EY Connect - Nov 2023 issue

Morning everyone

It has been such a busy November! After last week's Hillside IB evaluation grind, I find myself asking the question, what next? We as educators spend so much of our time talking, doing, moving around, that it really is a luxury to slow down.. absorb the quietness, and think. In this necessary thinking, we reflect on what happened previously, how we're feeling now, and consider possible directions that lie ahead. The Early Years Conference coming up in February is definitely on my mind, I hope you are looking forward to it as much as I am! Post-pandemic I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to reconnect with ESF colleagues in the early years space.   

Side note: I just realized I'd accidentally deleted the Oct EY Connect issue and am rather devastated 😢, but hey ho let's move on. 

1 REFLECTION

Our IB evaluation team summed up their experience by attributing Hillside to these values: authenticity, diversity, fairness, and trust. Whilst these are worthwhile values in and of itself, what really stood out to me is that someone looking in from the outside recognized the importance and necessity of values. What do we stand for, and how can we support our school community to understand and live these beliefs and values? 

I can think of some common tensions when values don't align with practice:

  • A parent wants their child to develop independence, but yet find it hard to let go and instead dictate their routines and play
  • A teacher highly values learner agency, but find it challenging to deviate from the written plan 
  • A leader who wants to give teachers a high degree of autonomy, but feels constrained by the curriculum 
What values do you hold as an educator? What values do you want to cultivate in your classroom? And most importantly, what actions/practices are you implementing to uphold these values?

1 IDEA


In Peps Mccrea's newsletter this week, he explores intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation. The ideal for children to be motivated intrinsically, so we might be tempted to try everything else first before whipping out sticker charts, marble jars, etc. 

But what does the research show? 
"Extrinsic forms of motivation ... are great at quickly getting the ball rolling, which can, over time, be used to build intrinsic motivation via repeated success, growth in knowledge, and sustained immersion in a positive culture. In theory, the ideal would be to transition off extrinsic sources as intrinsic motivation grows. A kind of motivational handover." 

In the coming weeks, he will be sharing more about how to use extrinsic rewards effectively. Follow him here.

1 RESOURCE


I went to the ADE conference a couple weekends ago and saw some fantastic presentations around early years and the use of technology. One big takeaway is the use of stop motion for storytelling. I had a play around with it myself too!


If you want to give it a try, download the Stop Motion app and watch a couple of tutorials to get you started. Here's a great example of stop motion that can serve as a provocation to get the children engaged and curious :)

Here are a couple of EY tech educators I started following on X:
@PanaAsavavatana
@ryanstrutin

1 WELLBEING


1 QUESTION

I've been reading the book Choice Words by Peter Johnson. It's fantastic, full of case studies and language that educators can use to push thinking and raise children's awareness of their own learning. Two questions in particular stood out for me:
"Which part are you sure about and which part are you not sure about?"

"Yes, you did have trouble with that, but I really like the way you are challenging yourself." 

How important it is to acknowledge the struggle and actually name it! This is an incredibly powerful way to help a child 'notice and name', and gradually build up a growth mindset.  

EY Connect is going to take a pause next month. I wish everyone a productive end of term and a well-deserved winter break 🎄

Until next time,
Brenda 

Currently reading:
Choice Words (How Our Language Affects Children's Learning) by Peter Johnson
What Are Preschoolers Thinking? by Judith A. Schickedanz, Molly F. Collins, Catherine Marchant 

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