Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) In Australia: A Comparison Of State And Territorial School Curriculums

Overview of Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)

Question:

Discuss about the Documentation, Planning and Assessment System.

The purpose of this paper is to describe, compare and contrast between the different forms of the Early Years Learning Framework in several parts of Australia. The parts are in the northern territory of Australia and in the states like Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.  The Early Years Learning Framework has been the major framework in Australia that is very effective for the shaping up of the learning of the children. The curriculum for the school children is based on the EYLF properly. This framework deals with all the important things for the children. The care in which they should grow up and the things that are needed to be done will have to be fixed according to the EYLF. This framework is a fundamental for the children to grow up and cope up with the challenges in this modern world. This framework has to be followed by the early childhood educators of Australia in many ways. This framework is followed by the educators for the children who belong to the age group of birth to five years. The entire council of all the state and territorial Australian governments has set this entire framework to develop the instincts of the children in a better way indeed.

Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is the most followed framework in Australia for the children from birth to age of five (Mychild.gov.au, 2018). The purpose of creating this framework is to provide the best beginning to the life of the children so they can build a successful career in the future. The learning and development of the children largely depends on this EYLF. This framework has been created with the vision of the early childhood sector, academics in the early childhood, the Australian Territory and State Governments (Mychild.gov.au, 2018). The focus that is put upon by the child educators in this context is on the play based learning and significance on the communication and language for early literacy and numeracy. The social and emotional development is also given special importance in this context as well. The curriculum for the children is also set by keeping mind the various things for the proper development of the children (Mychild.gov.au, 2018). This framework would help the children to learn better and shine in their future lives. The primary purpose of this framework is to make all the children of Australia successful learners in future. Another purpose is to make the individuals more confident and creative in different sectors. The curriculum is also fixed as per the ways to build active citizens management.

Implementing EYLF in State and Territorial School Curriculums

The main purpose of fixing the curriculum for the children is based upon many things. The entire world is changing in different ways from different perspectives like the social, economic, technological and different other things. The purpose of promoting the quality schooling by the state and territorial curriculum is to integrate the social progress and prosperity at the national level. The ministers of the OECD countries have pledged to improve the learning quality of the children in many ways (Australiancurriculum.edu.au, 2018). This is due to the international competition. The high quality schooling and learning has to be provided to the young learners according to the EYLF as well. The most elements of the Australian curriculum are the proper descriptions of the content and achievement standards in the K-10 Australian curriculum (Australiancurriculum.edu.au, 2018).

In the content descriptions, all the essential things are discussed about what the teachers will have to teach. The teachers will have to provide the proper knowledge on the learning areas. All the learning areas will have to be understood by the children as per the curriculum of the schools. The state and territory school curriculum is also set by keeping these particular things like the social development of the children. If the teachers are well acquainted with the content descriptions, it will be helpful for them to provide the proper scope and assistance for the teaching work (Australiancurriculum.edu.au, 2018). According to the achievement standards, the children will need to show their depth of the knowledge that is being showcased properly. The extent of how the children have understood the things will reflect on the ways of how they can comprehend the subjects. The level of skill will also be increased and it would become sophisticated by every means. The Australian curriculum and the EYLF have many things common between them (Bone & Edwards, 2012). Both these things intend to meet with the requirements of knowledge gathering in the context of this rapidly changing world at large. Both these frameworks try to make new transformations in terms of knowledge and society. The main principles of these frameworks are based on the play based learning, building the sense of pedagogy and building of strong relationships between the children and their families (Grajczonek, 2012). Another purpose of this framework is the provision of teaching on an international level. The Australian curriculum in the Northern territory is based upon the improvement of knowledge of the children and the policies that are being undertaken to improve the skills of the educators at large (Peers & Fleer, 2014).

Comparing State and Territorial School Curriculums

In the Northern territory, English and Mathematics have been decided to be included in all the schools from Semester 2. It had also been decided in the year 2012 that a pilot of the Australian curriculum and EYLF will be undertaken in all the NT schools. All the NT schools will be given support to become familiar with the Foundation to year 10 Science and history learning areas (Connor, 2012). It had also been regulated that science and history will be taught in classrooms in the schools from Semester 2. In the year 2013, multiple year level materials had been developed for English, Mathematics, History and Science It was also selected that Geography would be  included and implemented in all schools from Transition to Year 10- from Semester 1. In Queensland, these four subjects are also taught as well. Teachers are also expected to become familiar with the new History curriculum from Foundation to Year 10. The difference is that the remaining learning areas were being implemented from the year 2016. The similarity in this case is the fact that English, Mathematics and Science will be taught in the classrooms (Hedges & Cullen, 2012). The familiarization with History will go on for some time. The professional learning for the teachers will continue as well. This fact of the teacher learning was not available in the territory schools either.

The difference between the state curriculums in Victoria with the territory curriculum is the fact that the personal development of the children is focused with the intention to the assessment planning fixing the curriculum of the entire school. The new AusVELS curriculum was developed in the year 2011 (Donnelly & Wiltshire, 2014). . This AusVELS is considered to be the curriculum portal that connects the Australian curriculum with the English, History, Science and Mathematics with the curriculum of the other state based curriculums. AusVELS had been made available with all the schools indeed. The schools following the state curriculum will have the proper opportunity for taking part in the pilot implementation program properly (Donnelly & Wiltshire, 2014). The AusVELS would be available in the all the schools indeed. The difference between the school curriculum of Western Australia with the other curriculums is the fact that there were no expectations for implementing the plans in the year 2011. There would be no proper goal indeed (Lowe, 2013). Rather, they will require implementing their pilot program as per the objectives of the school curriculum. The Western Australian schools had to adapt the curriculum for Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. Other things like the Health and Physical Education and Technologies had been adapted for the familiarization. This had not been adapted in the territory school curriculum properly (Lowe, 2013).

Cultural Aspect of EYLF Implementation

The Early Years Learning Framework has been discussed from the perspectives of the aboriginal people and Torres Strait islanders as well. The culture of the common Australians and the aboriginals is completely different (Decd.sa.gov.au, 2018). This is why the educators must work after the assimilation of these two cultures. The educators have to understand the needs and desires of the children or aboriginal people. The aboriginal people must interact with the common Australians. They have to keep away the notions of the racism perspectives. Thei cultural heritage should be respected properly. The cultural difference should be addressed properly and their children should be educated by keeping these differences in mind (Decd.sa.gov.au, 2018).

The educators must help the students to develop some ideas about their own culture as they are just preschool children. The process should start of self-reflection and examinations by which the children can understand the meaning of the cultural differences (Decd.sa.gov.au, 2018). One thing should be looked after that the notion of the racism should never enter their heads. The transitions strategies should be taken up so that the aboriginal children should learn to develop a friendly atmosphere. The educators must let them understand that they should co-operate with all the people belonging from other cultures. The educators must educate the children through the food, dance, dress, music, language and skills in art (Decd.sa.gov.au, 2018).

The curriculum of the state and territory schools is destined by the three keywords. These are Belonging, Being and Becoming. The decision-making programs and the implementation of the strategies will be very important in this whole context (Pugh & Duffy, 2013).  The approaches that are being taken for the implementation of the pilot programs are very good as well. The purpose of this EYLF is to increase the dispositions of the children, developing them easily, inheriting the attitudes and values within the children for their overall improvement (Howes, 2012). The educators will have to select the best curriculum approaches that would be helpful for the children to understand the entire matter. The interests of the children should be found out and they will be taught along with their general capabilities in many areas. The cross-curricular things will be also discussed in this matter as well (Sumsion, & Grieshaber, 2012). When the educators will discuss about these things, they will also discuss about the program documentation for the children in many aspects (Brady & Kennedy, 2013).

Approaches to Curriculum for EYLF Implementation

The approaches to curriculum can be different in different in different times. Mainly, the approaches are very much straight and fixed only. The various ideas that are reflected in the approaches are the children, their families, the educators, the communities and their internal relationships (Brady & Kennedy, 2013). The curriculum has to be prepared in a manner that the children can learn future-oriented curriculum. It has to be made sure that the learners can be able to achieve the proper knowledge in different ways.  This proper educational scenario will have to be built according to the need to make a proper workforce (Lingard & McGregor, 2014). These approaches are followed by the educators properly in order to make the entire process in smooth flow. The different approaches that are taken very often reflect the view of the stakeholders for the society and all the children in it (Marbina, Church & Tayler, 2012). The approaches that could be taken in this context are the reforming approach, conforming approach and transforming approach. This transforming approach should be implemented in order to maintain the equality and social justice in all the children. The power structures in curriculum have the capacity to understand the revolving in curriculum. The ‘culture of power’ is important to assess in this transforming approach of curriculum. Some educational programs have also been taken in the society to integrate the children of diverse cultures and languages under one roof. Most people in the world are bilingual or multilingual. This is why the multilingual and mono-cultural approach to curriculum can be taken as well.

Conclusion

This paper can be concluded by saying that EYLF and Australian Curriculum have to work together in order to set up the proper atmosphere for the children in Australia. The children will need to understand the things that are being taught to them by the educators. The important comparison between the state and territory curriculum has been made. There are some elemental differences in both the kinds of the curriculum. This is why the educators must bring out the best from these programs and develop the pilot implementation program properly. The purpose of these frameworks is to design the strategies that could bring the international success to the children. The EYLF is made to improve the performance of the children in a better way. The children are taught about the need for keeping the diversity and respect it. This is why it will provide the best human beings in the future.

References

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