‘Being a professional requires you to exercise pedagogical judgment—every day. It does seem though we now have a ‘Christmas’ curriculum and it starts early.’ Karen Hope encourages educators to reflect on more than just the art and craft of Christmas in early childhood settings. I like this time of year and I celebrate Christmas. For…
Sixty accomplished women in science, technology, engineering and maths and technology have been announced as Australia’s newest Superstars of STEM. The Superstars of STEM program, supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, sets out to smash traditional stereotypes of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. The program provides women in these fields…
Catharine Hydon and Kerrie O’Neill share nine compelling reasons why now is the time for students studying early childhood education and care need to be in services doing placement. It’s been bubbling for months but do you realise the gravity of the problem? The niggling concern identified by the pre-service sector that many students have…
Michelle Carrick shares some of her experiences and observations of being an early childhood teacher for over 20 years. The focus in this piece is on research that underlines the importance of play and imagination as being critical components to overall academic success. I had the opportunity while studying Applied Imagination to reexamine my relationship…
‘Being safe is a foundation to wellbeing. When children feel safe, their brains relax, cortisol decreases and they are calmer.’—(Always Be You, 2020). This piece, by SHONA DOYLE from Be You explores children’s wellbeing, providing safe environments and linking researcher, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory back to early childhood education. When we set high but achievable expectations,…
Among the sacrifices made by firefighters, and those who support fire-affected communities, is precious time spent with family. In California, thousands of firefighters and community support workers or volunteers have missed important moments such as birthdays, school events or family gatherings. In Australia, where bushfire season includes December-January, thousands routinely miss out on Christmas, New Year’s Eve…
‘The word ‘love’ is a tricky one when applied to the early childhood education and care space.’ Karen Hope shares part two to her 2018 blog, ‘What’s love got to do with it?‘, keep reading to hear her perspective. The Spoke has published other blogs on this topic and are linked at the end of…
This week has been Book Week. A time to celebrate great books and to focus on this year’s theme of Curious Creatures, Wild Minds. Book Week is a time to recognise the important work of authors and illustrators and a time to highlight the work of Australian story tellers. For some educators it might also…
During the COVID-19 crisis phase, all eyes have been on childcare, but preschool is an equally important driver of well-being and economic security for children and parents—and of economic productivity. Research has found for every dollar invested in preschool, Australia receives two dollars back over the course of a child’s life. Preschool is jointly funded by the federal, and…
‘The outdoor environment is suited to meeting children’s needs for all types of play, and builds on their firsthand experiences.’ Claire Warden shares the value of indoor and outdoor play through 10 visions and values collated from different organisations who are dedicated to connecting children with nature. The vision for all young children is that:…