This user guide is for teachers and educators working in ECEC services for children in the years before school.
It will help you use the learning trajectories to strengthen your curriculum and inform your pedagogical decision-making, in line with the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 or other approved learning frameworks used in your service.
The learning trajectories also support the National Quality Standard, especially Standard 1.3: Assessment and planning. They can help your service lift quality and implement your Quality Improvement Plan.
The learning trajectories
Our Early Childhood Learning Trajectories support ongoing professional learning for individuals and entire ECEC services and teams. They describe how children learn and develop in these key domains:
- Executive functions
- Social and emotional learning
- Mathematical thinking
- Language and communication
- Physical development.
AERO's Early Childhood Learning Trajectories are also available as a collection.
Animated explainer videos
Our explainer videos provide an introduction to each of the learning trajectories to complement our practice resources, including a visual summary of each of the key domains:
- Introduction to Early Childhood Learning Trajectories
- Executive functions
- Social and emotional learning
- Mathematical thinking
- Language and communication
- Physical development.
Reflection activity
Once you've worked through the user guide and individual learning trajectories, we suggest using our reflection activity. This activity invites you to collect examples within the context of your service. You may then revisit and reflect on the examples, individually and with colleagues, to deepen your knowledge and understanding of the learning trajectories.
Evidence base
For more information on our learning trajectories research, visit: Early Childhood Learning Trajectories: The Evidence Base.
Victorian early childhood teachers and co-educators delivering funded kindergarten programs should consider these resources alongside the Early Years Assessment and Learning Tool for support with best practice in assessment for learning with children 2 to 6 years.
The South Australian Department for Education has developed Learning Trajectories and supporting resources within the domains of Social, Emotional, Language, Physical and Cognitive. They support early childhood teachers and educators working with children 3 to 5 years to make intentional and responsive curriculum decisions. Access via the EdPass Portal.
Keywords: early childhood education and care, ECEC, learning trajectories, EYLF