Professional Development Day - Gold Coast
Join us for a one day professional development experience designed to inspire and strengthen practice across the early childhood sector. The day features expert presenters sharing practical strategies, current insights, and reflective opportunities that support quality practice, educator wellbeing, and meaningful outcomes for children and communities. This session is ideal for educators and leaders seeking purposeful, engaging professional learning.
Description
Workshop Title: Children’s Learning Environments, Spaces, Place & Non-Places.
Presenter: Dr Geraldine Harris
Children’s learning unfolds deeply in ‘places’ alive with relational, sensory, and ecological resonance, in contrast to ‘non-spaces’ that feel flat, disconnected or sterile. The workshop will introduce the concepts of the childhood commons and ecoregulation and how pedagogical decisions about learning environments can support children’s embodied curiosity, social attunement and felt sense of safety. Places that are woven with textures, rhythms, sounds and patterns invite connection with and within the broader world. These silent environmental invitations can be understood as co-regulating, opening opportunities for children to experience awe exploration and wonder. The workshop will explore how co-designing environments with children, educators can support their learning play and wellbeing.
Workshop Title: 50 practical ideas to inspire children’s learning and development in routine and transition times of the day
Presenter: Caroline Fewster
An interactive presentation highlighting particular characteristics of a ‘democratic pedagogy’ approach to routine and transition times of the day including:
• Children’s active participation in designing routines and transitions throughout the day
• A focus on invitational language to promote engagement in everyday learning experiences
• Introducing evidence informed practices that maximise opportunities for each child’s learning and development
• And – a pop up display of teaching and learning ideas!
Workshop Title: Tracing the learning - children and educators as co-documenters.
Presenter: Stephen Gallen
In this session we will identify and explore authentic and powerful approaches to noticing and mapping children’s learners, with children as key participants in the process. With real world examples including floor book and related approaches we will consider practical strategies as well as the theory and principles underlying the work. We will also reflect on how children’s involvement can itself be a powerful element of learning, as well as a tool for advocating for children’s rights and the value of early childhood education as a whole.