On January 29, Federal Education Minister Birmingham announced a proposal for a new assessment of children in year one across the country. The Minister said that “an expert group of principals, teachers, speech specialists, academics and researchers will progress the staged implementation of a nation-wide phonics assessment and the development of a numeracy check.” The […]
We are a culturally and linguistically diverse sector. I have taught in classrooms where I have been the only person who speaks just one language. I had many joyous and at times humorous interactions with children. One little girl (a native Farsi speaker) whose English was progressing in phenomenal leaps and bounds, to the point […]
Children’s self-awareness develops gradually. Starting with physical self-awareness in infancy, children become increasingly able to gather and understand information about themselves. When children are three and four years old, they often focus on observable characteristics like eye colour, but they also evaluate their own abilities in comparison with other children’s abilities: they know who is […]
At the end of January 2017, more than 320,000 children will have their first day at kindergarten. Over the course of the year, early childhood teachers and educators will use their expertise and knowledge to build those children’s social, emotional, literacy and numeracy skills, their critical and creative thinking, their perseverance, sociability and self-esteem. These […]
Every experience and interaction is a chance for the young child to express and develop his or her unique disposition. It is also an opportunity for the observant educator to watch, listen and work towards what children can become. In this small example, Evelyn Callaghan and Sarah White discuss how a skilled, flexible artist supports […]
In the past week there has been misinformed and uneducated commentary made about the early childhood sector – Early Childhood Australia was disappointed with these comments but chose to not respond in the media as it received too much media attention and we did not wish to increase the profile of the Senators involved. Below […]
You’ve probably heard it said many times that music is good for children; and unlike vitamins or broccoli, it also ‘tastes’ good! Researchers in recent years have been building up a convincing case, showing that music eases stress, stimulates brain development, aids memory and spatial awareness, supports communication and language development and promotes a sense […]
