Some of the most powerful learning happens when children learn with and from one another.

Recently, Mrs Bayley’s Year 5 class and our Banksia Preschool Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday group came together to share their learning about Dharawal language and culture. Both groups had been exploring Dharawal words and embedding them into their everyday experiences, and they were eager to discover what each other had learned.

The children wondered: What Dharawal words have Year 5 been learning? Have they learned different words to us? What can we teach each other?

On a cold, wet and windy day, the children gathered together at the HIVE, where the Year 5 students proudly shared a collection of books they had created especially for the preschool children. Each book featured Dharawal words and reflected the unique creativity of its author. No two books were the same, showcasing the individuality, imagination and student-led design of the Year 5 learners.

Sitting together on mats, the children shared stories, knowledge and conversations. The preschool children were captivated as they listened to the books being read and explored the beautiful illustrations and words within them.

It was then the preschool children’s turn to become the teachers. They proudly shared their Acknowledgement of Country, incorporating Dharawal words and signs, before teaching the Year 5 students one of their favourite songs, Five Little Speckled Gudguts. The song, which celebrates Gudguts (frogs), beautifully weaves Dharawal language into a much-loved children's classic. The Year 5 students enthusiastically joined in, learning new words and signs along the way.

The learning continued with a tour of the NAC chickens and HIVE gardens. The Year 5 students shared how they care for the chickens, what is currently growing in the gardens, and the purpose of the habitats they have designed and created. These habitats were of particular interest to the preschool children, who regularly visit the HIVE and oval during their learning on Country and always stop to observe the changes and discoveries within them.

This special collaboration highlighted the richness of learning across our P–12 community. It reflected our belief that learning is constructed through relationships, dialogue and shared experiences. As children listened, questioned, shared and learned alongside one another, they demonstrated many of the Building Learning Power dispositions, including curiosity, collaboration, resilience and reflection, while embodying the Reggio Emilia image of the child as a capable and competent contributor to a learning community.

Thank you, Mrs Bayley and Year 5, for sharing your knowledge, creativity and enthusiasm with us. We loved learning, playing, wondering and growing alongside you.

Bernice Mathie-Morris
Director of Early Learning