I explored the Early Childhood Australia Website.
I found they were researching many different subjects. Some that were interesting to me were Young Children's Learning which was about infants and toddlers learning. Another subject of research was Respecting Diversity and how it happens in the classroom. Also, my favorite research topic on the site was learning and teaching through play. This is something of great interest to me because I constantly have to defend our play based learning in our Head Start program. It was nice to see that in other parts of our world they also see the benefits of play based learning.
I was so surprised to see that they were studying play based teaching and learning. I know here in the United States and it is hard to get some people including parents to buy in to the fact but I had no idea it would be going on in Australia. I have heard many good things about the quality of Australia's educational system so them supporting play based learning makes me feel even better about us supporting it here in our Head Start program.
The other noteworthy information that I found was the fact that they have a Early Years Learning Framework. This is something we also have here in the United States. I was especially glad to see that our educational system has some of the same things as Australia, because as I stated before I have heard good things about their educational system. To think we are lining up with some of their practices is heartwarming.
Susann,
ReplyDeleteI am glad you shared this information. I also know how hard it is to sell a play-based learning. As early childhood professional, we still have a lot of work to do in this area. I know there are studies conducted about the importance of play here in the United States. Unfortunately, we do not always follow research recommendations nor stand up and advocate for developmentally appropriate practices. Play enhances all aspects of development, and we need to let everyone know. Great insights!
Nar