This week, we’re on episode 33 of the show.  We’ll be discussing teaching children through play with Alistair Bryce-Clegg, author of the blog ABCdoes.com and early years consultant from Cheshire in the UK.  We touch on his journey as an educator and how he cultivated an appreciation for the skills required to be successful in working with young children.  We also talk about the complexity involved in the profession and the importance of engaging children through child-led activities and play.  As Alistair says “thrill, will and skill” all feed into each other in the teaching process

In this week’s episode, we discuss how to affect change to advance the accessibility of quality childcare for all children.  Today, we are really excited to be in conversation with Lynette Fraga, a leading voice for policy change in her role as Executive Director for Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA).  Lynette began her career on the floor and was driven to take on multiple leadership roles by her passion to provide quality accessible care for all young children on a national level.  

In our conversation, we highlight the need to value childcare as a profession and discuss how educators can harness their passion to be leaders and create awareness for the field.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the importance of parent-teacher collaboration in early childhood education.  In our conversation with Lynn Arner, we talk about the move towards including “family engagement” as a new measurement of child care quality in California.  We also delve into her decision to include parents in her coaching work as she believes that parents are a child’s first teacher and the foundation of their learning.  Lynn also gives us some perspective into how the field has evolved over the years and shares some tips for teachers who are trying to connect with parents in a “hyperconnected” society.

In this week’s episode, we unpack the concept of “sustained, shared thinking” that focuses on active listening and positive questioning as a pedagogical approach.

In our conversation with Kathy Brodie, an early years consultant based in England, we talk about the importance of having intentional conversations with children that explores interactive dialogue and builds problem solving skills, rather than focusing on the “right” answer.

We discuss the research that proves the efficacy of the approach and its practical applications in the classroom. Kathy has also authored the book Sustained Shared Thinking as a resource for teachers.