The recent attacks in Paris are the latest in a long list of events whose blanket coverage on TV has had a strong influence on the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of many children. Footage of wars, bombings, shootings, floods and bushfires can traumatise children, leading to sleep disturbances and anxieties in normally non-threatening situations, including […]
In the past at Treehouse, we have celebrated our end of year celebrations with the traditional Santa, gifts and songs that the children would be learning over the weeks leading up to the special event. On the day the children and educators (mostly educators) would all sit around and sing these songs to their family […]
How do curious and thoughtful young children who can work, play and learn together become part of high conflict and violent relationships as adults? How does a child go from being an inquiring, kind preschooler to a young person or adult that abuses and assaults the people they love? This transition begins at some point and […]
In this blog post, QUT School of Early childhood researcher, Kate Williams talks about parenting and its influence on children’s self-regulation, and ways in which early childhood professionals can best engage parents around this topic. Self-regulation is the ways in which we all regulate our own thoughts, feelings, and behaviour so that we can be […]
Forget the Mozart Effect and Baby Einstein, take it easy on acquisitions for your two-year-old’s private library, and don’t fret if your three-year-old hasn’t started violin lessons just yet. The key to unlocking a child’s potential intelligence and happiness may indeed lie in music, but succumbing to the commercial juggernaut that is the baby-genius-making industry […]
In a report released this week, the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA) claims that up to 70% of young people are preparing for jobs that will no longer exist in the future. The report also raises concerns about decreasing entry-level occupations for school leavers and the impacts of automation. In another recent report, the Committee […]
Since Voice announced an Early Childhood Australia (ECA) project on 21st century directions and best practice two years ago, we’ve unearthed a mountain of tips, research and myths as well as connections, people and ideas. It’s time for an update on the exciting resources and events for our sector. The early childhood sector is at […]
I was introduced to the idea that the care-education dichotomy was something we needed to move beyond, as a first year Early Childhood undergraduate back in 1980. We have come a long way, but the questions are still relevant due to issues of historical context, discursive politics and semantics. My PhD thesis examined the nature […]
Peter Sullivan, Monash University A common view is that students learn maths best when teachers give clear explanations of mathematical concepts, usually in isolation from other concepts, and students are then given opportunities to practise what they have been shown. I’ve recently undertaken research at primary and junior secondary levels exploring a different approach. This […]
Educators reflect on their actions every day. Reflection is the thinking educators do as they are working with a child, while also observing the environment and planning what they will do next. Donald Schon, internationally recognised author of The Reflective Practitioner , believes we engage in two types of reflection – reflection in action and […]
