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A testing challenge for early childhood

Do cross-national assessments of young children confirm what we already know or is it worse: are they ‘robbing meaning from individual histories’? Peter Moss—international keynote at ECA’s 2019 national conference—and Mathias Urban explore…
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Early learning matters for babies, but what do they even do?

‘Early learning matters for babies because babies are learning All. The. Time.’ DR. ANDI SALAMON highlights the importance of early education for babies and the complexities behind it. I recently sat down in a room with seven babies…
We matter - AK blog

‘Early Learning Matters’ in the time of a pandemic

This blog was originally published in 2020 in the lead-up to Early Learning Matters Week, however, it is still a timely piece to think about what early learning means for children who are experiencing the hardships, disruptions and possible…
Disengagement from learning

Disengagement from learning

Why are so many young children disengaged from learning? How do we know if children are, or are not, engaged in learning? GILLIAN KIRK and MARIANNE KNAUS explore this through research and share findings from a case study examining classroom…
School readiness

School readiness

The problem with ‘school readiness.’  ‘School readiness’—many find it controversial. MAREE ALDWINCKLE explores this concept and shares her experience as an early childhood teacher and academic. How can we use better terms and activities…
Shaping the power of talk

Shaping the power of talk

Language is a vital tool for learning as it enables children to build knowledge and extend their thinking. Associate Professor Sheild Degotardi will be presenting at the 2021 ECA National Conference. In this blog, Sheila gave us a little…
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Taken-for-granted beliefs about babies’ capabilities

DR ANDI SALAMON shares findings from her research with babies and toddlers. Salamon’s research includes close observations of babies’ social behaviour and capacity for independently managing themselves. She investigated the beliefs educators…
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Reading aloud for International Children’s Book Day

For International Children’s Book Day (Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday on 2 April) we’ve put together ideas from authors and educators, along with some popular ECA quality-assured books to encourage and support educators in reading…
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Five ways with stimulating play

Early brain stimulation promotes social and other skills in young children. Mothers and fathers tend to offer different sorts of interactions writes JENNIFER STGEORGE drawing on research into the nature of play to explore five evidence-based…
Children’s literature as a gateway to reading

Children’s literature as a gateway to reading

Children’s lives are enriched by literature. Picture books support children’s understanding of the thoughts, feelings and motivations of other people, and teach them new facts about their world, which plays an important role in their linguistic,…
Children’s right to play

Children’s right to play

‘No-one is born a good citizen’ said Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General. But children are born with rights. This blog explores children’s rights and how they are identified in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children’s…
Play-based learning can set your child up for success at school and beyond

Play-based learning can set your child up for success at school and beyond

As the new school year begins, many families are deciding where to enrol their child in preschool or school. Preschools and schools offer various approaches to early education, all promoting the benefits of their particular programs. One…