Professional Development Day - Townsville
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: From Image to Action: How does exercising an image of children as citizens change every single choice we make as early Childhood Education professionals?
Presenter: Dr Gai Lindsay
What happens if we exercise an image of every child as a citizen; an active participant with rights, agency, and voice? How does this impact educational actions? This workshop explores how a respectful image of the child transforms pedagogy and leadership choices in early childhood education. Inspired by Reggio Emilia principles and Dewey’s vision of educational democracy, we will confront “near-enough-is-good-enough” attitudes to inspire professional joy! Participants will play with rhizomatic mind-mapping to explore the implications of positioning children as citizens. Together, we will reframe children’s rights as the grounding motivator for our mission, responsibility and commitment as professional educators.
Workshop Title: Sensory processing and regulation: Strategies to engage children in the classroom.
Presenter: Marena Matthews
This workshop explores how the children regulate their nervous system and the impact this has on higher learning. We investigate what a sensory profile looks like and what strategies we can us to help children to engage positively with learning.
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.