The purpose of this professional development is to provide teachers with practical examples of the processes and elements of decision making.
Suggested time: 30 minutes.
Teacher decision making in kindergarten (Word document) can be completed electronically or in hard copy. You will also need a copy of the Queensland kindergarten learning guideline (QKLG).
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Video transcript
Indoor playMaking table | |
Teacher | You know how their skin is really bumpy and leathery? It’s not really smooth, is it? Looks a bit like that. |
Xavier | Well, some crocodiles have some green. |
Teacher | Mmm. So you’re thinking you’re going to use this to cover this box to turn it into a crocodile? All right, so how big will that need to be? |
Xavier | Cutting it. |
Teacher | So, can you find some scissor? Go and get some scissors. Xavier, if you hold on to this piece here with this hand, that will help hold – keep that nice and flat while you’re doing that cutting job. |
Outdoor playSuperheroes | |
George | No. No, Hayden! |
Teacher | Now, Hayden, let’s have a look at what’s happening here. |
Liam | That’s a wall. |
Teacher | These are the walls for the superheroes. Can you see George and Liam have been building a space to play the Superman game? |
Hayden | Yep, but I want to be Superman. |
Teacher | Are you still building with your building, or is that finished now? |
Hayden | Yep, it’s finished. |
Teacher | Okay. So, Hayden, eyes here and look to see what these children are doing. Look what Liam and George have been collecting the blocks and doing the busy working. So is it fair for you to come along over here while they’re doing that building? |
George and Liam | No. |
Hayden | No. |
Teacher | No. So what could you do? |
Hayden | Stand back. |
Teacher | You could stand back over there, or you could collect some more blocks to help, perhaps. |
Hayden | Can I collect more blocks? |
Liam | Yes, you can. |
George | Yes, you can. |
Teacher | Great choice. |
Group and routine timesReflecting | |
Teacher | Now George, do you know, yesterday you were in the robot shop and the superheroes weren’t even on the board. But that’s a new game that started today. |
George | Yes. |
Teacher | So let me pop the superheroes up here and then you can come and move your photo. So there was you … |
George | Yes. |
Teacher | …and there was… |
George | Liam. |
Teacher | …Liam. |
Ben | I was there. |
Teacher | And Ben came towards the end. You started to make your things, didn’t you? So Ben, do you want to come and move your photo as well? |
Ben | Yeah. |
Teacher | And Hayden? Or would you like to come and move some footsteps? Have a think. You would like to do the footsteps. What would you like to do, George? |
George | Move my… |
Teacher | Move your photo. All right. Daniel, did you come to the superheroes? Um, Sunday, this was the superhero game that we were just talking about at the moment, so these people are just moving their photos over. I think Ben’s interested in doing some footsteps from his game, because you really were visiting … And Ben, you were also at the river rocks game. Goodness, you’ve been to a lot of places today! Over past the river rocks and then all the way to the superheroes. |
RoutineHand washing | |
Teacher | Beautiful, start those bubbles. Fantastic, we turn on the water. Wash your hands after you blow your nose. Start that in between, all the way around, under the water. Fantastic. What’s next? And then what do we need to do here? Give that little shake, get those drips off. Fantastic. Oh, well done Tim, you’ve started your bubbles. Thanks Miranda. Are you ready to play again? |
Miranda | Yes. |
Teacher | Let’s find out. Miranda, I wonder if you’re having that picnic? Good job, Tim. |
Group time: Small groupsGroup 1 | |
Teacher | All right … number ones, would you like to come out with Danielle and have a look in your locker? So Danielle, they're going to look in their lockers and see if they have anything to bring. And if they don’t, that’s okay. They’ll do the talking together. And then would they like to make a space, wherever you’re comfortable. |
Danielle (Parent) | What is it, Daniel? |
Daniel | It’s all the animals that live in the backyard. |
Danielle | All the things that live in your backyard. Can you tell us what some of them are, so in case we can’t see? |
Daniel | That’s a bee. What’s that one? |
Child 2 | A butterfly. A rat. |
Danielle | What’s that one? |
Child 1 | A kiwi? |
Danielle | That’s called a whimbrel. |
Child 1 | Oh, I thought it was a kiwi. |
Group time: Small groupsGroup 2 | |
Charlie | Look Hayden, it’s a plane. |
Teacher | It is a plane. Do you know what sort of plane it is, Charlie? Because you know a lot about planes. Do you know what sort of plane it is? |
Charlie | It’s a Hornet. |
Teacher | Is it a Hornet? |
Charlie | Yeah, Hornet. |
Teacher | And whereabouts is the nose of the plane? |
Outdoor timeRunning game | |
Teaching assistant | Okay. We’ve got to listen, remember? |
Children | One, two, three, four, go! Yay! |
Teaching assistant | They set their game up, asking for a running game. They wanted to take turns. They came up with the idea of taking turns and they came up with the idea of somebody having to start them. So it doesn’t matter what they’re saying, whether it’s one, two, three, go, or … |
Teacher | Okay. So they’ve got different codes for going. |
Teaching assistant | It’s up to the person who is doing the starter and they’ve decided that. And they know that the word they can start running on is ‘go’. |
Teacher | Then the others are waiting along those chairs, so that’s the waiting space? |
Teaching assistant | They’re waiting. |
Teacher | Yes. |
Teaching assistant | They’re all just seeming to take turns. Sometimes they don’t. They’re just choosing who they’re going to run with. It’s not necessarily which order they’re sitting on the chairs, but they’re really going well. |
Teacher | Good, okay. |
Outdoor timeCamping | |
Child 3 | You have to have some marshmallows when you start because that’s when the fire gets … |
Teacher | Is that when you light the fire when you go camping at night time? So you can sit around the fire? |
Child 4 | It’s night time now! |
Teacher | And have marshmallows as a treat? Is that what you do when you go camping, is it? |
Child 4 | It’s night time now! |
Teacher | I don’t know where the tents are, though. Have you seen the tents? |
Child 5 | Hey. |
Teacher | I wonder where we’re going to sleep? |
Child 5 | Hey, I got some marshmallows. |
Outdoor timePacking up | |
Teaching assistant | Timmy, Timmy … stop. Be safe. Tim. Thanks Bree … Judd, thank you. |
Teacher | People who were playing in the digging patch camping, time to come and do all of the washing of the soup dishes. Everybody else, could you start looking for the small things first? See where the shed is? All the way. Careful lifting … |
Teaching assistant | I'm so pleased you’ve come. I need you right here … |
Outdoor timeReflecting | |
Teacher | Now, Liam, here's some blu tack. Can you think about where your favourite place to play was today? Have a look at the pictures. |
Liam | It won’t go. |
Teacher | You might just need to give it a bit of a push. Where are you thinking? What about you, Charlie? You were doing that climbing. You were taking the plane up here with Louise, weren't you? |