Carol has over 40 years experience in early childhood and has seen many changes in legislation, programming, environments, and practice during that time. Her own childhood in the King Country has left her with lasting happy memories which are brought to life again through current theory on the importance of play for young children in developing the skills, knowledge and dispositions which enable them to meet the challenges of an uncertain world.
“ELP has been intertwined in my teaching since 2001 and this has impacted on my practice as I have worked alongside children and families. Working with ICTs to enhance learning has been an interest over the past few years and I was chosen as an e-learning fellow in 2006. Gaming is an area where I continue to explore learning possibilities for young children.”
Statement on my interest in quality teaching and learning
I am committed to helping early childhood teachers to reflect and strengthen their teaching practice and strive to improve learning outcomes for children. By better understanding the importance of documenting high quality assessment through internal evaluation, I can help teachers enhance learning outcome for children. Pedagogical leadership is vital for the implementation of learning cultures within centres where children and teachers can flourish within a culture of care and respect and knowledge of good practice and it is my intention to support learning communities to grow their competence. I am committed to my own ongoing professional development and continue to keep abreast of current theory and practice.
Strengthening Early Learning Opportunites (SELO) for the Ministry of Education
I have worked across all SELO programmes for the Ministry of Education, supporting teachers to establish inquiry through internal evaluation. Strengthening a bicultural curriculum founded on Te Tiriti o Waitangi, supporting kaiako working with Infants and Toddlers, strengthening the kaupapa and values using the Ministry documents and the metaphors embedded in these has led to teaching teams having a better understanding of ‘wise practice’ within early childhood.
Strengthening Kaupapa Māori
Over recent years this has been a strong focus within my work. Strengthening a bi-cultural framework using internal evaluation that has been implemented with teaching teams using inquiry. l have worked alongside Māori and Pasifika teachers and whānau in Mangere, Rotorua, Kawerau and Te Kuiti. lt is very important to form partnerships with whānau to strengthen bi-cultural development. Ensuring success for Māori tamariki to achieve educational success as Māori as well as recognising the potential of these children underpins my relationships with kaiako and whānau. My mokopuna whakapapa to Ngati Awa and Ngati Pikiao.
Working with lnfants and Toddlers
Over the past six years, supporting teachers to strengthen Iearning for lnfants and Toddlers has been an important part of my practice. I have facilitated clusters within Whakatane, South Auckland and Kawerau and the King Country to work alongside teachers to strengthen learning environments and daily practices that make a difference to the happiness and learning of infants, strengthening attachments and the ability to explore inside and outdoors in challenging and inviting settings so the neurons in the brain will be set alight and learning is seen as rewarding and fun.
Planning and Assessment
Helping teachers to work on planning children’s individual learning pathways and extending these over time and making children’s interests and strengths central to programme planning is important and also strengthening teacher’s understanding of the importance of dispositional learning in this uncertain world as well as knowledge and skills is a strength of mine. Helping teachers to reflect on ensuring that the principles and strands of Te Whāriki underpin practice is part of inquiry practice.
Curriculum
Working alongside teachers to strengthen their understanding about 21st century learning and for dispositional learning to be recognised as very important learning in today’s world but also to strengthen skills and knowledge. This twenty-first century world is looking for learners who look for possibilities and to realise that effort and practice brings success so to help teachers create learning environments that makes this learning the norm is important to me. Formal and informal assessment is central to curriculum and pedagogy and ensures quality learning opportunities for children when shared between teachers and whānau that results in shared understandings of practice. By revisiting the importance of play with teachers and the adult role in scaffolding and supporting children while allowing play to belong to the players we can challenge our thinking and our roles that allow children to be engaged with others in complex thinking, so they are forming and strengthening their working theories. Helping teachers to understand the need to modify routines to provide children with greater opportunities for uninterrupted play and to support children to investigate, strengthen their own learning and knowledge through play is such an important role within my work
