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Identity: QKLG learning and development area

Children build a strong sense of identity through connections with their families, peers, teachers and communities. Identity is not static — it changes over time and is influenced by an individual’s cultural identity and relationships.

Through these relationships, children develop a sense of belonging, confidence in others and in themselves, and an awareness of their own culture. They gain confidence in their abilities, a sense of agency in their decision-making and develop their independence.

Teachers use intentional teaching practices such as:

Significant learning
  • knowledge, skills and dispositions
Emerging phase
  • In familiar situations
  • with explicit support
Exploring phase
  • in familiar situations
  • with occasional support
Extending phase
  • in new situations
  • with occasional prompting
Feeling safe, accepted and supported
  • confidence that others can provide support
  • accepts support from familiar people when required
  • goes to a familar adult when separating on arrival
  • is comfortable with familiar people and seeks support when required
  • greets others on arrival and settles into play
  • is comfortable and confident with familar and unfamiliar people
  • initiates conversation with visitors
Developing a sense of belonging and confidence in others
  • willingness to engage in new learning experiences
  • approaches new experiences with encouragement
  • engages cautiously with new experiences with support
  • engages in new experiences
  • seeks assistance from others when trying new experiences
  • independently explores new experiences
  • engages confidently in kindergarten learning experiences

Teachers use intentional teaching practices such as:

  • encouraging children to manage personal belongings and daily routines
  • using open-ended questioning to support children’s agency and decision-making
  • encouraging children verbally and non-verbally to continue with what they are doing
  • reflecting with children on their learning progress
  • scaffolding or making adjustments to learning experiences to enable children to make attempts and practise skills.
Significant learning
  • knowledge, skills and dispositions
Emerging phase
  • In familiar situations
  • with explicit support
Exploring phase
  • in familiar situations
  • with occasional support
Extending phase
  • in new situations
  • with occasional prompting
Managing routines
  • able to organise self and belongings
  • follows directions to organise self and belongings
  • needs support for each part of routine, e.g. washing hands, getting lunchbox
  • is able to follow and engage with routines
  • follows simple sequences, e.g. washing hands, collecting lunchbox, packing up
  • knows, understands and applies routines
  • follows complete routines, e.g. washing hands, collecting lunchbox, eating, packing up and putting away lunchbox
Developing agency in decision-making
  • makes decisions about learning
  • chooses preferred learning experiences
  • revisits familiar learning, e.g. starting each day with a puzzle
  • joins in familiar learning experiences
  • chooses familiar learning experiences, e.g. when playing with blocks includes other resources
  • organises new experiences and builds on learning
  • selects, plans and engages in new learning, e.g. organises a soccer game with cones and ball
Being willing to keep trying
  • perseveres when trying challenges
  • attempts familiar challenges
  • needs support to start an experience, e.g. adult demonstrates using a paintbrush
  • persists when faced with challenges
  • tries new challenges before asking for help, e.g. a new type of puzzle
  • persists with new challenges
  • problem-solves to reach a solution, e.g. continues to place tape on paper until the two pieces stick together
  • works towards goals, recognises effort and success
  • works toward goals with encouragement and praise
  • attempts a puzzle and accepts encouragement to complete
  • works towards goals and talks about effort and success
  • completes a puzzle, shows others, and subsequently attempts more complex puzzles
  • independently works towards goals and talks about effort, success and next steps
  • perseveres to complete a challenging puzzle, and shares their success with others

Teachers use intentional teaching practices such as:

  • providing learning opportunities to raise awareness of children’s own culture/s
  • encouraging children and families to share images, objects and resources that reflect their culture/s
  • identifying words and phrases that connect the children’s home languages and Standard Australian English (SAE)
  • reflecting with children on their learning progress
  • making connections to learning by displaying images or artefacts that represent children’s identities.
Significant learning
  • knowledge, skills and dispositions
Emerging phase
  • In familiar situations
  • with explicit support
Exploring phase
  • in familiar situations
  • with occasional support
Extending phase
  • in new situations
  • with occasional prompting
Developing awareness of own culture/s
  • shares aspects of own culture/s
  • shares personal artefacts
  • when invited, shares information about aspects of their own culture
  • shares personal cultural experiences, significant events or artefacts
  • shows interest in and shares own culture, e.g. talking about food their family eats
  • confidently shares personal and family cultural experiences, significant events and artefacts
  • confidently shares own culture, e.g. uses home language to greet others and explains meaning
Recognising individual strengths and achievements
  • recognising strengths and working to extend them
  • recognises learning achievements when identified by others
  • recognise their successes, with prompting and positive reinforcement
  • shares own learning achievements
  • uses skills to help others, e.g. offers to help a friend use the sticky tape dispenser
  • shares own learning achievements with others
  • confidently shares and explains their learning experience or play project
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