• Tell me more about ‘Titling’!

    By Dr Alma FleetSeptember 7, 2020

    This is a way to focus your thinking. Finding titles for your ‘noticings’ may be part of your organisational strategy for formative assessment, an attempt to understand more about pedagogical documentation, or a chance to analyse everyday interactions in order to be better informed about the children in your care. This strategy ‘lifts the bar’ … Read more

  • Co-research?

    By Dr Alma FleetAugust 24, 2020

    The notion of ‘co-researching’ may be causing a little uncertainty around your place. You may have heard that you are being encouraged to try it, but you’re not all that sure what people are talking about! Remembering that the prefix ‘co’ means ‘with’, won’t be much help if you or your colleagues are unsure about the ‘research’ bit!

  • Invitational literacy

    By Dr Alma FleetAugust 3, 2020

    I wonder if you’ve been caught up in the pressure for assessing literacy development? Did that result in ticking off checklists and requiring more group instruction? It’s certainly reasonable to pay attention to whether children are making progress in the building blocks for becoming literate members of the community. That probably means that you’ve noted … Read more

  • Being present: what does that mean exactly?

    By Dr Alma FleetJuly 6, 2020

    You are probably aware of advice to be ‘really present’ in work with young children. Certainly, we nod and say, ‘of course’, but honestly, do we have any idea what we’re talking about? Sometimes with a problematic idea, it’s useful to define what it isn’t, perhaps to define the opposite idea, to help us clarify … Read more