ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements define the essential outcomes.

Performance criteria specify the level of performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Establish a learning environment that reflects children’s interests

1.1 Provide opportunities for children to plan and/or modify their indoor and outdoor environments

1.2 Design indoor and outdoor environments that are vibrant, flexible and support children’s learning

1.3 Ensure design of indoor and outdoor environments is responsive to the interests and abilities of each child

1.4 Provide materials and resources that are natural and familiar

1.5 Give children access to materials and resources that provoke interest

2. Provide opportunities that stimulate learning and development

2.1 Allow children to direct their own play and leisure experiences with peers

2.2 Create possibilities for peer scaffolding

2.3 Encourage children to gain skill and competence by persevering with a developmentally significant activity

2.4 Create opportunities for learning through play and intentional teaching

2.5 Support play experiences initiated by children

2.6 Organise routines in ways that maximise opportunities for each child’s learning

3. Design, implement and evaluate learning experiences for children

3.1 Use children’s observations and their views to guide the program

3.2 Develop the curriculum in consultation with educators and stakeholders

3.3 Design and implement learning experiences to foster learning and development, and to reflect children’s interests

3.4 Ensure the program is sufficiently flexible to respond to unplanned children’s interests

3.5 Assess and evaluate planned and unplanned teaching and learning

3.6 Ensure the program provides opportunities to follow-up activities of high interest

4. Support children to participate

4.1 Consult with children about the experiences and materials to be made available

4.2 Acknowledge each child’s uniqueness in positive ways

4.3 Support children’s efforts, assisting and encouraging as appropriate

4.4 Develop awareness and respond to children who may require additional support or attention

4.5 Encourage each child to participate in a variety of experiences

4.6 Demonstrate respect for a child’s choice not to participate

The Foundation Skills describe those required skills (language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills) that are essential to performance.

Foundation skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.