Standard 1.2 | Aitsl Portfolio

1.2 Understand how students learn

Four year old children learn through practical, hands-on, play-based experiences which I endeavour to provide in my classroom

AITSL Standard 1.2 Example 1

Four year old children learn through play-based experiences in which they explore using their senses. Below are some examples of students using their senses to learn, discover and experiment.

Figure 1 - Sensory and fine motor ice play-based activity

The students used the sensory experience in Figure 1, with dinosaurs emerged in ice, for a range of purposes including:

feeling the cold ice
using the hammer to hit the popsticks into the ice
exploring what happens when they continuously hit the ice in one area
using fine motor skills to hammer the ice and draw up water using pipettes
exploring what happened when water was added to the ice using pipettes
using a sense of agency by adding more water to the tray
using a sense of agency by adding containers, then using the pipettes to fill the containers.

The students used the sensory experience in Figure 2, with eggs, for a range of purposes including:

listening to the sound of the egg being cracked
listening to the sound of the egg being beaten
smelling the eggs being cooked
tasting the cooked scrambled egg.

The students used the sensory experience in Figure 3, with autumn leaves, for a range of purposes including:

feeling the dry autumn leaves
listening to the sound of the autumn leaves being crushed
comparing the colours of the autumn leaves
matching the colours of the autumn leaves
looking closely at the veins of the autumn leaves using a magnify glass
drawing autumn leaves.

Figure 2 - Cracking and beating eggs for letter of the day 'e' which were cooked and eaten

Figure 3 - Feeling, listening to, comparing colours and drawing autumn leaves

The students used the sensory experience in Figure 4, with cooked spaghetti, for a range of purposes including:

touching and feeling the spaghetti
squeezing, squashing and pulling apart spaghetti
using tweezers to lift up spaghetti
cutting spaghetti with scissors
transferring spaghetti into containers using fine motor skills.

Figure 4 - Using the senses to explore cooked spaghetti

The students used the sensory experience in Figure 5, with Rice Bubble and Corn Flakes, for a range of purposes including:

feeling the dry Rice Bubbles and Corn Flakes before and after they had been crushed
listening to the sound of the Rice Bubble and Corn Flakes being crushed using hammers
listening to the sound of shakers made out of 2 scoops with Rice Bubbles and Corn Flakes inside
Feeling the Rice Bubbles and Corn Flakes crush in their hand
creating roads for cars
ordering cars using numbers
filling up kitchen rolls
using tweezers to move Rice Bubble and Corn Flakes.

Figure 5 - Using the senses to explore Rice Bubbles and Corn Flakes

The students used the sensory experience in Figure 6, with coloured rice, to practice forming the letters 'satpin' that we were learning in class.

Figure 6 - Sensory rice play based activity

EYLF Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

NQS Quality Area: 1, 2, 3 & 5

Domains: Language, Personal, Social, Emotional, Creative, Cognitive, Physical & Spiritual

AITSL Standard 1.2 Example 2

Children learn by observing others, listening, exploring and communicating. Through playing together they learn turn taking, social skills, problem solving and collaboration. Pretend play makes up a very important part of a child’s development. It allows children to play different roles and test their reactions and responses to different situations, while in the safe world of learning and make-believe. Below are some examples of play-based activities in which the students played together to communicate, turn take and problem solve.

Through playing shops students:

took on different roles, E.g. mum, dad, shop keeper
counted money
wrote shopping lists
communicated with each other
listened to others
participated in make-believe play.

Through playing with puppets students:

took on the role of the puppet
communicated with each other
listened to others
asked questions
took turns
participated in make-believe play.

Through creating pipes for 'Incy Wincy Spider' to go down students:

used problem solving skills to create a pipe that 'Icny Wincy Spider' can go down
were involved in critical and creative thinking
created different combinations and variations
were guided by their own play and discovery with the given materials
worked collaboratively together to make piping
worked collaboratively together to pour water down the pipe
sung the song 'Incy Wincy Spider'
communicated with each other
listened to others
participated in make-believe play.

Figure 7 - Playing shops

Figure 8 - Playing with puppets

Figure 9 - Collaborating and working together to create a pipe for 'Incy Wincy Spider' to go down using PVC piping of different sizes and joiners of different angles

EYLF Outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

NQS Quality Area: 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

Domains: Language, Personal, Social, Emotional, Creative, Cognitive, Physical & Spiritual

AITSL Standard 1.2 Example 3

Inquiry learning is an approach to learning that emphasises the student's role in the learning process, it enhances the development of critical thinking skills and promotes self-directed work. In our inquiry-based learning on spiders the students were encouraged to explore, ask questions and share ideas. At the beginning of the inquiry I gave each student a plastic spider as a provocation and asked the students the following questions: What do you see? What do you know about spiders? What do you wonder about spiders? What do you want to know about spiders? Please see the students responses in our spiders inquiry Floorbook below in Figure 10. The students then used QR codes, which took them to YouTube videos about spiders which I had researched for the students to view, Figure 11. After watching the videos the students discussed with me what they had learnt and their responses were added to our spiders inquiry Floorbook, please see Figure 12.

Figure 10 - Spiders inquiry Floorbook

Figure 11 - QR codes for students to view YouTube videos on spiders

Figure 12 - Students responses about what they learnt

I used ICT with students to develop their knowledge, some more capable students worked with me to use Google to investigate some of the questions the class had on spiders. The student used the microphone to ask their question into Google, I read the student some information that was relevant to their question, then they wrote the answer to their question into the class Floorbook, please see the students work in Figure 13.

Figure 13 - Students responses to inquiry questions after investigating on Google

EYLF Outcomes: 1, 2, 4 & 5

NQS Quality Area: 1, 2, 3 & 4

Domains: Language, Personal, Social, Physical, Creative, Cognitive, Emotional & Spiritual