Newsletter No. 31: What have theories got to do with it?
Theories, perspectives, approaches: it's important to talk about the academic side of early childhood education, but taking the extra leap and connecting it to practice is the key to making a difference in children's lives.
The National Quality Standard emphasises that educators have a thorough grasp of theoretical approaches and know how to use these to guide their daily practice. With critical reflection on our own and other's practice, we can begin to pinpoint where theory is informing what we do.
Newsletter No. 32: Staffing for Quality
We know that educational leadership significantly impacts on learning programs and outcomes for children and that the way staff are managed also influences the quality of care offered to the children in a service. In this e-Newsletter, Judy Radich talks about moving beyond NQS Quality Area 4 (Staffing Arrangements) to understanding the way your staffing arrangements affect all aspects of your service, including the relationships and general wellbeing of children, families and educators.
Newsletter No. 33: The educational leader
Leadership is a key aspect of the National Quality Standard. Research strongly indicates that the quality of educational leadership significantly influences positive learning outcomes for children. This newsletter uses case study examples from NSW early childhood settings to show the different forms effective leadership can take.
Newsletter No. 34: Responding to children's play
This issue focuses on element 1.2.2 under the National Quality Standard (NQS)—Educators respond to children's ideas and play and use intentional teaching to scaffold and extend children's learning.
Sandra Cheeseman provides real-life scenarios from early childhood settings and invites newsletter readers to consider alternative perspectives on what children do and how educators respond.
Newsletter No. 35: Collaborative partnerships with families
The National Quality Framework and the national Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) ask educators to go beyond traditional parent involvement activities to form 'respectful supportive relationships' with families (NQS Standard 6.1). Standard 6.2 requires educators to support families in their parenting role and to respect families' beliefs and values about child rearing. These requirements are based mainly on Principle 2: Partnerships in the EYLF. The best experiences for children happen when there is a strong relationship between you and the child's family that is evident in your daily practice.
