Curriculum Planning and Assessment: Reflection and Discussion Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of curriculum planning and assessment within an early childhood education context, specifically referencing the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). The report begins with a reflection on the author's professional educational plan, highlighting the importance of the EYLF outcomes in enhancing children's learning, well-being, and sense of belonging. It details the practical application of play-based learning and the significance of acknowledging children's achievements to foster self-evaluation and responsibility. The report then transitions to a practice context analysis, outlining how the professional educational setting addresses the five EYLF learning outcomes: a strong sense of identity, connection to the world, a strong sense of wellbeing, confident and involved learners, and effective communicators. Each outcome is explored with examples of how the setting facilitates these aspects of child development. The author references relevant literature to support the discussion and provides insights into the importance of curriculum planning and assessment in early childhood education.

Running head: CURRICULUM PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT 1
Curriculum planning and assessment
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation

CURRICULUM PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT 2
Curriculum planning and assessment
Part B
Discussion and Reflection
The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) is considered the major constituent of
National Quality Framework that is concerned with early childhood education and care. The
primary focus of my professional educational plan was on quality outcomes for children. I based
my plan on EYLF which takes into account children’s developmental needs, experiences and
interests as well as their individual differences. It is clear that the EYLF outcomes are essential
to enhance children’s learning. The outlined plan was aimed at improving children’s
engagements with each other, their families and the community at large in order to develop a
sense of well-being and belonging (Touhill, 2012). EYLF learning outcomes provide more
insights on each child’s strengths and weaknesses (Rouse, 2012). Further, these informs the
educator on major areas that they should focus on.
Based on my adopted approach of teaching, I gained vital insights on the importance of
learning based on play and how my approaches would be helpful in ensuring child development.
This approach encourages me to focus on theoretical knowledge as it relates to the children’s
developmental stages. Implementing the plan activities were essential in helping children to
develop skills that are needed to move to the next stage. Though most plays were led by children,
at times their activities and resources were determined by learning outcomes. In all the two
approaches, I could act as a co-player and guided those children who had difficulty to ensure that
all children were at the same level.
Furthermore, I was able to acknowledge and provide feedback towards children’s
achievements. Acknowledging instead of judging children for their results pays attention to the

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process and the skills they used hence providing an effective way of evaluating children’s
development (Coe, Aloisi, Higgins & Major, 2014). Based on my research, I can acknowledge
that emphasizing on every child’s achievement and encouraging self-evaluation are vital to
identify loopholes and provides opportunity for the children to take responsibility for their
abilities. In addition, this improved my relationship with the children. Another aspect is that
acknowledging a child’s achievement rather than praising them provides an avenue for the
teacher to identify areas of a child’s interest as well as their learning needs.
After every grade, a learner needs a new curriculum. An educator should take into
account the children’s prior learning, strengths, and interests as well as learning outcomes to plan
for children’s subsequent learning adequately. To give a proper guide to children’s learning, an
educator needs to look at the strengths and weaknesses of a child regarding the five learning
outcomes (Rouse, 2012). Children will be different in the level of their achievements of the five
learning outcomes. Some children will have developed a strong sense of identity, but still lack a
sense of wellbeing (Department of Education and Training, 2017). There are also children who
will be confident enough to participate in the learning process but cannot communicate
effectively. It is from these learning outcomes that an educator to would determine children’s
prior learning interests and creates plans for a child’s future learning.
Practice Context Analysis
There are various EYLF learning outcomes that my professional educational setting is
addressing. These are outlined as follows.
OUTCOME 1: CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF IDENTITY
The first learning outcome is to make sure that the children have a strong sense of
identity. Every child is unique on their own, and they should not be made to feel the need to

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change what they are (Ranson, 2012). Therefore, effective learning is supposed to make children
feel secure and safe in their own identities. Indeed, the learning process should continually
support children to be unique and stick to their different personalities.
In addition to nurturing a strong sense of identity in children, EYLF learning is also
supposed to cultivate their emerging independence, resilience, strong spirit, and inter-
dependence (Fleer, 2013). If a child is encouraged to be unique and proud of it, they will learn to
be self-independent and also learn to coexist. Indeed, such children would become confident,
knowledgeable, proud of their self-identities, but also caring, empathetic and respectful towards
each other. My professional educational setting provides a platform where children interact with
each other, but none of them is obliged to change their unique characters.
OUTCOME 2: CHILDREN ARE CONNECTED WITH AND CONTRIBUTE TO
THEIR WORLD
Another EYLF learning outcome that my professional educational setting would address
is how children can be connected with their world and to contribute to it. By encouraging
children to work in groups and communities, the learning setting would enable them to
understand the reciprocal rights and their responsibilities to the society (Arthur, Beecher, Death,
Dockett & Farmer, 2012). Another result of this teaching is that children would easily be
comfortable and respectful of diversity. Indeed, children would become more aware of fairness
and their social responsibility.
OUTCOME 3: CHILDREN HAVE A STRONG SENSE OF WELLBEING
Developing a strong sense of wellbeing is also another EYLF learning outcome that my
professional educational setting is addressing (Miller, 2011). It would be hard for children to
have a sense of belonging without first having a strong sense of wellbeing. Wellbeing

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encompasses feelings of satisfaction and wellness, as well as good physical health. To develop a
sense of wellbeing, children will be exposed to situations which would call for their social and
emotional skills. Interactive programs would be used to help the children to cultivate social and
emotional wellbeing (Briggs & Hansen, 2012).
OUTCOME 4: CHILDREN ARE CONFIDENT AND INVOLVED LEARNERS
Curiosity, cooperation, and confidence are also some other EYLF learning outcomes that
my professional educational setting is addressing. A child learns much by being curious and
asking questions. To be able to ask questions, a child needs to be confident. My professional
educational setting would create an environment that would encourage children to ask questions.
A good learner would display enthusiasm for learning, persistence, creativity, commitment,
imaginativeness, and reflexivity (MacNaughton, 2009). As a result, a child would develop
multiple skills and processes that would help them in solving problems, making inquiries,
hypothesizing, experimentation, researching, and investigation.
OUTCOME 5: CHILDREN ARE EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS
Another important EYLF learning outcome that my professional educational setting is
addressing is effective communication. The setting’s philosophy is to nurture children’s unique
abilities. The teaching approach that we practice is congruent with the setting’s philosophy
because it aims at arming the children with the five learning outcomes. Effective interactions
among children either verbally or non-verbally would help them communicate and construct
messages confidently.

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References
Arthur, L., Beecher, B., Death, E., Dockett, S., & Farmer, S. (2012). Programming & planning
in early childhood settings (5th ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning
Australia.
Briggs, M. & Hansen, A. (2012). Play-based learning in the primary school. London: Sage.
Coe, R., Aloisi, C., Higgins, S., & Major, L. E. (2014). What makes great teaching? Review of
the underpinning research. Durham University: UK.
Department of Education and Training. (2017, June). High Impact Teaching Strategies.
Retrieved from:http://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/support/
highimpactteachstrat.pdf
Fleer, M. (2013). Play in the early years. Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.
MacNaughton, G. (2009). Techniques for teaching young children: Choices in theory and
practice (3rd ed.). French forest, NSW: Pearson Education Australia.
Miller, M. (2011). Embedding Indigenous Perspectives in the Early Childhood Curriculum.
Educating Young Children – Learning and teaching in the early childhood years, 17(2),
37 – 39. Retrieved from http://www.ecta.org.au/_dbase_upl/ECTA-
MELINDA__MILLER_ARTICLE.pdf
Park, Australia: Teaching Solutions
Ranson, A. (2012, June 12). The Benefits of Playing with Play Dough. The Imagination Tree.
Retrieved from https://theimaginationtree.com/benefits-ofplaying-
Rouse, L. (2012). Family-Centred Practice: empowerment, self-efficacy, and challenges for
practitioners in early childhood education and care. Contemporary issues in early
childhood, 13(1), 17-26. http://dx.doi.org/10.2304/ciec.2012.13.1.17

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Touhill, L. (2012). NQS PLP e-newsletter, 37. Retrieved from
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/nqsplp/wpcontent/uploads/2012/06/
NQS_PLP_ENewsletter_No37.pdf
with-play-dough/