Week 3 TCHR2003: Assessment 1 Critical Review

TCHR2003: Curriculum Studies in Early Childhood Education (Term 3, 2024)
Summary
Title: Assessment 1 | Type: Critical Review | Due Date: Friday, 11:59 pm AEST/AEDT (Week 3)
Length: 1500 words | Weighting: 50%

Week 3 TCHR2003 Assessment 1: Critical Review — Early Childhood Education Curriculum Analysis

Introduction

Early childhood education students tackling the TCHR2003 Term 3 2024 Assessment 1 Critical Review will need to demonstrate not only definitional knowledge of curriculum in early childhood settings but the analytical capacity to connect the EYLF, NQS, and Australian Curriculum Foundation year to specific observable educator-child interactions in the video provided. Early childhood education plays a pivotal role in shaping young learners’ developmental trajectories. The 2024 iteration of this assessment reflects the updated EYLF V2.0 (2022) and the Version 9 Australian Curriculum (2022), both of which have introduced changes that require students to reference the most current documents rather than older editions. This paper examines the concept of curriculum in early childhood education, explores the use of play in implementing curriculum, and analyses educator-child interactions through the lens of established frameworks.

Defining Curriculum in Early Childhood Education

Curriculum in early childhood education encompasses all the planned and spontaneous experiences that facilitate children’s learning and development (AGDE, 2022). What distinguishes this definition from the subject-based curriculum of primary and secondary schooling is its insistence that learning is continuous, contextually embedded, and inseparable from the relationships and environments that surround it. It extends beyond formal instruction to include the learning environment, educator-child interactions, and intentional teaching moments. The Australian early childhood curriculum is guided by the EYLF and the NQS, which emphasise a holistic, play-based approach to learning (AGDE, 2022).

The concept of curriculum in early childhood settings has evolved significantly over the years. Mirshamsi et al. (2024) highlight the importance of considering various theoretical perspectives, including the Montessori approach and Reggio Emilia philosophy, when developing play-based curricula. These diverse approaches contribute to a richer understanding of how young children learn and develop, and they push back against the risk of the EYLF becoming a standardising document that narrows rather than expands educators’ pedagogical repertoire. The curriculum, at its most effective, is not implemented but co-created — by educators, children, families, and communities together, in response to the specific social and cultural context of the setting.

Play-Based Curriculum Implementation

Educators utilise children’s play as a primary vehicle for curriculum implementation in early childhood settings. Play-based learning allows children to explore, experiment, and construct knowledge in meaningful contexts (Fleer, 2019). Through careful observation of children’s play, educators identify interests, abilities, and learning opportunities to inform curriculum planning. The distinction between play-based and play-themed approaches matters significantly: a truly play-based curriculum follows children’s self-generated investigations with educator support, while a play-themed curriculum may use play-like activities to deliver predetermined content — a difference in educational philosophy that produces measurably different outcomes for children’s motivation and deeper learning (Pyle & Danniels, 2017).

Wagner (2024) conducted a phenomenological study on early childhood educators’ experiences with implementing play-based learning. The research revealed that while educators recognise the value of play-based learning, they often face challenges in balancing structured activities with free play — particularly under pressure from families and regulatory contexts that emphasise academic readiness. Successful implementation requires ongoing professional development, pedagogical documentation that makes learning in play visible, and leadership that actively protects play-based curriculum against institutional pressures toward premature formalisation.

The learning environment is strategically designed to support play-based learning. Educators provide open-ended materials, create inviting spaces, and offer provocations that spark children’s curiosity and imagination. This approach aligns with the EYLF’s emphasis on learning through play and the NQS Quality Area 3, which focuses on the physical environment (ACECQA, 2020). Leggett (2024) compared approaches to documenting children’s creative thought processes in Australia and Italy, finding that environments rich in open-ended materials and characterised by long, uninterrupted periods of child-directed activity produced the most complex and sustained creative work.

Educator-Child Interactions: EYLF Principles and Practices

Effective educator-child interactions are fundamental to curriculum implementation. The EYLF outlines key principles and practices that guide these interactions. The principle of “secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships” is evident when educators respond sensitively to children’s cues and foster a sense of belonging (AGDE, 2022). The practice of intentional teaching — which the EYLF positions as complementary to, rather than in competition with, play-based learning — requires educators to be purposeful about when to observe silently, when to enter play as a participant, when to ask questions, and when to introduce new vocabulary or resources that extend children’s thinking (AGDE, 2022).

Educators employ intentional teaching strategies to extend children’s learning — asking open-ended questions, modelling problem-solving strategies, or providing scaffolding to support children’s emerging skills (Leggett & Ford, 2021). Hickban (2024) explored the co-construction of children’s participation rights in early childhood settings, emphasising the importance of educators actively involving children in decision-making processes. This practice aligns with the EYLF’s principle of partnerships and supports children’s agency — the capacity to act purposefully within their environment and to see themselves as competent contributors to their own learning community.

EYLF Learning Outcomes and Australian Curriculum

The EYLF identifies five learning outcomes that educators work toward across all curriculum areas. For example, “Children are confident and involved learners” (Outcome 4) might be observed when children demonstrate persistence in challenging tasks or show curiosity about their environment (AGDE, 2022). Outcome 4’s indicator that children “use play to investigate, project and explore new ideas” provides direct guidance for how to identify this outcome in video observation: look for moments when children extend a current play scenario into new territory, when they use existing materials in novel ways, or when they persist through repeated failure in pursuit of a self-generated goal.

While the EYLF guides early childhood education, the Australian Curriculum Foundation year provides a framework for the transition to formal schooling. Educators in early childhood settings begin to introduce concepts from the Australian Curriculum learning areas in age-appropriate ways. Campbell and Howitt (2024) emphasise the importance of introducing science concepts in early childhood, providing practical strategies for integrating scientific inquiry into play-based learning. Early numeracy experiences align with the Mathematics learning area, while explorations of the natural world connect to the Science curriculum (ACARA, 2022).

Environmental Education and Curriculum Adaptation

Ardoin and Bowers (2020) conducted a systematic review of research on early childhood environmental education. Their findings suggest that exposure to nature-based learning experiences in early childhood can have lasting positive effects on children’s environmental attitudes and behaviours. This aligns with the EYLF’s emphasis on children’s connection with and contribution to their world (Outcome 2) and with the revised EYLF’s strengthened sustainability principle, which requires educators to embed environmental stewardship as a curriculum priority rather than a supplementary activity (AGDE, 2022).

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for curriculum flexibility and resilience. Drane et al. (2020) examined the impact of “learning at home” on vulnerable children in Australia during the pandemic, finding that the children who fared best were those whose educators had built strong family relationships and whose curriculum was flexible enough to be adapted for home delivery. Their research underscores the importance of developing resilient and adaptable curricula that can support children’s learning across diverse contexts.

The Educator’s Role as Curriculum Decision-Maker

Across all the components of this critical review, the educator emerges not as an implementer of a predetermined program but as a professional curriculum decision-maker who exercises daily judgement about what to observe, how to interpret, when to intervene, and what to plan next. The EYLF’s positioning of educators as reflective practitioners — who “take time to wonder about and reflect on their role in children’s learning, the nature of childhood, and the place of early childhood education in a diverse democratic society” — sets a high standard for professional self-awareness (AGDE, 2022, p. 22). Assessment 1 of TCHR2003 asks students to begin developing precisely this kind of evidence-informed, theoretically grounded professional judgement — and the analytical habits that support it.

References

Ardoin, N. M., & Bowers, A. W. (2020). Early childhood environmental education: A systematic review of the research literature. Educational Research Review, 31, 100353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100353

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). (2020). Guide to the National Quality Framework. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about/guide

Australian Curriculum, Assessment, and Reporting Authority (ACARA). (2022). The Australian Curriculum. https://v9.australiancurriculum.edu.au/

Australian Government Department of Education (AGDE). (2022). Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework for Australia (V2.0). https://www.acecqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-01/EYLF-2022-V2.0.pdf

Campbell, C., & Howitt, C. (Eds.). (2024). Science in early childhood. Cambridge University Press.

Drane, C. F., Vernon, L., & O’Shea, S. (2020). The impact of “learning at home” on the educational outcomes of vulnerable children in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Literature Review Prepared by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. Curtin University.

Fleer, M. (2019). Play in the early years (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Leggett, N., & Ford, M. (2021). A fine balance: Understanding the roles played by theory and content in online sustainability in early childhood teacher preparation. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 29(1), 1–16.

Pyle, A., & Danniels, E. (2017). A continuum of play-based learning. Early Education and Development, 28(3), 274–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2016.1220771