Monday, November 30, 2009

Christmas is coming, the Goose is getting fat

With the end of the year rapidly approaching this is a busy time for Project Facilitators, we are well into three weeks of presentations by the teams we have been supporting over the year. This is always an exciting time for us as Facilitators as we get to hear the journeys teaching teams have taken over the year. We are often moved to tears by the shifts teachers have made in their practice and by the stories teachers share.
Tonight, I have been to the presentations from the ICT Leadership Strand I have worked alongside this year. Teachers have deepened their understandings of ICT and learnt alongside the children. Teachers have explored the use of the Digital Microscope, Online Gaming, I Can Animate, Skype, to name a few, embedding these into their programme keeping to the forefront learning and teaching.
With Christmas around the corner I have spent some time over the weekend getting the Lounge room ready for the festive season. The tree is up, the stockings are under the mantel and all is well...

Meri Kirihimete
Ngā mihi o te tau hou

Jo

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Welcome to our Blog

Welcome to the ELP Blog!! Our organisation (ELP) is moving into a period of considerable change. For the past decade, we have been involved as professional development providers with the New Zealand Ministry of Education, delivering professional development not only in our key regions (Taupo north) but across the entire country.

As the National government brings PD as we have know it to a close, we too are exploring our new and changing role in the area of professional education for early childhood teachers in NZ.

As a team we are both individually and collectively passionate about the work we do and believe the work does indeed make a difference for children and families and whanau in NZ.

We are keen in these changing times to increase the activity by setting up this Blog. Over the past few years, we have established a network of teachers, researchers and academics internationally, who we hope will also contribute to this site.

We would love this blog to provide another opportunity for those of us who are so passionate about their work to:

  • Reflect
  • Respond
  • Revisit
  • Reciprocate
  • Revise
  • Refresh
  • Renew
  • Rekindle and
  • Relearn

We look forward to sharing our thoughts and reflections with you all and hope this blog will develop into a vibrant community of shared experiences, deepening and enriching our knowledge and understanding of early childhood education, increasing our possibilities for advocacy and empowering teacher to provide much needed pedagogical leadership in uncertain times.

Kia kaha, kia manawanui