We all know play is important. It is the work of children, “the right of children,” the vehicle that supports their learning and the tool educators utilise to scaffold development.However, many educators struggle to articulate the importance of play to families and communities in a way which conveys the intrinsic need of a child to play, and the relevance of play to a child’s development of life long skills and ways of being.

Join us at the 2015 ‘Celebrating Educators Conference’ to hear from experts and practitioners on this very important topic. Participate in professional conversations, reflect on new ideas and contemporary theories, network with other Education and Care Professionals.

You will come away from this conference with a new respect for play, renewed passion and a deeper understanding of the value and validation of play.

CELEBRATING EDUCATORS CONFERENCE 2015

THE VALUE AND VALIDATION OF PLAY

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

Education City Cnr Education City Drive and Sinnathamby Boulevard SPRINGFIELD CENTRAL Qld 4300

31 JANUARY

2015

Where

Proudly in Association with

PHONE 1800 112 585info@workforce.org.au www.workforce.org.au

The Inclusion and Professional Support Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.

Proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government

KEYNOTE: WHY PLAY? THE RHETORIC, RESEARCH AND REALITY - JOY LUBAWY

It seems that learning through play for small children has been and still is under threat. Why do we need to keep advocating? Are we at risk of being undermined? What is the hurry and why? There is a lot of recent research into the essential nature of playful learning and environments, and Joy will bring some of this research to life with real examples and stories from the field!

KEYNOTE: PLAY - IT’S IN YOUR DNA - PENNIE BROWNLEE

Nature wouldn’t programme the whole curriculum of intelligences into every child and then ‘forget’ to code in a way for those intelligences to unfold. Play is the way intelligences unfold in human beings - simple as that. In the last few decades research studies on play have led to an understanding of play’s role in children’s emotional, intellectual, physical, social and spiritual health. Fortunately, infants and children do not need to read the research to know this; they know it with every cell in their bodies.

BIG PLAY, GROOVY PLAY, ACTIVE PLAY: CATCHING A MOMENT TO MOVE THROUGH PLAY - ALICE BROWN

This action packed session provides a range of ideas and suggestions about how to find moments in a busy day for active play, to move and have fun, no matter what the age group! Bring lots of energy to this session, and wear comfortable clothes so you can join me in moving and grooving and actively playing.

CONTEMPORARY PLAY AND LEARNING POSSIBILITIES FOR BABIES AND TODDLERS - CAROLINE FEWSTER

In creating contemporary play and learning possibilities educators can promote intentional teaching that accompanies and extends active play and learning. Educators can engage in intentional provisioning of materials and interactions that enhance play and learning experiences. Drawing inspiration from many contemporary approaches to early childhood education this program explores the concept of the physical environment designed specifically for babies and toddlers to ‘invite them to experience’. Participants will explore how the use of materials and spaces can invite the child to interact, awaken their curiosity and invoke a sense of wonder through a rich multitude of play experiences.

RECLAIMING THE OUTDOOR CHILDHOOD: A SEARCH FOR BALANCE BETWEEN TECHNOLOGY USE, SCREEN TIME AND OUTDOOR PLAY - HYAHNO MOSER

We are in the middle of the single greatest cultural shift in the way our children play, moving from a largely outdoor childhood, to one spent mostly indoors; sedentary and surrounded by technology.

The Nature Play QLD program aims to reverse that with practical, resource based programs, that have already proven successful in other parts of Australian in encouraging children to swap “screen time” for “green time”.

This session explores dimensions related to the declining use of outdoor spaces in early childhood. Participants will be invited to look at ways to engage children in unstructured outdoor play and brainstorm potential applications within their educational setting.

An expanding body of scientific evidence shows unstructured play in nature, “nature play”, delivers significant benefits to a child’s health, cognitive, social and emotional development, and helps children develop vital life skills such as resilience and creativity.

BUILDING A PLAYBASED PROGRAM TO CAPTURE THE EXTRA IN THE ORDINARY - ROD SOPER

Play with purpose shifts educators thinking to a space where they can capture creative and critical thinking in order to build capacity in every child. This session will provide an introduction to the play with purpose thinking framework and offer a hands on planning session which implements the principles of play with purpose.

WHAT DOES PLAY LOOK LIKE IN A SERVICE OF EXCELLENCE - QLD SERVICES OF EXCELLENCE

Each service and community is unique, how each of these services value and validate play is guided by the strengths, interests and values of each team, child, family and community.

Engage in a reflective professional conversation with representatives from QLD’S Education and Care services who have been awarded by ACECQA with an Excellence rating.

This session is an opportunity to gain an insight into what play may look and feel like in a service of excellence. It will explore the thinking, planning and reflections of Education and Care professionals whose choices value and validate play and the role of play for children’s development and learning.

THE PATTERNS OF PLAY, NATURALLY - PENNIE BROWNLEE

“Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners.” John Holt

This workshop looks at the universal (predictable) patterns coded into the human child, and how those patterns express themselves. We look at the role of the patterns in unfolding the child’s intelligences. Recognising, understanding, and supporting these patterns leads to true child-led learning.

CELEBRATING EDUCATORS CONFERENCE 2015

The Program

Proudly in Association with

PHONE 1800 112 585info@workforce.org.au www.workforce.org.au

The Inclusion and Professional Support Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.

Proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government

JOY LUBAWYJoy Lubawy is an author (10 publications), former teaching director (NSW Preschools) part-time academic (writer and marker Charles Sturt University and Federation University, Ballarat) and advocate. For the last 10 years she has been travelling extensively within Australia and New Zealand talking about her passions, young children, creativity and respect! Before that

she worked (at the coalface) with young children for just on 30 years! She is known for her compassion, passion and sense of humour. She is affectionately known as “The Enthusiasm Express” (coined by Former deputy PM Mark Vaile).

ALICE BROWN

Alice Brown is an experienced lecturer and researcher in active play, health and early childhood education at the University of Southern Queensland. She has been the recipient of several teaching and learning awards and fellowship grants and was runner up for Australian lecturer of the Year. She has 25 years’ experience teaching in a range of school and early

childhood settings. Alice‘s philosophy on the importance of developing lifelong health and well-being habits is not only grounded in theory and research but also on a wealth of experience. She is a published author and has recently celebrated the release of her new book co-authored by Joanne Landy titled ‘Kids with More Zip‘. Her passion and advocacy for early childhood is infectious and her dynamic presentation skills ensure that she is a sought after conference speaker.

CAROLINE FEWSTER

Caroline Fewster is an Early Childhood academic, author and presenter. Caroline most recently set up the Children’s Services’ degree program at Bond University. As an Early Childhood Education Consultant, Caroline works extensively with many Children’s Services throughout Australia, developing customised professional development

programs for early childhood practitioners.

Since 2000, Caroline has presented workshops and programs at a variety of state, national and international Early Childhood conferences. In 2006, Caroline received the prestigious Carrick Institute Award for innovative and collaborative approaches to student learning in “the field of children’s services”.

Feedback from Children’s Services’ organisations indicates the success of her workshops and the ‘wonderful, practical and creative ideas’ she brings.

HYAHNO MOSELike most children of his generation, Hyahno spent most of his leisure time outside, therefore it came as no surprise to his family when he choose a career in Outdoor Education. For 10 years, Hyahno was involved in devising, facilitating, teaching and leading young people through world-class, outdoor education programs, using adventure and nature to

teach children vital life-skills. Hyahno is the founding Program Manager of Nature Play QLD which was launched in May. He is passionate about getting children to trade their “screen time” for “green time” and believes the Nature Play program is a positive and practical way to ensure children participate in unstructured play in nature, delivering the myriad of benefits this type of play offers their physical and emotional health.

ROD SOPER

Rod is the Co-founder and Director at Thinkers.inq, an early years school for 3-5 year olds. Rod has held a range of senior positions including the Head of Primary Years, Director of a preschool and was the senior associate in Australia’s leading consulting firm to the early education and care sector. His expertise and research interests include creative and

critical thinking, purposeful teaching and learning and transformational learning environments. Rod is passionate about building a community of transformational educators and leaders which changes the way children think, feel and learn about themselves and their world.

PENNIE BROWNLEE

Pennie is a self professed ‘big kid at heart’ who owes her understanding of the vital role play in education to her time in Playcentre (the NZ Parent cooperative preschool service) with her daughter Clare many moons ago. Her love of the outdoors has always been a factor in her teaching, but with recent developments on the planet, she understands we can no longer chance

it that children will learn to master self-directed play, or to love the outdoors. She has convened three “Sacred Urge to Play” conferences for teachers to this end, and she is the author of “Magic Places: the adults’ guide to young children’s creativity”

REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE FOLLOWING QUEENSLAND SERVICES OF EXCELLENCE

• Bribie Island Community Kindergarten

• Bundaberg Baptist Family Day Care Scheme Inc

• Condy Park Pre School and Kindergarten

• John Paul College Outside School Hours Care

• Karana Early Education Centre

• Wynnum Family Day Care

The Speakers

The Workforce Council acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original inhabitants of Australia and recognises these unique cultures as part of the cultural heritage of all Australians. We pay our respect to the Elders of this land; past, present and future.

CELEBRATING EDUCATORS CONFERENCE 2015

Proudly in Association with

PHONE 1800 112 585info@workforce.org.au www.workforce.org.au

The Inclusion and Professional Support Program is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.

Proudly funded and supported by the Queensland Government

STATEWIDE CALENDAR

BNE - AS (9227)

REGISTRATION FORM & TAX INVOICE

ABN: 32 330 317 817

Celebrating Educators ConferenceSaturday 31 January 2015, 8.00am- 4.30pm

University of Southern Queensland (Springfield), Corner of Education City Drive & Sinnathamby Boulevard, Springfield Central

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Breakout Sessions

Big Play, Groovy Play, Active Play: Catching a Moment to Move Through Play - Presented by Alice Brown

Contemporary Play and Learning Possibilities for Babies and Toddlers - Presented by Caroline Fewster

Reclaiming the Outdoor Childhood: A Search for Balance Between Technology Use, Screen Time and Outdoor Play - Presented by Hyahno MoserBuilding a Playbased Program to Capture the Extra in the Ordinary - Presented by Rod Soper

The Patterns of Play: Naturally - Presented by Pennie Brownlee

What Does Play Look Like in a Service of Excellence - Presented by Queensland Services of Excellence

Participants will be able to attend 3 out of the 6 breakout sessions on the day. Numbers for breakout sessions are limited, we will try our best to register participants in their preferred sessions.