that is supported by an educational and intention classroom environment. As well as the checklist, we have our very own Journey Resource Guide, that provides examples of how an environment can look and feel to set the scene for children to take their learning Journey. The resource guide has been designed for you, our educators. This allows you to reflect on your current classroom and think about what intentional resources can enhance your classroom environment, this resource accompanied with the Journey Standards is meant to prevent purchasing plastic, non-intentional and non-educational resources for children. Each of our Journey centres has a centre resource budget that we want you to be spending monthly, this budget is generous and allows what we have been discussing to be achievable. The budget sits with your centre leadership team and is there for you, our educator team, to spend- with intention and child-led in mind to ensure you have the environments that look and feel like a Journey centre. If you are unsure of your centre budget, I encourage you to speak to your Centre Manager or Educational Leader.
And how do I get something now if I really want it?
At Journey, we want our educators to have what they need to continue being the best resource and teacher for our children as well as a learning environment that drives a child-led program and builds on the children’s agency. If you are unsure where to begin or this article has sparked curiosity for you, please speak to your educational leader first and foremost. Outside of your centre, you have the whole Centre Quality Team, only a teams message or call away to guide you through any of the resources mentioned above.
