Glen Education Centre Road

Reflections 

The Educational team - Glen Centre Road Kindergarten

As the team at Glen Centre Road Kinder (GCRK) reflected on this interesting question "What is worthy of children's time",  we were drawn back to think about how we see children and what is early childhood education all about, including our role as teachers and educators.  To begin with, we know that children learn best when they can immerse in meaningful learning experiences where they can be agentic and tap on their sense of wonder to explore and extend their interests, skills knowledge and ideas.  This, at GCRK, takes place in different forms and shapes:

Children spend their time stepping into learning environments that are inviting, aesthetically pleasing, challenging and thought-provoking; learning spaces that promote holistic development and children can advance their skills and abilities, as well as develop a sense of self-worth. This means children’s day unfolds having access to indoor learning spaces that are carefully crafted and provide a rich variety of meaningful learning resources that meet their skills and foster creativity and imagination, while allowing them to develop and build on their lifelong skills and make sense of the world in which they live (e.g. using real life tools and equipment).  It also means stepping into a spacious natural outdoor environment that fosters a connection with nature and the children get to experience sensory spaces and seasonal changes; and can engage in active play and take risks. 

Now, having access to these meaningfully designed and well-resourced learning spaces is only one part of the learning equation. For actual learning and growth to unravel, children need responsive caring teachers and educators, who are readily available to listen to their queries, ponder questions, prompt reflection and support them in scaffolding their skills; teachers and educators that are highly invested in developing nurturing and respectful relationships with each individual child as well as their families, ensuring that they feel safe, secure and supported to engage in learning and scaffold their skills.  Hence, teachers and educators at GCRK act as co-learners and facilitators, creating a learning community where children find joy being active participants of their learning process and feel empowered to challenge themselves, experience success and accept failure as an intrinsic part of learning. 

Now, to further enhance their learning; the children at GCRK have been given meaningful opportunities to venture into their community, explore their surroundings and engage in a continuum of learning while building connections.  Exploring relevant spaces in their community contributes to children investing their valuable time in developing awareness and expanding their understanding of their world, reflecting on own experiences while becoming active citizens.