Venue: Management School, University of Waikato
Rooms: ELT G.01 or PWC (MSB1.04) or AG.30
Time: 7.00pm to 9.00pm

Bookings: please email the enrolment form to
Janelle Riley (admin@elp.co.nz)

Download the Lecture Series Hamilton flyer here

16th February
Jo Colbert - It's not about the Game: How ICT Builds Learning Power

In Early Childhood settings ICT is often seen as a tool children use, it is timely to now take a deeper look at the learning that happens for children and adults when ICT is woven through daily practice in authentic ways. Guy Claxton refers to Building Learning Power, where children (and adults) feel a growing sense of achievement, and become steadily more resilient, resourceful and reflective... ICT can be the vehicle for children and adults to build learning power.

Venue: ELT G.01, Management School, University of Waikato

16th March
Lorraine Sands - Opening the Doors to Mathematics and Literacy...

What teachers ‘do’ matters. If the doors are closed and the books are on the shelves where is the potential to mix things up and find innovative solutions? This workshop explores the ways teachers and children can collaborate on meaningful investigations to grow children’s literacy and mathematical potential wherever it occurs. Being a mathematician, being an engineer, being a poet...are powerful ways to learn to love to learn when they are embedded in meaningful contexts. Teachers can choose to lock those doors or shift the handles to children’s height. How brave can we be?

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

20th April
Prof Margaret Carr (University of Waikato) - Learning Pathways and Learning Journeys in the Early Years: Opportunities and Responsibilities

This lecture will argue that education in Aotearoa/New Zealand has a unique opportunity to create learning pathways that are paved with opportunities to develop and strengthen some important outcomes. Margaret will talk about three of these outcomes - resilience, relationships, and imagination – and tackle the following two questions. ‘What are learners doing as they navigate their ways along these pathways?’ and ‘How can teachers and new technologies assist with this?’

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

18th May
Wendy Lee - Sustainable Leadership - a Pathway to Transformational Change in ECE

At no other time has the significance of building sustainable leadership been so important. This seminar will explore the principles of sustainable leadership; sharing and discussing practical ways in which this might be achieved in an early childhood setting. Sustainable leadership comes from within learning communities where teachers are passionate about learning and teaching. Distributed leadership provides one of the much needed pathways for sustainable leadership. If you work towards integrating the principles of sustainable leadership you will make powerful and transformational changes in your early childhood setting.

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

15th June
Carol Hartley, Pat Rogers, Jemma Smith (Mangere Bridge Kindergarten, COI project) - Transition to School

Transition to school in New Zealand is often seen as “orientation”. However in their Centre of Innovation research the team from Mangere Bridge Kindergarten expanded this very narrow interpretation by exploring strategies to enhance children’s transition experiences and to develop relationships with two local schools. The teaching team will report on some aspects of their journey illustrating the value of collaborative enterprise in the building of reciprocal, responsive, respectful transition relationships.

Venue:AG.30, School of Maori and Pacific Development, University of Waikato

20th July
Karen Ramsey (Roskill South Kindergarten, Leader COI project - Stories of Interest: Beyond the Notion of Planning

Karen Ramsey headed the Roskill South Kindergarten Centre of Innovation Project on integrating ICT in ECE.  It was in this setting, that the first ‘planning stories’ were developed. This work has continued to progress as they looked more closely at their pedagogical documentation, the work on planning for children’s learning is now  identified as ‘Stories of Interest’. Come along and listen to Karen’s journey as she talks about the significant changes that are re-shaping notions of planning.

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

17th August
Julie Killick - Cultivating Powerful Teacher Presence

Being present is not as easy as you might think! How often have you arrived somewhere and suddenly realised that you have very little recollection of the journey? Or maybe you reach for that cup of tea only to discover you have already drunk it? Where were you? Where are you moment to moment when you are teaching? This workshop explores cultivating powerful teacher presence, and quality engagement with children.

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

21st September
Kathryn Delany - On the Mat - Wrestling with the BIG ONE!

“Mat times”, “Group times”, “Circle times”, “Meeting times” and “Whānau times” feature largely in our early learning centre programmes and fill the curriculum. This presentation will wrestle with ideas on teachers’ learning intentions and possible learning outcomes for children.

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

19th October
Alison Brierley - Don't Leave Town 'til You've Seen the Country - Te Whāriki in the 21st Century

Te Whāriki is a New Zealand treasure, well known and embraced around the world. This lecture looks again at Te Whāriki, the unique learning context that it encompasses and the ways the principles are still as relevant and applicable as they were 10 years ago. Stories from near and far will be shared with opportunities to look again at this wonderful and inspired curriculum.

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato

16th November
Robyn Lawrence - Bicultural Perspectives

Looking behind the mirror, and listening to other peoples’ stories. Remembering the narratives we live in, that shape our lives and our thinking, underpinning our understandings of a bicultural world. Robyn will address the following question in her lecture. How could valuing family narratives increase and sustain the participation of Māori families and whānau in the early childhood education of their children?

Venue: PWC (MSB1.04), Management School, University of Waikato