Definition Of Belonging, Being and Becoming For Educators

The Early Years Learning Framework recognizes the inextricable links that belonging, being and becoming have with learning. As part of this recognition, the framework elaborates learning outcomes, principles and practices for educators that will help them meet their professional goals while ensuring personal growth and well-being too. The following article provides definitions of belonging, being and becoming.

Belonging relates to connections and relationships with other educators and professionals from other disciplines. Your sense of belonging will likely play a significant role in developing curriculum as well as teaching practices. Such processes are best evolved from interactive decision-making by children, parents and families, educators and the broader community to foster children’s learning.

For educators, belonging also includes participation in professional organisations and networks so that you can imbibe, reflect and discuss new lines of inquiry and research.

Being relates to the individuality of each early childhood educator. It is well recognized that every educator brings to their teaching practice a whole suite of beliefs, attitudes to learning much of which is the result of their environment. This individuality influences among other things, curriculum choices, approaches for managing behaviour, classroom set up, choice of resources, teaching strategies, assessment tools as well as interactions with other people.

One of the best places to understand what you are bringing to the educator’s role is to reflect on your unique collection of knowledge, experience and perspectives to planning, practice and relationships. For example ask yourself if the focus in your curriculum is big enough to be inclusive of children’s emergent ideas? Does the curriculum look the same for all children or on in what ways are you listening to culturally diverse families, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.

For example you could choose an article from the newspaper or a TV clip that could provoke conversation and debate about controversial issue like playing with guns during pretend play. Share the article or clip with your colleagues and discuss whether there are particular subjects you would never consider raising through your curriculum and the reasons for the same. Such exercises will not only help you understand the principles and processes that inform your own curriculum decisions and teaching practices but also that of your team and environment.

Becoming relates to the importance of learning and reflecting in order to increase professional knowledge, and improve skills and practices. To get started with this, choose a practice or learning goal from your educational practice. Gather information and evidence on how it is currently unfolding and identify patterns, if any. Reflect upon what your data, numbers or documentation is telling you.

Often this understanding is easier if you can frame a question and explore it further. Follow up the reflection process by decide upon a course of action which can involve a change of practice as well. Evaluate the change and if needed, repeat the process.