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 […]
Digital citizenship sounds like a weighty topic. Perhaps too weighty for the youngest children. Is it even relevant to very young children and if so, what does it mean for their families, educators and carers? This is one of the issues that surfaced during the Early Childhood Australia conference keynote and workshops by Dr Chip […]
Victoria University Toys and apps for kids are a multi-million-dollar industry, and being able to label something as “educational” is a major selling point. However, “educational” is often in the eye of the beholder and the potential of any app, or toy, relates to what you can creatively do with them with children. With more […]
Recently, a teacher expressed his misgivings about the “inclusion at all costs” ideology of modern education. Despite being well supported by his school and hugely in favour of inclusive practice, he outlined his difficulties in managing a young fellow with Down Syndrome whose behaviour in the classroom was extremely difficult, and increasingly dangerous. This resulted […]
By now we know that traditional Indigenous languages are losing speakers rapidly and tragically. Of the 250 languages once spoken in Australia, only 40 remain and just 18 of these are still learnt by children. But if children in remote Indigenous communities aren’t still learning traditional languages, then what are they learning? It is generally […]
Over-attention to documentation continues, often seemingly with more emphasis on quantity than on quality. It would be heartening to hear of a service where practices were rated as outstanding in every respect and at every level, but the National Quality Standards rating was diminished because there wasn’t enough documentation! Many documented observations of children appear […]
‘Mindfulness’ as a concept and a practice has rapidly entered the zeitgeist, helping to define the spirit and ideas of our times, including in education. Not much more than a decade ago a Google search for mindfulness and education would show the Garrison Institute Initiative for Contemplative Teaching and Learning at the top of the […]
There is a lot of discussion in the media currently about frustrated and disillusioned young people joining destructive movements because they want to belong, to make a difference. Commentators speculate that they are motivated by feelings of powerlessness, wanting to have an impact. Feeling that you have little control over your life can also lead […]
Astoundingly, there is recent evidence that babies come into the world with ‘a primitive number sense’! Scientists in the USA (Nuwer, 2013; Duke Today, 2013) have found that babies as young as six months of age notice the difference between screens containing 20 dots and those showing 10 dots. Babies are more intrigued by the […]
An experience a couple of week ago raised questions for me about educators’ awareness of children’s learning. I facilitated a professional learning session on babies’ and toddlers’ learning for around 100 educators. My aim was for participants to remind themselves about some of the less obvious important learning that occurs in the first two years […]
