Reflect , Respect, Relate Nikki Edwards Gowrie Training Centre

Where certainty and facts were once synonymous with ‘being knowledgeable’, now it is attitudes and dispositions that many in both business and education see as the important prerequisites for effective participation in a diverse and changing world. (Keesing-Styles and Hodges (eds) 2007)

The resource foregrounds the importance of, and ways to promote wellbeing, a strong sense of connection, optimism, and engagement in learning- all of which are the lasting critical qualities that will enable children to embrace learning and life with hope, agency, and compassion and make a difference.

Reflect To motivate, to be a starting point for reflection. To provoke questions as we plan for, support and monitor children’s learning. To support professional confidence, inquiry and transformative practices

Respect For families and communities- Their diversity, their richness and the aspirations they hold for their children. For children- Their capacities and interests, their right to worthwhile learning experiences, their innate eagerness to learn and to socialise. For educators- Their professional standing, their complex roles as teachers, carers and learners and their contribution to new understandings

Relate Relationships are the ‘active ingredients’ of an environments influence on healthy development. Relationships engage children in the human community in ways that help them define who they are, what they can become, and how and why they are important to other people. National Scientific Council of the Developing Child, 2004

The resource gives you the ‘big ideas’ of inquiry and action/practitioner research as a type of reflection. The resources provides scales that allow systematic and transferable observation scores as a type of data collection Electronic copies of voices and vision from the community (some of us learn best by looking) CD’s to inspire and inform The history of theory and philosophy in Early Childhood

The four ‘big ideas’ 1 The interactions that take place between children and adults- The Relationships scale 2 Educator’s pedagogy (the art of teaching)- The Active Learning Environment Scale 3 Children’s wellbeing during their time in the setting- The Wellbeing Scale 4 Children’s involvement in the curriculum (everything!!)- The Involvement Scale

A niggle, a wondering, a hunch Which scale/s most closely relates to your niggle? Become familiar with the scale and the language used in it Use the scale to gather data Analyse and reflect on the data What questions does this raise? Develop an inquiry question based on your analysis and the questions raised.

The research spiral Choose an issue Gather data and look for patterns Begin to frame a question Refine your research question Decide on a time frame for data collection Analyse data and decide on changes Evaluate the change Start the cycle again

Practicalities of making observations- Footage Still photos Scaler Intuition Calibration ‘Living’ with the signals and indicators Commonality and Agreement