Category: Educator Professional Development
Articles and resources to support educators professional growth and development
The role of men in teaching young children
Men in early childhood education are a minority, not just in New Zealand but around the world. We spoke with Dr David Brody a Lecturer, Author, Academic Dean and Head of Early Childhood at Efrata College in Israel about his research and findings on the topic of men who teach young children. Dr Brody provides us with an international perspective...
Even more quick tips for getting the most out of Storypark
Add colour to your stories The story editor has options that allow you to add coloured backgrounds, coloured borders on images, as well as font types, weights and colours to support you in creating a story that is visually appealing. You could use different colours or fonts to highlight each child’s voice or the assessment within a story. Resource link...
More tips for getting the most out of Storypark
There are a whole range of ways you can get the most out of Storypark! The following are a list of tips and suggestions to help you and your team get the most out of Storypark. Each tip links to a help centre resource, and these can be shared with your team all at once or one-by-one over time. Create your...
Tips for getting the most out of Storypark
There are a whole range of ways you can get the most out of Storypark! The following are a list of tips and suggestions to help you and your team get the most out of Storypark. Each tip links to a help centre resource, and these can be shared with your team all at once or one-by-one over time. Share resources...
Mat Time chats at the 53rd Annual ECNZ Conference 2016
Did you attend the 2016 Te Rito Maioha conference this year? Missed some talks that you really wanted to see? Well we’ve got that for you! Watch this highlights reel of some of the fabulous speakers who presented. And while you’re there, you really should subscribe to the Storypark YouTube channel for early learning inspiration. We share regular videos to...
Including all children – the criteria is breathing
Recently on our new early learning web series “Mat Time” we interviewed Janet Dixon, who is an early learning educator and mentor, as well as a researcher, author and advocate for including all children. We talked to Janet about the skills early childhood teachers already have to be inclusive of all children and to be supportive of the families of...
Supporting a child’s transition from kindergarten to school
Recently on our new early learning web series “Mat Time” we interviewed Carol Hartley, who is the head teacher at Mangere Bridge Kindergarten in Auckland, New Zealand. Carol was part of a 10 year research project about supporting children from early childhood to primary school, and helped author a book on transitions called ‘Crossing The Border – a community negotiates...
Reading with children to improve communication and early literacy skills
Recently on our new early learning web series “Mat Time” we interviewed speech and language therapist Amanda White about using books to develop communication and literacy skills. Amanda told us that it’s never too early to start reading with children and babies, and shared some really helpful tips for both educators and parents about how to make reading enjoyable, as...
Documenting your continuous professional learning
Being a teacher can also mean being a learner. You need to be able to make observations and capture reflections on what you learn as part of your teaching practice, as well as what the outcomes for children have been. Continuous professional learning is an important part of any vocation, especially so when nurturing the futures of so many young...
Mentoring advice part three – your words
In our third and final article focusing on advice imparted on educators by their mentors, we have a wonderful collection of your own words and personal stories. We have no doubt that they will inspire you in different ways and we hope you find something that speaks to you. One mentor told me to look at my teaching and learning philosophy regularly as...