Posts

harmony-day-blog

Compassion and harmony, every day

There is not enough darkness in this world to extinguish the light of one small candle—Spanish proverb We reflect on the light, not only the shadow, cast by events to recognise what is possible: educators already have professional approaches,…
be-you-planning-blog

Reflecting and planning for the year ahead

Reflecting and planning skills are fundamental to our work as educators. While reflection allows us to have a wider range of perspectives and brings about new ways of thinking or understanding, planning builds upon that new understanding to…
Ec-blog-reconciliation

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,…
Transition to school: A primary perspective

Transition to school: a primary perspective

‘As an early childhood and primary teacher, I enjoy working with children of all ages. In this chapter of my career, I find myself gaining behind-the-scenes insight into the primary school environment that the preschoolers I used to teach…
Ethics in action

Ethics in action

We are surrounded by ethics every day in every setting, whether it be a decision or situation. But what about applying ethics in early childhood education and care?  ‘I believe children benefit from being around self-respecting adults’—Lilian…
WA-Chrisitine-Legg-blog

Why getting early education right is so critical for children & our future

The future of Australia rests on early education. Early Childhood Australia’s (ECA) National President, Christine Legg talks about children’s early development and why Australia needs to invest in and support a high-quality early childhood…
AJEC

AJEC on my mind

I bumped into a colleague last week: ‘Are you going to the AJEC Research Symposium in February next year again?’ she asked me. ‘Yes, for sure. I just heard our abstracts were accepted …’ I answered. ‘Oh yeah? I was thinking of…
Parent-Partnership-Blog

Parent partnerships—does compliance influence your practice?

Not all families are seeking advice, support or education from early childhood educators. What happens to partnership with families when we view early childhood relationships through different lenses? As early childhood students graduate and…
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…
Who is the child?

Who is the child?

On an international study tour to Reggio Emilia 20 years ago, a question boldly crossed the screen in the first lecture. KAREN SZYDLIK, the Professional Learning Coordinator with Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE), reflects…
What every child needs for learning self-regulation

What every child needs for learning self-regulation

This article first appeared on KidsMatter Early Childhood’s Shared Thinking blog on 30 June 2014. It was first shared on The Spoke in 2018 and was updated in July 2020.  What self-regulation is … and isn’t Self-regulation is not…