Ever wondered about the numerous learning opportunities available when young children become involved in a hands-on science experiment – such as creating an erupting volcano?
Early childhood educators can see for themselves in an informative video included in the Department of Education and Training's recently launched Literacy Teaching Toolkit: Early Childhood.
As just one of many resources available, this video shows children conduct an experiment representing the explosion of a volcano. The educator develops the children's concept knowledge, vocabulary, and encourages them to make predictions, and explain their thinking.
The launch of the toolkit provides practical and comprehensive advice for early childhood educators about the learning and teaching of language and literacy skills from birth to five years.
The toolkit informs early childhood practice with resources that present high-quality integrated teaching and learning approaches focused on language and literacy.
With written advice, in-depth learning experience plans, and videos of exemplary practice, the toolkit provides key information to improve outcomes for all children in early childhood settings.
Minister for Early Childhood Education Jenny Mikakos welcomed the release of the toolkit, saying the continued focus on our youngest Victorians ensured the best start in life under the Education State.
"Every child has the right to a great education, and with the Literacy Teaching Toolkit, our early childhood educators can provide the strongest building blocks that will shape a child's life and future development," Minister Mikakos said.
"In Victoria, we have such dedicated and committed early childhood professionals who work so hard, and I want to thank them for everything they do for our kids."
The toolkit for early childhood educators is organised into two developmental domains within language and literacy:
- interacting with others
- emergent literacy (including reading and writing)
The toolkit's resources include:
- Learning foci that explore aspects of oral language and emergent literacy that can be developed during language learning experiences
- Teaching practices that cover pedagogical methods and strategies that educators use to stimulate language learning and create literacy-rich environments
- Example learning experience plans that are linked to the VEYLDF through alignment with the practice principles and mapped to outcomes.
- A suite of more than 30 instructional and practical videos
For more information, see: Literacy Teaching Toolkit Early Childhood