Personal Philosophy

Children

- Children should be viewed holistically

- I value one on one interactions between the teacher and student and believe this is

key for developing relationships and learning

- I believe it is important to get on a child’s level to have a solid interaction with them

- I value the importance of partnerships with families and believe they should be

involved in their child’s learning and development

- I will welcome families into the classroom

- Parent help and involvement should be encouraged

- I think it’s important to accept and promote the cultural diversity within a classroom

- I believe it is the educator’s role to encourage children to have a passion to learn and

grow

- Children have a right to play

- I believe children should have time to inquire and explore

- I believe it is most beneficial when you base learning on children’s interests, as this is

when they are most engaged

- Learning should be done through real life experiences

- I believe children’s learning should be based on hands on experiences rather than

work products

- Learning that is beyond a child is pointless and a waste of time as they won’t be able

to grasp any content

 - The process is more important than the product

- I believe children’s learning should be at their developmental pace

- I think it’s important to introduce children to an integrated routine to form resilience

and flexibility

Program

- The program must be flexible

- A program should be influenced by and adjusted to the children in the class

- I believe in Reggio’s approach that the curriculum should emerge from children’s

ideas, thoughts and observations (Campus Kindergarten)

- I value one on one interactions between the teacher and student

- I believe the program should be displayed and shared with families to keep them

connected to their child’s learning and development

Curriculum approaches

I agree with and promote certain aspects of Reggio Emilia’s approach and Kathy Walker:

- I believe children are full of curiosity and creativity, as outlined in the Reggio Emilia

approach (Campus Kindergarten)

- I believe in the Reggio approach as the environment as the third teacher

o teaches resilience and perseverance

o promotes creative and critical thinking

o provides an outlet for risky play

 - I believe collaboration among children is extremely valuable for social, emotional,

personal and cognitive development (Campus Kindergarten)

- I promote the idea that teachers are the children’s partner and guider (Campus

Kindergarten)

- I am inspired by Kathy Walker’s approach of play-based learning that is personalised

and based on children’s interests (Early Life Foundation, 2008)

- I agree that children’s learning is most successful when children take control and use

their interests to investigate and learn (Early Life Foundation, 2008)

- I believe children should reflect on their learning to know where to go next and see

what learning they need to consolidate (Early Life Foundation, 2008)

- I believe play based learning should be related to the numeracy and literacy

curriculum to be most meaningful and purposeful (Early Life Foundation, 2008)

Learning environment

- The environment should provide opportunities for play based learning

- I believe the learning environment should promote inclusion for all students

- There should be an equal emphasis on the indoor and outdoor environment

- Natural, authentic materials should be used

- The environment should be a place where children feel supported, safe and

confident

- I believe the environment should be full of risks and challenges to promote a child’s

inquiry skills and curiosity

- The outdoor environments should physically challenge children

- There should be an open door policy and children should be encouraged to spend

time outdoors

- I believe children should have input into the set-up of their learning environment
References

Campus Kindergarten. The reggio emilia approach. Retrieved from

https://campuskindergarten.org.au/files/reggio_emilia_for_parents.pdf

Early Life Foundations: Education consultancy, research and parent support. Walker
Learning – philosophy and key components. (2008) Retrieved from
https://www.earlylife.com.au/walker-learning/walker-learning-philosophy-key-
components