Planning in the context of the EYLF:

Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound

Catherine Patterson and Alma Fleet

Research in Practice Series

About Early Childhood Australia
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© Copyright 2011
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Registered for posting as a publication—
PP232100/00036
ISSN 1440-5148
ISBN10 1-921162-49-X
ISBN13 978-1-921162-49-7
Printed by Elect Printing, Canberra

About the authors

Dr Catherine Patterson has been teaching and coordinating programs within the Institute of Early
Childhood at Macquarie University for over two decades. She has a particular interest in facilitating
the growth of student teachers in practicum units. Catherine’s research explores the realities
of teaching and learning for early childhood practitioners. She is able to use this research in
professional development seminars to inspire early childhood staff to re-think their daily practices
with children and adults.

Associate Professor Alma Fleet, formerly Head of the Institute of Early Childhood, enjoys teaching
those studying to work in the early childhood sector, as well as those who are furthering their
careers in this important area. She is interested in the nature of teachers’ work, processes of
educational change, and the lessons to be learned by walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islanders in Australia.
Alma and Catherine have been ‘talking with’ the early childhood sector in Australia about
programming and planning for some time. The much anticipated arrival of the Early Years Learning
Framework has provided another opportunity to engage with these ideas and to consider new
possibilities in professional practice.
 Contents

1 Introduction

4 Where do I start?

6 What do I need to know?

9 Thinking through decisions today to plan for tomorrow

16 Common threads and distinctive features

19 Pulling it all together

24 How do I find out more?

27 References and acknowledgements

Planning in the context of the EYLF: Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound i
 Introduction
We are in an exciting era in Australian early childhood history. Each of us working with
young children and their families can make a contribution to an evolving way of being an
early childhood educator in Australia. We now have an Early Years Learning Framework for
Australia (EYLF) (DEEWR, 2009) which is perceived as something between a guideline
for ‘best practice’ and a philosophical thinking piece which can be a provocation for those
engaged in this profession.

Planning in the context of the EYLF has been written for everyone who is working
with the Early Years Learning Framework. Depending on your background and
qualifications, some of the language may be more or less familiar to you. These ideas
will become more familiar as you discuss the EYLF with others.

As you read through Planning in the context of the EYLF, you might like to have a
copy of the Learning Framework and the Educators’ Guide nearby for reference.

To begin this exploration of planning and programming, we turn to the EYLF which states:

The Framework provides broad direction for early childhood educators in

early childhood settings to facilitate children’s learning. It guides educators
in their curriculum decision-making and assists in planning, implementing
and evaluating quality in early childhood settings. It also underpins the
implementation of more specific curriculum relevant to each local community
and early childhood setting (DEEWR, 2009, p. 8).

1 Research in Practice Series Volume 18 Number 2 2011

Each person and planning team in a wide
range of early childhood settings must
think about how the Framework relates
to their practice. As a beginning, people
might turn to the Educators’ Guide to the
Early Years Learning Framework (DEEWR,
2010) which includes an overview of the
Framework and provides suggestions for
implementation. The Educators’ Guide
presents an overview of the components
that might be relevant to planning and
programming (in a traditional sense). It
might be helpful to think of the Framework
as three inter-related elements sitting
within the organising concepts of
Belonging, Being and Becoming. The
three elements are expressed through the
Principles, enacted through Practice, and
observed through five Learning Outcomes.

The Educators’ Guide explains that:

Belonging, being and becoming

and the five Learning Outcomes
describe life competencies which
are dynamic and in a continual
state of becoming—becoming
more complex, richer and more
expansive. They are not discrete
skills to be achieved and ticked off
(DEEWR, 2010, p. 42).

With increasing experience with these

ideas, educators will become comfortable
with planning and programming within
the Framework as described in the EYLF.
In the next few sections, we will invite
you to consider how these ideas might be
unfolding in your setting, how you might
grow in your understanding of possible
approaches and support those around you
to become more confident in their work
with the EYLF.

Planning in the context of the EYLF: Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound 2
 We will begin with a story about an educator who we will call Philippa.

Philippa’s narrative :
Philippa has just walked into the room where the toddlers are playing with some new
blocks that have just been added to the construction area. In scanning the room to
observe which areas are attracting children’s attention, Philippa is acknowledging the
importance of considering the nature of children’s involvement.

As stated in the EYLF, ‘Viewing children as active participants and decision makers
opens up possibilities for educators to move beyond pre-conceived expectations
about what children can do and learn’ (DEEWR, 2009, p. 9).

She then decides to settle nearby, chatting to another child while she watches the
play and listens to the conversations to gain some insight into the directions of the
play. In thinking about the Outcomes discussed by staff at their planning meeting the
week before, she is curious to see if this is an opportunity to strengthen possibilities
for cooperation and negotiation (as encouraged within Outcome 2). All had agreed
to look for opportunities to do this as there was some concern that unhelpful
behaviours were emerging in the group, increasing the prevalence of aggressive
resolution of disputes.

3 Research in Practice Series Volume 18 Number 2 2011

 Where do I start?
Let’s think about Philippa’s experience. How might it relate to you? You might start by
thinking how her decisions reflect her philosophy, the beliefs and principles that underlie
her daily decision making. You know that it is important to have a personal professional
philosophy that will be a point of reference for your decision making.

What is a personal professional philosophy?

This will be a combination of things that
you believe because of the way you
have been brought up and the things
that you have come to understand about
how young children and their families
relate to early childhood settings. Your
philosophy impacts on what your role
might be in the development of young
children’s wellbeing, intellectual, creative,
social and perhaps spiritual selves.
(Note for example, Arthur, Beecher,
Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2008; Curtis &
Carter, 2008). You may also have refined
your ideas through further study. Write
down what you think is your current
personal professional philosophy; plan on
revisiting it from time to time to rephrase,
deepen or update some aspects of it.

Planning in the context of the EYLF: Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound 4
 How do I read the EYLF in terms of its
foundational philosophy?
The document has been framed to provoke discussion rather than to provide a list of
specific ways to proceed as an educator. This decision was made to strongly support
people working in early childhood settings to be thoughtful about the reasons for making
decisions, rather than simply managing routines and transmitting curriculum (that is,
giving children factual information as the major teaching strategy or being instructional
throughout the day).

Discuss the five Principles in the EYLF with your staff team or others working in
a similar setting. As these Principles are considered to be key points of reference,
Principles to which you will refer in your work, talk about the philosophies that might be
evident in these ‘touchstones’ for practice. What values and beliefs are associated with
these Principles? Write these down as a draft for further discussion.

Seeing connection between the two

Now that you have clarified your own
personal professional philosophy, and
discussed the philosophies influencing the
Principles in the EYLF, you can re-look at
the previous story and see the connection
between the two. For example, if Philippa
did not value playful engagement as
worthwhile curriculum, she might just
assume the children were playing happily
and go on to another activity in the room.
As is stated in the Educators’ Guide:
The beliefs of educators are a
major factor in how a curriculum
is planned, what goals are
established, and how relationships
and the learning environment
and experiences are established
(DEEWR, 2010, p. 14).

By assuming that the children’s engagement

signalled a possible direction for curriculum
planning, her beliefs are influencing her
practice, and would lead to intentional
teaching as discussed on page 7.

‘The opening pages

of the EYLF are
crucial in helping the
reader understand
the whole document.’

5 Research in Practice Series Volume 18 Number 2 2011

 What do I need to know?
The nature of the Learning
Outcomes, Principles and Practices
Over time, it is assumed that all early
childhood educators in Australia will
be familiar with and work towards the
Learning Outcomes in the Early Years
Learning Framework. To do that, of course,
it will be essential to revisit the Principles
and Practices described in the document.
This may be a useful task for a staff
development session or for sharing with
others working in similar roles. The opening
pages of the EYLF are crucial in helping
the reader understand the whole
document. As new people join a teaching
team or begin working with young children,
it will be necessary to revisit these
foundational beliefs so that, for example,
newcomers are not misled into trying to
‘tick off’ Outcomes without understanding
the basic Principles.
Planning in the context of the EYLF: Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound
The flexibility associated with
planning
As people in a variety of settings try to find
a way to work effectively with the EYLF,
a range of approaches and strategies are
being explored. While working through
which ways of working with the Framework
will be most effective in your setting, it is
wise to reflect on the ideas composing this
Learning Framework rather than succumbing
to a template for recording. There is not
an expectation that grids will be set up to
‘tick the boxes’ for each component of the
Framework, rather the ideas are paramount.
There is an expectation that educators
will work in a professional and thoughtful
way, respecting what children and families
have to offer. Then, in reflecting on the
experiences that have unfolded during the
week, for example, it will be possible to
identify the key threads as described in the
Principles and Practices. Different aspects
of everyday experiences will be able to be
reported in terms of the components of
Belonging, Being and Becoming.
‘The EYLF invites
all educators to re-
think their practices
and become
more in tune with
contemporary ways
of working …’
6
 Thinking about teaching intentionally
The EYLF describes ‘intentional teaching’
as ‘educators being deliberate, purposeful
and thoughtful in their decisions and
actions’ (DEEWR, 2009, p. 15). Intentional
teaching is one of the eight key early
childhood pedagogical Practices outlined
in the EYLF. Many early childhood
practitioners develop intentional teaching
skills as they gain experience in working
with young children and reflect on their
professional studies (see for example,
MacNaughton & Williams, 2009). Some,
however, are caught up in routine ways
of working and doing things ‘the way
they’ve always been done’. The EYLF
invites all educators to re-think their
practices and become more in tune
with contemporary ways of working
with children and their families.
7 Research in Practice Series Volume 18 Number 2 2011
One of the more recent changes in many
early childhood services has been a move
towards ‘emergent curriculum’. Like many
new ideas, emergent curriculum has been
subject to misinterpretation to the extent
that some educators believe the curriculum
only ‘emerges’ from the children’s
interests. Early childhood curriculum
may be derived from a range of sources
including staff interests and skills, parental
expectations, community and seasonal
events, child development knowledge,
care routines, unexpected events, social
justice issues and so on (for example,
as discussed in Arthur, Beecher, Death,
Dockett & Farmer, 2008; Fleet, Patterson
& Robertson, 2006). Children’s interests
are only one item in this list of possible
sources for emergent curriculum.
Rather than waiting for children to ‘design’
their own curriculum, it is more appropriate
to acknowledge the place of children’s
voices in curriculum decision making, and
take the responsibility to ‘actively promote
children’s learning through worthwhile and
challenging experiences’ (DEEWR, 2009,
p. 15). While many learning experiences
should be based on children’s interests, the
intentional educator will ‘plan opportunities
for intentional teaching and knowledge
building’ (DEEWR, 2009, p. 15). On one
hand, we have to accept that children
do not necessarily need an adult to be
‘teaching’ them in order for them to learn,
grow, and thrive in a meaningful and
worthwhile way. Both the very young and
the older children learn from each other
and in conversation with materials. On
the other hand, an intentional educator
can extend children’s interests and foster
high-level thinking skills through thoughtful
decision making.
Planning in the context of the EYLF: Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound
Provisioning the environment to sustain
and enrich children’s learning becomes a
key characteristic of intentional teaching.
The educator has a significant role in
this learning environment and a range
of teaching strategies (such as listening,
questioning, modelling, explaining and
encouraging) can be used to extend
children’s thinking.
The EYLF (DEEWR, 2009, p. 47) has
adapted a definition of curriculum from
Te Whãriki (the early childhood curriculum
for New Zealand) which explains that
curriculum is: ‘all the interactions,
experiences, activities, routines and events,
planned and unplanned, that occur in an
environment designed to foster children’s
learning and development’. The questions
for Australian educators are: If this broad
definition is accepted, how do we plan for
and record curriculum decision making?
How can we document and monitor
children’s learning as intentional educators?
8
Early Childhood resources
Learning and teaching through play:
Supporting the Early Years Learning Framework
The Early Years Learning Framework: Learning and teaching through play focuses on The
Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) for Australia and explains how educators examine
their understandings of play and how play-based approaches require intentional
planning and teaching in order to support and extend children’s learning.
Authors: Anne Kennedy and Lennie Barblett. 27 pages.
Price: $14.95

Children’s resilience: Working with the Early Years Learning Framework

Resilience is a mix of key skills and characteristics of a person and the social supports
and environment in which they live. It is the ability to deal with and succeed in difficult
situations and events. The scientific understanding of resilience is specifically developed
in relation to young children who have experienced setbacks and is about what adults
can do to help them make the most of their lives. Resilience provides the underpinning
for all children to succeed in their education and in the rest of their lives.
Author: Pam Linke and Judy Radich. 27 pages.
Price: $14.95

Every Child Vol.16 No.3—Play and learning

Play and learning in early childhood education and care has new meaning thanks to the
Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Topics include play-based learning … snapshots
of EYLF implementation … the EYLF and families … schoolyard play … trialling
learning circles … the arts and the EYLF.
Authors: Various. 36 pages
Price: $14.95

Every Child Vol.16 No.4—New directions

Featuring Early Childhood Australia’s 2010 national Conference ‘Garla Bauondi’: Fuelling the
fire, this edition of Every Child showcases the inspirational ideas of nine Conference keynote
speakers—Claire Warden; Wendy Lee; Lester-Irabinna Rigney; Dave Brown; Janet Robertson;
John O’Toole; Alan Pence; Sue Dockett and Johanna Einarsdottir. These articles offer the
reader a window into the wealth of ideas sustaining and enriching the evolving early
childhood education and care (ECEC) sector in Australia today.
Authors: Various. 40 pages
Price: $14.95
All prices include GST, postage, handling and packaging within Australia. Overseas orders will incur additional postage.
Prices are subject to change without notice.

To view the full listing

of publications visit: www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au
For more Information:
T: 1800 356 900 Email: eca@earlychildhood.org.au www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au
ABN: 44 950 767 752
Planning in the context of the EYLF:
Powerful, practical and pedagogically sound

We are in an exciting era in Australian early childhood history.

Each of us working with young children and their families can
make a contribution to an evolving way of being an early
childhood educator in Australia. We now have an Early Years
Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) (DEEWR, 2009) which
is perceived as something between a guideline for ‘best practice’
and a philosophical thinking piece which can be a provocation
for those engaged in this profession.

This book will help you understand:

• the Early Years Learning Framework

• implementation of the Framework into early childhood

• examples from early childhood educators/using the EYLF in observations

• Principles and Practises

• Belonging, Being and Becoming

• Framework Outcomes

• questioning previous practice.

Planning in the context of the EYLF has been written for everyone who is working
with the Early Years Learning Framework. Depending on your background and
qualifications, some of the language may be more or less familiar to you.
These ideas will become more familiar as you discuss the EYLF with others.

As you read through Planning in the context of the EYLF, you might like to have
a copy of the Learning Framework and the Educators’ Guide nearby for reference.

While these are practical guidebooks for educators, they may also be of interest
to families and others who work closely with young children.

Volume 18 No. 2 2011

ISBN 1-921162-49-X
ISBN 978-1-921162-49-7
Research in Practice Series
Early Childhood Australia Inc.
PO Box 86 Deakin West ACT 2600
T: (02) 6242 1800 F: (02) 6242 1818
E: eca@earlychildhood.org.au 9 781921 162497