CONTRIBUTING TO  PEDAGOGICAL CHANGE

“…bearing the fruits of our connection, imagination,
 curiosity, ideas and feedback”

This one day symposium has been designed to celebrate educators’ extraordinary work and professional commitment, and to recognise that educators are each other’s greatest source for professional learning and development.

Participants will hear stories of transforming practice from educators, teachers and school leaders. Each will share their experiences and reasons for transforming, the processes and strategies used to transform their practice and the impact on them, their children and their school community.

The presentations will include supported playgroups, schools transforming their transition-to-Reception approaches and schools and preschools using research as a strategy for learning and collaborating.  Participants will have the opportunity to choose the presentations they wish to attend.

Key-Note Speaker - Dr Gerry Mulhearn

"Contributions of pedagogical leaders: 
looking back, looking forward, looking in and looking out"

In acknowledging the contributions of pedagogical leaders I will first consider what is meant by pedagogical leadership, particularly in the context of early childhood education and CESA’s values.

I will look at the four parts of the sub-title, initially outlining some of the contributions of pedagogical leaders in the very early stages of establishing early childhood education in Australia, thinking about who they were, what they did, and what legacy they may have left us. In doing this I will suggest some current and future issues that we as pedagogical leaders can acknowledge and act upon.

I argue that in understanding the children and families with whom we work we also need to consider their aspirations and how we might act to enact ethical practice and responses. I will introduce two frameworks (Tronto, 1993, 2010; Mulhearn 2017) that can be used individually or in groups to stimulate deeper critical thinking about aspects of pedagogical leadership.

Finally, we will consider an image relating to building relationships between children, families and educators in order to strengthen joint commitments to common goals.