Simon Roberts

Early Childcare/Primary
Philosophy 13/09/2016

I have been developing my philosophy as an educator in an early childhood setting over the
last six years. This is underpinned by the EYLF philosophy that focuses on belonging, being
and becoming (Belonging, being & becoming, 2009). This holds relevance not only in the
early childhood setting but in a holistic view of my educational philosophy, as I believe this
supports not only the child, student and educator but all stakeholders involved in education.
This is supported when critically reflecting on my practices in ways to engage the student
and manage classroom activities, so that all children are being acknowledged and respected
in regard to their learning and identity. This is reinforced in across the APST standards one
to four, for graduates ("Standards | Australian Institute for Teaching and School
Leadership", 2016) where they highlight the importance of knowing your students,
understanding content and different ways it can be delivered whilst planning effectively for
student learning while creating safe and supportive environments.
Fundamentally my educational philosophy is based on supporting the students wellbeing
and identity. This holds significant relevance to me when I reflect on my lived experiences
and how this had detrimental effects on my early years of education and confidence. I
believe that in supporting these key principals we are helping the student to become a
confident and involved learner as outlined in the EYLF (Belonging, being & becoming, 2009).
This in turn builds upon their confidence and resilience to tackle unfamiliar or challenging
circumstances. The student therefore feels they are valued member of not only the school
environment but society in general, with something to contribute and fosters a greater
sense of belonging.
This is supported through building positive relationships with all stakeholders involved in the
students education. By developing positive relationships with families and carers I am
supporting a collaborative approach to learning that is inclusive of the childs lived
experience. This in turn supports the child and family to feel respected and gain a sense of
belonging to their school environment, this support the students ability to develop positive
social relationships in the school environment. I believe it is important to establish positive
relationships with outside agencies and the community, to support the students wellbeing
and learning. In doing this I am enhancing my knowledge and skills to support the students
specific learning needs both individually and collectively, in turn promoting an inclusive
learning environment that reaches beyond the school setting.
The learning environments that hold significant relevance to me are focused around play
and inquiry based learning. My past experience has highlighted the importance of play and
how it engages students in their learning across all areas of the curriculum, supporting a
constructivist theory towards education (Churchill, 2013). Although my focus has been

predominately based around the early childhood setting, I believe it can be applied across
all levels of the school system giving the students a tactile way of exploring and extending
on their learning in a fun and engaging manner. This in turn supports the students ability to
be in the moment, while enabling the student to explore and extend on their own learning
through the process of inquiry based experiences.
My practices related to this are centred around direct observations of the play, by asking
open ended questions to extend and identify areas of interest to the student. This can be
scaffolded by setting up learning environments that support cross curriculum learning
experiences that are engaging and beneficial in meeting the students learning in areas they
may require support. As an educator I believe it is important to spend time assessing the
knowledge and prior learning of the students in my care, then structuring learning to suit
their individual needs. This can later be adapted to engage students in intentional teaching
moments, in turn scaffolding their prior knowledge. At times this involves immersing
yourself in the students learning experiences. This requires the educator to be an active
participant in the play while being guided by the students interests, this support the
student ability of being, and engaging in their environment in a shared experience.
As a preservice teacher and early childhood educator, I acknowledge the importance of
developing my skillset so as I can become the best possible teacher. This involves being able
to critically reflect on my practices on both a personal and professional basis, whilst
continuing with my professional development to enhance my practices as an educator
(Churchill, 2013). This includes developing knowledge related to the use of ICT as a safe and
engaging tool for learning, along with identifying ways to integrate this learning to support
cross curriculum activities that are engaging and informative to the student.
In summary I acknowledge the responsibilities associated with becoming an educator, and
the importance in developing quality education to support future generations and their
understanding in relation to respect, sustainability and resilience. I believe this is important
as it prepares students for the challenges they will encounter throughout their schooling,
helping them to develop their emerging confidence in relation to accepting new challenges
and persistence when faced with the unfamiliar.

Reference
Standards | Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2016). Aitsl.edu.au. Retrieved 6
September 2016, from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-forteachers/standards/list
Belonging, being & becoming. (2009). Canberra, A.C.T.
Churchill, R. (2013). Teaching. Milton, Qld.: John Wiley and Sons.