This episode we are talking with Catherine Lee, Director at Catherine Lee Consulting. Catherine has had an amazing career as an Early Childhood Teacher, service director, speaker and facilitator and is a great inspiration to myself and many others. Catherine shares her pedagogy around connecting with community and how this supports children to be active members of their community and to understand civics and citizenship.
Catherine Lee Educational Consultant
Today’s topic is all about supporting your own wellbeing, avoiding burnout through maintaining a good work life balance and getting organised to make things easier. I share some tips and strategies to help bring the joy back into your work.
Service communication, reflection and planning journal
Blog- Getting organised to support efficient, effective practice
This episode is all about play-based learning in primary schools. We are joined by Katy Meeuwissen, Lecturer in initial Teacher Education- Early childhood Primary, Faculty of Education, University of Canberra. Katy shares some insights from her research to reframe our thinking about play and how complex it is to implement in school settings. Katy also shares some data on how implementing 'playful pedagogies' is impacted by teacher perceptions. Does Play Belong in Primary Schools? Australian Teachers’ Perspectives
This week’s episode is not to be missed for anyone who has ever wondered about outdoor learning programs and nature play. We speak with Stephanie Willey about her experiences implementing a bush kinder program, including all of the bennefits, logistics and how tos!
Early Childhood Outdoor Learning Network
The how and the why of nature programs
The legislative requirements of an in-nature progam
This week’s ‘Professional learning tapas’ episode is all about being a great Educational leader. Including what skills, knowledge and attributes are required to lead with efficacy and efficiency. For more information and awesome professional learning go to:Educational leader catalogue
This episode takes a deep dive into Education for Sustainability with Stephanie Willey the Convenor of Environmental Education in Early Childhood. Stephanie takes educators through all dimensions of sustainability, going beyond the worm farms and recycling bins to using sustainability ‘lens' to inform decision making.
Sustainability Alliance - Environmental Education in Early Childhood
In this week’s episode we speak with Bernadette Reyes, Director at Tregear Presbyterian Preschool. Bernadette talks about how she leads the way in developing collaborative partnerships in ways that support the vulnerable children and families that she works with, to navigate the systems and supports to help their child thrive.
Inclusive practice - Bundle - Early Years Learning Hub
In this episode we explore some key ideas about why transition statements are important and how they contribute to creating continuity of learning for children in one of the most significant transitions of their lives. We talk about writing for your audience, streamlining how you work and considering these statements as part of your assessment practices.
Transition to school statements supporting continuity
This episode is focused on analysing the evidence around effective assessment, what the real point of assessment is and how it should influence teaching practice. If you are interested to learn more go to:Assessment and planning - Bundle - Early Years Learning Hub
This week’s ‘Practice sharing- Practical programming’ episode is focused on the mechanics of how to manage assessment and planning and program requirements in ways that reduce the administrative burden. It stes through an example of programming in ways that works smarter and harder! For more information go to: Cycle of planning for groups Cycle of planning for individualsInformation for families
This episode explores what makes an educational program meaningful, what should be includedhow adopting as well as some useful guidance on how to teach and what expereinces to offer. If you like what you hear then here are some related resources:
This episode is about how children use drawing as a communication tool and how teachers and educators can use dialogic drawing to help better understand children’s learning and engagement. Today, I am joined by Dr Amelia Ruscoe, Early Childhood Studies Course Coordinator, School of Education, Edith Cowan University who shares her research and expereinces at using dialogic drawing as a tool to cature children's voices.
This episode is all about investing in people as a leader. Taking time, being kind and providing a positive role model for new educators. I am delighted to be joined by Jann MacKay who is both a long-time friend and an amazing Early Childhood Teacher and leader. Related courses:
In this week’s ‘Professional learning tapas’ episode we discuss science and young children in honour of national Science Week next week. We look at the benefits of engaging children in scientific thinking, research and experimentation. We discuss the rich STEM learning that occurs and share ideas for investigating this year’s Science Week theme- Decoding the universe: Exploring the unknown with nature’s hidden language.What and how children learn through play
This episode is about the principles of effective practice with infants and toddlers. Including the importance of specific relational infant–toddler pedagogies to facilitate rich and meaningful learning in early childhood settings. I am joined by Sheila Degotardi from Macquarie University Early Childhood Education Research Centre and Macquarie School of Education.
Intentional Practice with Infants and Toddlers | Higher Educationfrom Cambridge
This episode is about the joys and challenges of being a special education teachers. Today, I am joined by Kylie Brown who is teacher and Assistant Principal at Fernhill School for Specific Purpose which is a school that supports children with a range of disabilities. Kylie shares what drew her to this work and how she works closely with families to support children with disabilities learn life skills and curriculum content.
In this episode I unpack how theories influence our work. I was inspired to write this episode from one of the units of my Masters in Educational leadership which examined how theory influences practices from how we view children or our image of the child as capable and competent to how children learn and develop.
This episode is about critical reflection and the evidence behind why it is so important and the impact it can have. I am delighted to be joined by Deb Williams, Early Childhood Teacher, Academic and Lead Teacher. Deb shares her research completed through her PhD studies as well as some really practical approaches to embed critical reflection into everyday practice.
If you would like to find out more about critical reflection purchase our course:
In this episode we discuss the higher levels of teacher accreditation for those teachers who are interested in becoming specialist teachers as part of their career progression. I am delighted to be joined by Deb Williams who is inspirational, multi- talented early childhood professional and the very first teacher in NSW to be awarded at LEAD Teacher level.
In this episode we look at why having a really sound understanding of the frameworks is so important for everyone who works in education and care services and even teachers and educators in the early years of school. We explore how they guide us in terms of pedagogical advice and how they provide the content for our curriculum in terms of what to teach and how to teach it and they help us to operate in ways that are aligned with evidence, research, theory, ethics and social justice.
https://earlyyearslearninghub.com.au/early-childhood-curriculum-and-pedagogy/
https://earlyyearslearninghub.com.au/quality-area-1-educational-program-and-practice-resources/