Your one-stop guide to early childhood links and resources!
Welcome to the first Autumn issue of ECA WebWatch for 2009. As the cold weather creeps closer, we are focusing on the call for ABC to remove Bringing up Baby from television.
Also in this issue:
- Book now–Conferences with Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford
- UNICEF releases State of the world's children report
- Speeches by Maxine McKew
- New York's 'education revolution' and how it relates to Australia
- Helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Plus:
- ECA calendar
- quality-assured early childhood resources
ECA WebWatch Feature Item
Call for ABC to cancel Bringing up Baby
ECA supports call to cancel Bringing up Baby
The ABC is currently screening a UK documentary series, Bringing up Baby, based on the guiding principles of three of last century's influential childcare manuals. The series has come under fire from viewers, parents and experts for a range of reasons – in particular, the person promoting the Truby King method. This method has been rejected by experts as dangerous and does not reflect the evidence on what's good for young children. This also raises significant ethical questions about using children in such programs.
Early Childhood Australia calls on the ABC to remove this series from television, and to immediately develop a program about child-rearing that is based on current research and best-practice.
Read the transcript of the Media Watch segment on Bringing up Baby.
UNICEF releases State of the World's Children report for 2009
The State of the World's Children 2009 report
UNICEF's flagship publication, the State of the World's Children 2009, addresses maternal mortality, one of the most intractable problems for development work.
Download the full PDF of the State of the World's Children Report.
Sydney and Melbourne residents book now!
Conference with Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford
Professor Iram Siraj-Blatchford and Professor Collette Tayler present on the theme Frameworks and foundations: When only the best will do.
Early Years Learning Framework online forum
DEEWR launches Early Years Learning Framework online forum
The Early Years Learning Framework online forum has been established to encourage discussion among early childhood education practitioners and the government as they trial the draft Early Years Learning Framework.
The online forum will also support the government's priority of trialling online consultation and engagement with the community, and will provide valuable feedback on the effectiveness of this approach.
The forum will run from 14 March to 20 April 2009.
For more information, contact DEEWR.
Speeches by Maxine McKew
Maxine McKew Speaks at the National Investment For The Early Years conference
Read a transcript of Maxine McKew's speech at the National Investment For The Early Years conference, held on 15–17 February 2009.
Read a transcript of the Address to the Early Childhood Australia Biennial Conference by Maxine McKew, 4 October 2008.
Find out information about the ECA Biennial Conference. Plus, register to be alerted when the conference papers go online.
The great education debate
New York's 'education revolution'
Read a transcript of this story from Dateline, which examines the New York City school system that's been hailed by Education Minister Julia Gillard as a possible model for Australian public education.
Read a paper from the Australian Education Union on Joel Klein and the New York School Accountability Model.
Read a paper from the Australian Education Union on National Testing, League Tables and School Performance Accountability.
Helping children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
New Autism Spectrum Disorder information website
Launched as part of the Government's Helping Children with Autism package, the website provides information, online resources and interactive functions to support parents, carers and professionals.
Visit the ECA website to find more information and resources about Autism spectrum disorder:
Including children with autism in early childhood settings by Dr Chris Kilham
Read the full text of this article from Every Child magazine, or read articles and abstracts from the issue ofAustralian Journal of Early Childhood dedicated especially to autism spectrum disorder.
Find more information in the ECA Supporting Best Practice Directory on diversity and inclusion.
Resources available for purchase
Interactive play for children with autism
A comprehensive guide to establishing shared play experiences that assist in the development of communication, social understanding and cognition, in children with autism.
Play and imagination in children with autism
This book sheds new light on theory and practice, examining the complex problems children with autism face in social interaction, communication and imagination.
Quote of the month
You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.
- Franklin P. Jones
ECA Calendar
Queensland Lutheran early childhood services conference 2009
7 March 2009
Crowne Plaza
2807 Gold Coast Highway
Surfers Paradise
The Creating environment...inspiring learning conference will be of significant benefit and interest to professionals across the early childhood field and well beyond.
Unpacking educational change conference 2009
13–15 March 2009
Macquarie University
Balaclava Road, North Ryde
New South Wales
This program will offer many opportunities to listen to and learn from childcare and education experts, as well as participate in networking sessions.
Positive behavioural interventions for people using challenging behaviours
20 March 2009
Hellenic Convention Centre
Cnr Matilda & Callum Streets
Woden, ACT
This programme is designed to assist individuals wanting to change their own unwanted behaviours and those who work with people using challenging behaviours.
Visit Early Childhood Australia's online calendar – it's the easy way to keep track of important events, conferences and dates.
Quality-assured early childhood resources
All of ECA's publications are peer reviewed by early childhood experts, so you can be assured that all our publications are of the highest quality, and relevance to you and your work.
Powerful children
This book explores and explains how the Reggio Emilia approach can be used to address major concerns currently found in early childhood education.
Portfolios: Documenting a journey
Shows how compiling portfolios can provide 'opportunities to scaffold, transform, monitor, review and evaluate learning and development in partnership with others'.
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ECA WebWatch - Issue 67, March 2009. © Early Childhood Australia.
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