Australian Education and Care Workforce Professional Body (ECW)

Register online for ANY of our Professional Learning and Development events or complete a registration form  and send to admin@aecwpb.com to pay by direct credit or request an invoice.

• Our Professional Development and Learning opportunities are responsive to the sector. So keep an eye on this page as new events are being added in response to the professions needs.
• Don’t worry if there is not an event near you – just let us know what you would like and we can bring it to you
• Have you considered hosting a Professional Development and Learning opportunity? As a host you and two colleagues can attend for FREE

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Dates and Locations

Call us on 1300 AEC WPB to discuss your professional development needs.  We are here to help you to identify and find quality affordable professional development that will meet your needs.

https://www.aecwpb.com/contact/

FREE 4 Educators

VIC 

Yarrawonga  Cobram

NSW 

Merrylands

QLD

Toowoomba, Acacia Ridge, Golden Beach, Bribie Island, Caboolture, Beenleigh, Carrara, Booval

Educators Anonymous – Networking and Support for Educators

Disclaimer:
This is not a support group for Educators with a Pinterest addiction.

Educators Anonymous is space for educators to learn from each other and to grow together in knowledge, skills and confidence.

It is a networking and support group for educators to be able to share their practices, their challenges and their successes in a supportive environment free from judgement. A space to find common ground and to connect with peers. A place for connection and reflection where Educators can share their stories, build professional relationships, seek and share information and support from peers and be a mentor or support to your peers.

The use of the term anonymous in this space relates to an individual’s right to Anonymity, to be able to speak openly and honestly about their success, challenges and practices free from judgement in the knowledge that what is shared in this space is shared under a veil of privacy and confidentiality for the purpose of professional growth..

We hope you can join us.

Words Words Words

This workshop will provide educators with the knowledge needed to support young children’s language development. Educators can and do make a difference for children……. What you say, and how you listen to young children will have an effect.

Information about typical milestone development, red flags and ways to create incidental teaching opportunities will be presented. Resources and activity ideas will be shared and question time will ensure educators receive the information they need.

Karyn Johns

with Karyn Johns

Karyn Johns is a Speech Language Pathologist who has worked with children and families since 1989 years both interstate and on the Gold Coast. She has additional qualifications in health promotion, research and a Masters in TESOL.

Funtastic Early Phonetics program

An introductory, multi-sensory and movement approach to early literacy including phonemic awareness for pre-school children. The Funtastic Early Phonics Program also encourages children to be active listeners, to hear and recognize sound pictures from the Basic Code and create simple writing patterns. Oral language (vocabulary), phonological sensitivity and comprehension (thinking skills) are the building blocks of literacy. With conscious effort, songs, chants and rhymes become a perfect springboard for developing all three of these critical skills.

Gwen Raynor

with Gwen Raynor

Gwen Raynor is a very experienced Early Childhood & Primary Educator/ Adviser / Consultant and has worked as a facilitator, trainer and researcher since 2004. Gwen is well known as a provider of fun, interactive, professional development workshops for early years’ educators.

Our Stories Our Practice

Bringing story to your dot paintings – Embedding authentic and meaningful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways into your program.
April will share with you thinking and practices that will support you to gain a deeper and more meaningful understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of belonging, being and becoming that can easily be embedded into your program.

with April Cunningham

April Cunningham is a proud descendant from the Noonuccal people of the Quandamooka nation from North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah) who was born in Brisbane. April is a passionate about sharing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures with others.

National Quality Standard – A guide for practice.

From February 2018, changes to the National Quality Standard have come into force.  In this session, we will revisit the National Quality Framework, with a special focus on the National Quality Standard. We’ll discover what’s changed, why it’s changed, and discuss practical strategies and tips for using the National Quality Standard as a quality improvement tool. We’ll also learn about the theoretical influences that have shaped the National Quality Standard, and consider what this means for your day to day practice.

Intentional Teaching – More than just playdough or puzzles

In this session, we’ll consider intentional teaching and how it impacts on your everyday practice.  The way in which intentional teaching works in conjunction with the Early Years Learning Framework will be discussed.  This session will also focus on professionalism and reflective practice, and the way in which intentional teaching is integral to both.  The cycle of planning will be used as a framework from which to consider the cycle of intentional teaching. This session will then consider practical implications for authentic intentional teaching practice and ongoing quality improvement.

Documenting because you want to – Not because you have to!

Does the thought of documentation make you shudder?  Always behind and playing catch up?
In this session we’ll begin by exploring what documentation is and what we use it for. You’ll discover documentation requirements in the Australian context, and how as education and care practitioners we can use documentation to enrich our programs and make them authentic and meaningful. You’ll consider how documentation can move from displaying what children are doing, to a powerful representation of learning that can tick all of the boxes when it comes to planning, communication and assessing children’s learning and development. This session combines theory and practice and will leave you with strategies to implement at your service that will make a difference to the way that you document when you go back to your service.

with Jennifer Ribarovski

Jennifer Ribarovski’s roles have included NSW State Operations Manager for the NSW Regulatory Authority, with her work largely focused on the roll out and implementation of the NQF in NSW, and training Authorised Officers to assess and rate centres against the National Quality Standard.

Fast tracking programming skills for new educators

Program planning and implementation are at the core of your work as an educator, and also at the heart of Quality Area 1 of the National Quality Standard. This session will unpack in clear, accessible and practical terms just what the revised NQS requires in regards to the planning cycle, how this might look in practice and some effective ways to document. Using real world examples we will explore how to observe and document children’s play and learning, ways to plan from this, and how to assess progress in relation to Learning Outcomes, as well as how to put this altogether in a reflective cycle. This session will be useful for new educators, as well as more experienced professionals wanting to come to grips with the recent changes to the NQS.

Critical Reflection  – Analysis and Evaluation

Critical reflection is a key concept in the EYLF and a cornerstone of practice, but there is often a great deal of confusion around critical reflection and exactly what this means. In this session we will distinguish between reflection, evaluation and critical reflection and explore just why critical reflection is so important for issues of reflection, social justice and diversity. We will also consider some practical short cuts to documenting critical reflection easily.

“What’s Theory got to do with it – Connecting Theory to the real world”

According to the EYLF and My Time, Our Place, our professional practice needs to be supported by theory, but what does this actually mean in practice, and how is it relevant to the ‘real world’? This session aims to take the mystery out of “theory” by providing an overview of some of the key theoretical perspectives and through real-world examples, explore how these relate to everyday practice. We will also consider some effective ways to document the link between theory and practice in your program. You will come out of this session feeling confident with your grasp on key theorists, having up to date knowledge of some of the latest theoretical perspectives, and with a whole new understanding for how this all connects up with practice.

Educational Leadership

Under the National Quality Framework, the role of the Educational Leader is a key element in the success of quality programs and practice. This workshop will explore this role and focus on some key skills in how to lead, motivate, mentor and support individuals and teams in their roles around pedagogy and curriculum. We will identify some practical, powerful strategies, reflect on underlying theory and approaches and support you to develop a plan of action in your setting. This workshop will be helpful for educational leaders, directors and coordinators, lead educators and anyone interested in pedagogy and leadership.

with Stephen Gallen

Stephen has over 26 years experience in the ECEC sector as a teacher and educator, consultant, leader and facilitator. He has taught and worked across SAC, home based care, kindergarten and primary school, but his primary focus has been in long day care, including over twelve years as a contact educator. He has consulted and delivered for Workforce Council, Gowrie Qld, TAFE, QUT, C&K and many other organisations.

Planning for Babies and Toddlers; “Less is more”.

Do you find programming for babies and / or toddlers challenging? Many Educators do. Babies and toddlers are not just “mini pre-schoolers” – they have their own characteristics and developmental needs. Explore ways to effectively plan and program for this age group whilst also ensuring your workload as an Educator is not excessive.

with Anne Peters

45 years in Early Childhood has lead me into a wide range of occupations. These include Early Childhood Teacher, Director (LDC) and teacher of tertiary students studying early childhood education. I started working for TAFE in 1981 and ended my career last year (2017) as a Trainer Assessor for two Registered Training Organisations in my local area.

A & R Checkup – 

Preparing for Assessment and Rating

Preparing for Assessment and Rating and need to know where to prioritise your attention. An A & R Checkup will provide you with an overview of your service’s current practices and procedures against the National Quality Standard and provide you with a comprehensive A & R report against each Quality Area. This checkup will identify your practice strengths and make recommendations for quality improvement.

Emotions Matter – 

Maximising Children’s Learning potential

By tapping into key developmental information you will be supported to make the links between your knowledge and your practice that can have a positive impact on how you engage with others. You will gain new insight and understanding into emotions and behaviours that will assist you to support children in your services to manage their own behaviour, respond appropriately to the behaviour of others and communicate effectively to resolve conflicts. The strategies we will share in this workshop has the capacity to impact positively on all of your relationships and most importantly to support lifelong positive outcomes for children in your care.

Foundational Skills and knowledge for Educators

An educator’s role is complex. You are not only responsible for the safety and well being of every child in your care but you need to understand child development and plan for each child’s learning all within the scope of the National Quality Framework. There are no quick fixes or short cuts but with the right information, skills and support you can find the balance, thrive and grow to be a confident, capable education and care professional.

with Lee Gane

Lee Gane draws on many years of practical experience in the Education and Care sector. Lee will share a wealth of knowledge, skills and expertise drawn from her lived experiences in a range of roles across Education and Care including as an Educator, Early Childhood Teacher, Director, Approved Provider of high quality services, Validator, Consultant, Trainer and Assessor.

Child Protection

This course assists early years educators, organisations and individuals to comply with their legislative requirements under the National Quality Framework and meet their duty of care obligations regarding Child Protection. It is designed to be used for the induction of new staff, as a foundation or refresher course for education and care practitioners who have not completed recent Child Protection training.

Manual Handling

-Risk Management in Education and Care 

Early Childhood and Outside School Hours Care can be a high risk environment because you are manually handling children and equipment day in and day out! Share the responsibility for the safety of your team in your education and care setting by increasing awareness of manual handling hazards in your ECEC setting. This session will provide skills based learning to prevent injuries and workplace accidents.

Fire Safety 

– Emergency Responses in Education and Care 

Personal safety and security of children, educators, volunteers and visitors is of prime importance in all education and care settings. Participants in this session will identify different types of emergencies, understand emergency procedures, the incident management team / Emergency Control Organisation and understand emergency response equipment.