“An education is about the whole child, self esteem, resilience, awareness of the world. It is not just being schooled and reciting the alphabet. Education takes a life time.” - Kathy Walker
Welcome
Early Life Foundations
Early Life Foundations provides expertise and support to parents, educators and organisations to create optimal parenting, learning and educational environments for children birth to 12 years. The organisation prides itself on our knowledge base and expertise and maintaining an independent voice on the national and international stage for children’s development, teaching and learning, research and parenting.
Early Life Foundations recognises and acknowledges that to maximise opportunities for children, families and educators ongoing information, research and education is required. We are committed to the premise that enhancing opportunities in education and family life for children in their formative years helps create a strong foundation for adulthood.
Recent News
2013 National Tour Bookings Now Open
Date:
14 June 2013 Our National Tour professional development sessions are now available online through our 2013 Bookings page. (Internal Bookings | National Tour) The below cities & dates have now been confirmed. Venue details will be confirmed in the next few weeks. National Tour Professional Development Sessions include...
Walker Learning - Preschool to Year 2 Introduction Professional Development Session: Want to find out more about the Walker Learning Approach? The Walker Learning Approach (WLA) provides developmentally and culturally appropriate personalised learning for children from Preschool to Year 8. The WLA is an evidence-based pedagogy with 15 years of research validating its success at engaging children in real, relevant and meaningful learning. This session will provide a wonderful mix of the theoretical underpinnings of the approach alongside the key elements of practical application in the classroom from Preschool to Year 2. This session will include video and photo footage from schools using the WLA across the country. This session will be held in whole day and half day sessions - please check details for the session in your state.
Early Childhood - Want Your Life Back Professional Development Session: This professional development session will look at documentation and planning that doesn’t take your weekend away or interrupt your interactions with children! How did we arrive at a point where we are so busy taking photos and writing up stories and descriptions of children’s learning that it actually takes us away from our interactions, our scaffolding and our time with the children? This session presents a realistic and practical range of strategies to document and record information that links to the NQF expectations and is useful to share with parents and children but does not require huge amounts of time, ink, photos and writing!
Early Childhood - Intentional Teaching Through Play Professional Development Session: This professional development session provides practical ideas on how to plan and implement a program that reminds us that we are educators who promote skills and learning for children through a play-based curriculum using ‘intentional’ open-ended experiences. We don’t start planning from the children’s interests for the sake of it. We plan with intention and utilise children’s unique contexts, culture and interest as means to teaching and learning.
Cost of the National Tour professional development sessions: Walker Learning, Whole Day Introduction = $195 including morning and afternoon tea, Walker Learning, Half Day Introduction =$155 including morning/afternoon tea, Early Childhood, Half Day/Afternoon = $135 including afternoon tea. Information regarding exact venue locations will be confirmed soon. For more information or questions, please contact our National Tour Coordinator, Rachel Fox, at rachel@earlylife.com.au Please download the attached outline of sessions.
Attached files:
Early Life Foundations Conference - Special Study Tour & Cocktail Party
Date:
12 June 2013 We are looking forward to our special Study Tour & Cocktail Party on Friday, October 18 for Early Life Foundations 2013 Conference Registrants! The aim of the Walker Learning Approach Study Tour is to provide teachers with an exciting opportunity to visit best practice in early childhood and primary years (P-6) with a mix of the theory and practical application of personalised learning that enhances student engagement and provides a seamless transition from preschool to early years and primary education. The program will include observation of learning spaces in action with Focus Students, Investigations, Tuning In, Reflection, Class Meetings, Communication Boards and Education Research Projects. Teachers demonstrating the pedagogy will speak to the group about their learning journey and answer questions. The leadership teams will also speak from their perspectives about leading and implementing change. The group will visit the new Early Life Foundations Centre, the Zart Showroom and the Walker Learning Approach Demonstration Unit. The Cocktail Party will offer drinks, h’orderves and the opportunity to relax, listen to music and connect with teachers and leaders from across Australia. For more details, please give us a ring. To book in, please go to our 2013 Bookings page. Study Tour Cost: $275 per person (includes Cocktail Party). Please download attached flyer for more details.
Attached files:
Early Life Foundations Newsletter
Date:
2 June 2013 Early Life Foundations publishes 4 free newsletters each year. The newsletter is available electronically and in hard copy; it can be downloaded by all subscribers at no cost. The newsletter is for professionals and parents across early childhood and primary years and provides a variety of different topics, issues and handy hints. The newsletter contains information including parent supports, current issues and information on the Walker Learning Approach. Please download our latest newsletter through the "Our Newsletters" page.
Early Life Foundations Centre in Melbourne
Date:
28 May 2013 Did you know that the Early Life Foundations Centre has a Demonstration Unit? If you have the opportunity to come visit us in Melbourne, at the end of last year we opened our brand new training facility in Brighton, Victoria - The Early Life Foundations Centre. Our Demonstration Unit at the Centre is especially set up as an early childhood/early years learning environment for anyone working with young children to visit, and gain a first hand experience of how to establish and provide specific play-based, learning provocations, materials and resources for young children. In addition, we also have specific ideas and demonstration of aspects of middle and upper primary years elements. All of our professional development sessions are run at the Centre so that you can observe & experience our learning areas. Need a venue for your next professional development day or committee meeting? Give us ring for customised sessions at our Centre!
Early Life Foundations Conference
Date:
27 May 2013 Don't forget to visit the Conference page for more details on our upcoming inaugural Early Life Foundations Conference this October! Registrations are coming in from all over Australia! If you are committed to authentically personalising learning, this conference is a must! The program offers an interactive day with high quality international and national speakers who will provide thought provoking theory and practice underpinning authentic personalised learning. This conference will inspire educators to think of the child beyond the academic and that the child comes with a context of the self, peers, family, culture and the broader community. Early bird registration is happening now!