Lightbox Learning

Secret child care agendas…

sarsinpink — Mon, 18 May 2009 07:30:41 +0000

Every now and then one stumbles upon something – a site, an article, podcast- a piece of journalism that changes the way you understand a certain issue. Obviously this is a good thing.. your synapses twist and turn, finally snap-locking into Aha! moments. Unsurprisingly, as a graduate of Early Childhood Studies, I have read a fair bit about about the child care landscape- but nothing presented so meaningfully as this article by Brennan. It made me suddenly aware of the deliberate actions of past Australian Governments to keep early childhood educators ‘in their place’. I took offense to this, naturally. But it was an enlightening read.

To temper the regret for the past, I can be heartened and grateful for the Rudd Government’s current focus on Early Childhood Education. The Coalition of Government’s (COAG)’s decision to implement a National Early Childhood Development Strategy is a ground breaking move towards stronger policies surrounding the early childhood education sector. Read about it here and be proud of the new direction our Government is taking to ensure wellbeing in early childhood.

Our role and ‘place’ in society as early childhood educators is now overtly in the spotlight- and it seems,with stronger accreditation and quality measurement standards (including higher staff to child ratios), it is looking like a more empowered and respected early childhood professional.

The Power of Ning

sarsinpink — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:48:46 +0000

Do you “ning”? Maybe it isn’t as fashionable as to tweet’ or ‘poke’, but if you like the idea of meeting like minded peers and engaging in dialogue around topics in teaching and learning, then ninging IS cool.

Ning is home to many as a social networking platform (and therefore as a concept it is similar to sites like Facebook and MySpace). It isn’t designed specifically for us of the cool Education gang (Wazzup!), but Nings connect individuals through online networks that have a special topic or purpose. I think that they are a terrific place to get useful suggestions for learning experiences; swap teaching tips; or just debrief with people who will actually understand.

I have been a member of the ning Reggio Inspired for a while, and find the communication that comes through sharing common ground really wonderful : )

Some Nings to check out:
Early Childhood Educators
ECE Connect
Early Childhood Exchange
Early Childhood Technology: Preschool – 2nd grade

Peace out, gang.

Turtlewings

sarsinpink — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 01:12:41 +0000

I adore receiving updates from Turtlewings. They have recently opened an atelier in their home city of Brussels, to add to their existing range of excellent services for children, families and early childhood professionals. The turtlewings blog is an inspiration, demonstrating the power and beauty in pedagogical documentation and in making childrens voices visible.

Reggio Emilia

sarsinpink — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 04:26:06 +0000

Ok, I’m biased. I graduated from a university which houses one of the finest Reggio Emilia inspired preschools (Mia Mia, Macquarie University). But I happen to believe that Reggio Emilia is the best thing to have happened to early chidhood education since.. ever. To engage with this approach is to take an intellectual and philosophical trip with educators (and early education policy makers) who hail from Reggio Emilia, a city in Italy. These peops are: Loris Malaguzzi (founder), Lella Gandini, and a host of other brrilliant minds and early education advocates who flow with other constructivist biggies like Dewey, Papert, Vygotsky, etc.

There isn’t a simple way to explain this onion, as many of you will know. But if you haven’t already, i urge you to fill your big hearts and grey matter with understandings about child directed teaching and learning; the hundred languages of children; constructivism; and community building.

Some good places to start:

Bonnie Neugebauer’s article ‘ Unpacking My Questions and Images: Personal Reflections on Reggio Emilia“
‘Bringing Reggio Emilia Home’, Louise Boyd Cadwell
‘The Hundred Languages of Children’, Edwards, Gandini and Forman (Eds)
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Foundations_and_Current_Issues_of_Early_Childhood_Education/Chapter_7/7.2
http://zerosei.comune.re.it/inter/index.htm (Municipal Infant-toddler Centers and Preschools of Reggio Emilia)
http://www.reaie.org.au/ (Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange)

Passin’ the mic

sarsinpink — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:08:50 +0000

… to Sir Ken Robinson, who delivered an exceptional speech on the topic of education, at Ted in 2007 (click on the pic for his Ted Talk).

First Provocation… the lightbox

sarsinpink — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:20:22 +0000

Second provocation: The hundred languages of children

The third: Community

The fourth: Art, beauty and exploration

See where I’m going with this yet?

For those who aren’t following. I’ll introduce myself as someone deeply interested in early childhood education and the philosophies, resources and practices that inspire communities to give young children voice. This blog is dedicated to early education, creativity in education, and educational technology.

Still with me? Great. We’re peas in a pod… Welcome!