Documenting and assessing the learning experience helps us gain a deeper understanding of children’s interests, abilities and strengths, which can be used to extend and support your educational program.
Our brand-new Learning Hub, accessible through the FDCA Member Zone, holds over 25 online courses that can be completed from the comfort of your own home and are directly linked to the National Quality Standard and the Early Years Learning Framework.
Today we shine a light on two key courses on the Learning Hub that cover documenting and assessing - Documenting and Assessing Children’s Learning (Part I) and Delving Deeper into Documenting and Assessing (Part II).
Dr Anne Kennedy, Early Childhood Consultant and Researcher
“The Early Years Learning Framework explains that assessing children’s learning should be part of the normal planning cycle” – Dr Anne Kennedy.
Part I and II of Documenting and Assessing are presented by Dr Anne Kennedy, an early childhood consultant and researcher who participated in the revision of Early Childhood Australia’s (ECA) Code of Ethics in 2006 and 2016.
Over the course of her impressive career she has worked in collaboration with ECA to produce a range of resources for early childhood educators and staff, and currently serves on the boards of The Front Project and The Australian Education Research Organisation.
Uncover, Unpack, Understand
In Documenting and Assessing Part I and II, guided by Dr Kennedy, you will learn a range of skills including:
Part I and II also contain a range of additional resources and "delve deeper" materials to utilise in your business and cement your professional development.
With NAIDOC Week 2022 coming to an end, we're reminded that every day is an opportunity to Get Up, Show Up and Stand Up for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and contributions.
We’ve been flooded with photos and videos from members sharing their NAIDOC week celebrations, activities and events, and supporting their fellow educators to embed Indigenous voices, achievements and perspectives into their educational programs.
We encourage all of our members to visit the following websites and pages, in addition to reaching out to local Elders and knowledge-holders in your communities:
SNAICC-National Voice for our Children
You can also find a series of educational resources on the official NAIDOC website here.
Tickets are still available for the biggest family day care event of 2022 and can be purchased at the early bird rate that has been locked in, supporting more members to access an unmissable professional learning opportunity
To purchase your tickets, click here
A one stop shop with all your conferencing needs
The FDCA 2022 National Conference will give you access to an amazing range of sector experts
With 24 workshops to choose from there will be no shortage in choice!
You can view the workshop summaries on the conference website and click here to download the conference program
Not only will you have access to wealth of quality content during the conference, you will also be able to access a number of industry leading suppliers of products and services in the exhibition hall
To view a list of the conference exhibitors, click here
Make your great escape!
If access to an amazing conference program and exhibition isn’t enough, the conference is taking place in one of the world’s most beautiful destinations, Tasmania.
Click here to find out more about our 2022 conference destination and start planning your great escape!
Covid-19 refund guarantee
Don’t forget, your conference ticket comes backed with a peace of mind guarantee: any members who are unable to attend the conference due to COVID-19 related circumstances will receive a FULL refund on their ticket purchase.
For many family day care educators, each day is a balance between connection and learning, and the necessities of education and care tasks: nappy changing, feeding, washing, the list goes on!
A recent article from Early Childhood Australia’s (ECA) The Spoke blog follows the journey of one early learning centre, to explore how mealtimes can go beyond filling children’s bellies to become a ritual celebrating belonging and learning.
Author Toni Christie defines rituals as ‘a powerful way of using gestures, actions and behaviour to bring positive energy and intention to our daily rhythms’. Provoked by this statement, the team at The Learning Terrace in NSW developed a series of questions to articulate the meaning of mealtimes:
Over time, these questions prompted the introduction of new, intentional behaviours: sharing stories with children during meal times using the tastes and smells of food as a prompt, creating unique placemats and coasters with the children’s input, allowing children to talk about their bodies cues for hunger and satiety.
Despite the simplicity of the exercise, the impact has been great, with mealtimes becoming a much loved part of the day for educators and children at The Learning Terrace.
We encourage you to reflect on your own mealtime practices and consider what opportunities might be present to make it a moment of increased joy and connection. You may wish to reflect on the above questions or develop your own!
To read the full article, visit The Spoke blog here.
The FDCA Facebook page is your one-stop shop for sector news and media updates, along with information on important events and the latest initiatives for our members.
Make sure to like and follow the page for your weekly dose of all things family day care.
We’ve recently hit over 40 thousand followers, giving us even more opportunities to promote the fantastic work that comes out of our sector.
Our Facebook page is also another way to connect with the team here at FDCA. Share your recent activities with us or send us a question, we’d love to hear from you!