ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors highlight how key developmental changes experienced by students during a transition period influence their learning and engagement, self-identity and relationships with others. They explain how the contextual features of the new setting (classroom or school) influence the student experience. The authors identify a range of strategies that teachers can use in preparing and supporting students and families across the transition process. Equally, developmental levels during transition influence how students connect with the new learning environment and its contextual features. Transitioning requires adjusting to new physical and organisational structures, together with new social arrangements within and outside the new classroom. The facets of student physical development that take place alongside this transition include the consolidation of both fine and gross motor skills and the need to learn activities to feature increased movement. Some contextual shifts in schooling occur alongside the transition into the primary years. These can be viewed as physical, social or educational in nature.
