Matthew Stevens

30303708
EDFGC1304
David McDonald
Monday 11am

During placement there are a number of interactions that are observed. As

a pre-service teacher, having little to no experience as an adult in the
primary classroom, placement provides the perfect platform for observing
student and teacher interactions as well as student learning. Drawing from
concepts learnt at university and then applying course content creates a
level of understanding about the classroom and the way in which children
learn. One of these concepts is the Walker Learning Approach (WLA),
utilised by my mentor teacher in a classroom timeslot labelled Discovery
Time. The WLA has been designed from a perspective that reflects a
range of cultural, demographic, economic and social factors
(kathywalker.com.au). Discovery Time encompasses this perspective as it
enables children the opportunity for play-based learning. The following
essay will discuss the interaction that occurred during Discovery Time and
how this affected student learning, with particular reference drawn to
participation, motivation and organisation. Also draw attention to certain
aspects of the interaction that determined the level of engagement and
inclusion resulting from the activities.
Discovery Time is a one-hour session conducted twice a week, where
students are afforded the opportunity to select their area of learning. The
teacher selects eight activities at the beginning of the day and then
displays them on the discovery time window before the students arrive for
the day. Students as they arrive at school or at a particular time
throughout the day have the opportunity to place their photo under an
activity of their choice. This maximises the time students have to
participate in Discovery Time and empowers students to take ownership of
their learning. In this particular session students had to choose from the
following activities: Hospital, Jigsaw, Play dough, Music, Kitchen, Knitting
Nancy, Lego, Reading, Mobilo, Construction, Writing and Dominoes. The
activities chosen by the mentor teacher cover a broad spectrum and
increase the chances of appealing to most if not all students.
Monday afternoon, 2pm, the students have just finished Australia studies
as part of their SOSE curriculum. They assemble on the floor awaiting the
green light to commence Discovery Time. The excitement in the room had
lifted considerably and a sense of anticipation was evident. It seems as
though the students really looked forward to this time. The teacher then
gave the green light to commence activities after consultation with the
accompanying classroom teacher across the hall. Both classrooms were
instantly engulfed in noise and they set about creating and exploring each
of the activities set up for them. It was immediately evident that Discovery
Time disengaged no students. Observing the interactions between
students and carefully analyzing the learning that is taking place, it
became obvious that boys dominated the building and construction based
activities, where as girls tended to align with activities such as: Kitchen,
Writing and Hospital. A sexist connotation was immediately derived and
proven accurate, as the students had been socially aligned with the
expectations of them as boys and girls.
After sometime had past, interviews were conducted with three students
to determine if my thoughts regarding the interaction were correct. The

questions were Why do you like Discovery time? and Why did you
choose this activity today?. These were there responses.
K&%$: Because you get to make stuff, put together things and make
music.
K&%$: Because you can build stuff, whatever you like to do.
A&^%$#: Because you discover how to build things.
A&^%$#: Building things interest me because I can play with them.
O&^%$#: Because we get to discover all types of different things.
O&^%$#: I get excited when we have discovery time because I choose
writing and I really like writing.
O&^%$#: I do like being able to choose a different activity each session.
The responses recorded seemed very straightforward and typical answers
for children their age.
During Discovery Time the teacher provided very little assistance to the
students as their creations came specifically from their imaginations with
little boundaries applied to activities. Class behaviour was to be
commended as students cooperated seamlessly and engagement was
very high.
At the end of the lesson five minutes was allocated for selected students
to share what they had created/learnt during the session. The students
were chosen from the role to ensure each student got a chance to share
what they had learnt at least once every term. Teachers unpacked the
process of creation by asking specific questions related to what the
student has created, prompting the student to think about what they had
created and what it related too (Marsh, 2010). The students responses
were very intriguing, with both stating that they had planned their creation
before the session had started. Following this sharing, the students who
participated in Kitchen shared with the classes what they had made
which was fairy bread and banana smoothies. Once Completed students
were asked to tidy the rooms.
After the students had left the teacher was asked questions relating to
Discovery Time. The following questions were asked and responses
recorded accordingly.
Where did the ideas for Discovery Time come from?
-The idea came from my readings into the Kathy Walker learning
approach, based around the idea of play based learning, engagement and
inclusion.
When was Discovery Time introduced?
-Discovery Time was introduced at the beginning of this year.
Do you feel like Discovery Time has been worthwhile?
-It certainly has, students are taking charge of their learning.
In terms of motivation, discovery time exceeded any preconceived
motivational expectations. Students were constantly engaged in what they
were doing. This may have been because they had the ability to choose
what activity they discovered. Empowering students not only had a

positive effect on students but teachers were also observed increasing

there understanding of their students. Having the session planned in this
manner enabled teachers to gather knowledge on students strengths and
weaknesses. The decreased need for teacher intervention during this
period also enabled the teacher to apply theories of Blooms Taxonomy.
Teachers had the opportunity to observe students knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation (Whitton,
Barker, Nosworthy, Sinclair & Nanlohy, 2010).
Participation during discovery time was total; every single student was
actively participating in the lesson, including students with learning
disabilities and high functioning Aspergus. This participation led to a
positive correlation in behaviour across the class. Sexist connotations were
developed between some activities as the group composition was made
solely of male or female students (Shellenbarger, 1993). As touched on
previously, this may be resulted by societies expectations of boys and girls
and this more than likely has shaped the behavioural tendencies of the
students in this particular case. For example, Construction comprised
seven male students in the group, where as Writing comprised four girls.
Obviously students were not made to choose a particular activity, however
it is interesting to observe the interaction.
Discovery Time was organised across two rooms and involved many
classroom materials. Activities were setup between different locations,
including tables and the floor. Also certain equipment had to be brought in
to the classroom for activities such as: Knitting Nancy, Kitchen and
Construction. This meant an increased demand on the teacher to provide
materials and thus an increased reliance on organisation to effectively run
the session. Yarn and knitting needles was provided for Knitting Nancy,
bananas, sprinkles, butter, milk and bread were provided for Kitchen and
recycled cardboard boxes were provided for Construction. Having this all
organised allowed the session to run smoothly as there was enough
equipment for students to utilise. After consultation with the teacher it
became evident that planning played a pivotal role in successfully
implementing the different activities.
Discovery Time displayed the level of flexibility possible as a primary
school classroom teacher. There are endless possibilities to structure
student learning and create learning environments that engage students.
Discovery Time did have fundamental flaws in the use of ICTs though. No
activity considered its use and this was a diminishing factor, as students in
the current education climate require a sound understanding in order to
prosper. Another factor that could be improved is the frequency of the
interaction, Discovery Time has the potential to be run everyday. The
concept creates a positive learning environment where students are
engaged. Having only two sessions of one hour each week appears to be a
missed opportunity.
This interaction was one of many possible interactions that could have
been chosen to delve into. The classroom is an amazing place where
professional teachers go about fostering a place for learning. The most
successful learning environments engage students through their ability to
increase participation, motivation and organisation. The

interconnectedness of these three elements is imperative to the

environment and the best teachers develop this with ease and control.

Marsh, C. J.(2010). Becoming a teacher: knowledge, skills and issues.

Pearson, Australia, pp. 182-194
Shellenbarger, T. (1993). Eliminating Sexism in the Classroom. Nurse
Educator. 18(1), pp. 17-20
University of Melbourne, (2010). Think like a kid: Engaging teachers to
engage students
Walker, K. (2015). kathywalker.com.au. Accessed on 12 th October 2015.
Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., & Nanlohy, P. (2010).
Learning for teaching: teaching for learning. Engage Learning, Australia