ECTPP202A: Documentation, Planning, and Assessment - EYLF Comparison

This essay provides a comprehensive comparison of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) across various states and territories within Australia, including New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, and the Northern Territory. The essay examines the similarities and differences in curriculum documents, highlighting the core principles and objectives of the EYLF. It delves into the methodologies and approaches used for documentation, planning, and assessment within the framework, emphasizing play-based learning, social-emotional development, and the integration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. The essay explores the historical context and evolution of the EYLF, analyzing how it has been adapted and implemented across different regions. It also discusses the impact of the EYLF on early childhood education, emphasizing its role in shaping children's learning experiences and preparing them for future success. The essay references relevant literature and research to support its analysis, providing insights into the effectiveness of the EYLF and its implications for educators and policymakers.

Running head: DOCUMENTATION, PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT
Documentation, Planning and Assessment
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
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
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

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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.
The comparisons between state and territory curriculum
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

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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).
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

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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

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Physical Education and Technologies had been adapted for the familiarization. This had not been
adapted in the territory school curriculum properly (Lowe, 2013).
EYLF in Aboriginal culture
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).
Approaches and methodologies

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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).
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

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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.

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References
Australiancurriculum.edu.au. (2018). The Australian Curriculum. Australiancurriculum.edu.au.
Retrieved 16 March 2018, from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/
Bone, J., & Edwards, S. (2012). Thinking together-EYLF learning outcomes: Identity. Every
Child, 18(4), 3.
Brady, L., & Kennedy, K. (2013). Curriculum construction. Pearson Higher Education AU.
Connor, J. (2012). Foundations for learning: Relationships between the early years learning
framework and the Australian curriculum.
Decd.sa.gov.au (2018). [online] Decd.sa.gov.au. Available at:
https://www.decd.sa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net691/f/persepctives_on_aboriginal_torres_strai
t_islander_cultural_competence.pdf [Accessed 18 Mar. 2018].
Donnelly, K., & Wiltshire, K. (2014). Review of the Australian curriculum: Final
report. Australian Government, Canberra: Department of Education and Training.
Grajczonek, J. (2012). Interrogating the spiritual as constructed in belonging, being and
becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia. Australasian Journal of
Early Childhood, 37(1), 152.
Hedges, H., & Cullen, J. (2012). Participatory learning theories: A framework for early
childhood pedagogy. Early Child Development and Care, 182(7), 921-940.

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Howes, D. (2012). AusVELS: A principled and pragmatic curriculum framework. Primarily
English, 1(2), 3-10.
Lingard, B., & McGregor, G. (2014). Two contrasting Australian curriculum responses to
globalisation: What children should learn or become. Curriculum Journal, 25(1), 90-110.
Lowe, I. (2013). AusVELS Mathematics. Vinculum, 50(3), 10.
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Mychild.gov.au. (2018). Early Years Learning Framework | MyChild.gov.au. Mychild.gov.au.
Retrieved 16 March 2018, from https://www.mychild.gov.au/agenda/early-years-
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Peers, C., & Fleer, M. (2014). The theory of ‘belonging’: Defining concepts used within
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Perry, B., Dockett, S., & Harley, E. (2012). The early years learning framework for Australia and
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Pugh, G., & Duffy, B. (Eds.). (2013). Contemporary issues in the early years. Sage.

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Framework. Global Studies of Childhood, 2(3), 230-244.