A time of change and super diversity in early childhood education

A time of change and ‘super diversity’ in early childhood education

PROFESSOR LESTER-IRABINNA RIGNEY is an expert in Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and presented at the 2019 ECA National Conference as a keynote presenter. ECA caught up with him to ask a few questions about his work on culturally responsive…
Exploring Indigenous ways of knowing and being

Exploring Indigenous ways of knowing and being

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is held on 4 August each year. The 2019 theme was We Play, We Learn, We Belong. In this piece, we share the importance of Indigenous culture and language in the early years…
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Reflecting on NAIDOC Week

Adam Duncan reflects on NAIDOC Week in this repost from Narragunnawali News, expressing reasons why sharing with children about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and contributions is an important part of their education. NAIDOC…
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Sharing in Australia’s culture

‘Deadly not dead’ was what came to mind for Rebecca Rechichi after attending her first Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Reconciliation Symposium in May held in Melbourne. Rebecca is an early childhood teacher from Western Australia and after…
Reconciliation-blog-AD

Make it personal and meaningful: educators and reconciliation

How can early childhood settings incorporate reconciliation through everyday learning? ECA caught up with preschool teacher and educational leader, ADAM DUNCAN, to hear his views on reconciliation. In the lead up to last year’s ECA Reconciliation…
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My reflections on reconciliation

Cultural competence and reconciliation are recurrent topics in our line of work. But when it comes to putting these into practice, we’re often faced with more questions than answers. I’d like to put forth my perspective and hopefully it…
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Keeping Aboriginal voices close: Finding a third space in which to teach

We have worked together in the South Australia (SA) Department for Education, providing leadership and advice to 10 schools in the remote communities of the Aṉangu (Aboriginal) people. As a team, we have supported early childhood teachers,…
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ECA perspective: Australia’s First Nations children

Two important papers about Australia’s First Nations children were released in the same week in February. Both have implications for young children in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The joint ECA and SNAICC—Voice for…
Australia-Day-Blog

A change of heart as well as date

As Australians rally together to support communities affected by bushfire, this year’s Australia Day feels marked by the compassion, heroism and generosity of the Australian spirit as we come together to mourn great losses and begin to heal.…
What does engagement with reconciliation look like in practice?

What does engagement with reconciliation look like in practice?

This section showcases snapshot examples of the reconciliation journey undertaken by a number of services across Australia. They are all unique, but share common embedded practice strategies that have enabled the children,…
Communicating family diversity and celebrations

Communicating family diversity and celebrations

There are strong messages in the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) that point to the significance of developing trusting partnerships with families and respecting family diversity. These are listed under ‘Principles’. Trust and respect…
What is reconciliation?

What is reconciliation?

National Reconciliation Week (27 May–3 June) is a time for all Australians to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories, share that knowledge and help us grow as a nation. This year’s theme—‘Don’t…