Mentoring advice part one – Working with children

We had the most overwhelming response to our recent give away where we asked you to share with us the one piece of advice or lesson learnt from a mentor that has influenced your teaching the most. We compiled your entries into lists, defined by category and filled with all of the best advice given to our Storypark users by their mentors...

/ April 27, 2016

No I am not alright! The development of emotional well-being of boys in ECE

At Storypark we like to share diverse opinions on our blog. This is a guest post from Garrett Kett who is an early childhood educator from Auckland New Zealand. Things were fairly simple back when men and women were only one step past the primate on the evolutionary chain. Men were the hunters, and women were the gatherers. That kind...

/ April 20, 2016

Improved communication has meant the need for less documentation at Royal Children’s Hospital Early Learning

“Storypark has cut down our documentation by half. It allows us to focus on relationships with children. There are no daily diaries, instead parents get to see, in real-time, the natural and genuine nature of the program.” – Courtney Caligiore, Educational Leader The Royal Children’s Hospital Early Learning in Melbourne, Australia was one of the first early childhood services to trial...

/ April 20, 2016

Storypark has changed our world at Bribie Island Community Kindergarten

      “The biggest benefit to our children has been that their parents engagement in their learning has increased. Overall, the children’s and the staff engagement with Mums, Dads and each other is amazing. They are all having discussions and talking about the children and their learning.” – Narelle Dawson, Director & Teacher At Bribie Island Community Kindergarten they place...

/ April 13, 2016

Who is documentation of children’s learning really for?

“The question in my mind is – who is documentation really for, at the end of the day who does it belong to? Is it a record for the child now or in the future? A tool for children to reflect on their recent learning? A way of sharing and engaging parents, family and communities in a child’s learning? Or...

/ April 13, 2016

How to get the most out of your study tour to Reggio Emilia

  No one in Reggio wants to teach others how to “do school.” What we seek to do rather is to try and deepen our understanding, together with others, of why it was possible in Reggio Emilia for an (educational) experience founded after the war, to grow and consolidate with time… What we want to do is look together for...

/ April 10, 2016

100% parent involvement at Killara Park Preschool

KU Killara Park Preschool has embraced innovation. They have worked closely over several years with Dr. Kate Highfield, an early years and technology expert, and they have thought a lot about how technology can fit within their play-based philosophy.   “My diverse, multicultural families are loving Storypark because a picture tells a thousand words. The photos really help them understand...

/ April 6, 2016

Moving from rostered duties, to a key child approach

To duty roster or not to duty roster, that is the question? During my 14-year teaching career, I have taught in a learning service WITH assigned duty rosters, and am currently working in a learning service WITHOUT duty rosters. When I started in my current learning service and was told there were no rosters I felt a little uneasy. “How...

/ March 15, 2016

Electronic portfolios in early childhood education: Parent-teacher communication

By Amanda Higgins A three paper thesis Submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Education Victoria University of Wellington 2015 Abstract  Electronic portfolios (ePortfolios) are a new phenomenon in early childhood education (ECE) and there is minimal existing research available on their use and effectiveness as a learning...

/ February 17, 2016

Alternative job description for early childhood teachers

You must have a warm, smiling face that makes every child feel special and loved. You must be able to laugh at jokes that you don’t understand, or you don’t find funny. Child humour can be a confusing minefield to navigate. You will preferably have a little bit of quirkiness. If a child requests that you be the captain of...

/ February 11, 2016