Join Dr Claire Warden for a one-day workshop designed for leaders at all levels seeking to strengthen pedagogical clarity, team culture and quality improvement through the Floorbook Approach.

In a landscape shaped by bush kinder programs, outdoor learning, cultural connection to Country and increasing regulatory expectations, leaders are required to hold vision, accountability and relational practice together. How do you guide your team beyond compliance? How do you embed inquiry as a whole-service approach rather than a documentation task?

This day responds directly to those leadership questions.

Morning: Pedagogical Leadership and the Floorbook Approach
Claire will revisit the key principles of the Talking and Thinking Floorbook Approach through a leadership lens, exploring how Floorbooks build a shared pedagogical language, strengthen reflective dialogue and align planning with the EYLF and NQS without overcomplicating systems. Together, we will consider how documentation shapes culture and how inquiry-led practice supports authentic quality improvement rather than reactive compliance.

Afternoon: Leading Learning Outdoors with Confidence
The afternoon turns to the natural world, bush kinder and outdoor programs as a context for leadership in action. We will explore how to lead teams to see the outdoors as a site of inquiry, navigate regulation and risk with confidence, embed connection to place and cultural context in practice, and use Floorbooks to evidence deep learning beyond classroom walls.

This is a day for those ready to lead with intention, strengthen team capability and cultivate inquiry-driven practice grounded in children’s curiosity and the Australian landscape.

This full-day session aligns with Kindy Lift priority areas, as follows:

Culturally Safe, inclusive and responsive kindergarten programs, equity and access for all.
The approach values children as capable contributors and honours diverse voices, identities and ways of knowing. Leaders examine how documentation and shared inquiry can embed culturally responsive, inclusive practice and strengthen partnerships with families and community.

Social & Emotional Learning

Relational pedagogy and inquiry-based environments support children’s confidence, self-regulation and collaboration. Educators explore how co-constructed learning builds belonging, empathy and prosocial behaviour.

Physicality
Outdoor inquiry and nature pedagogy promote gross motor development, risk assessment skills, resilience and sensory integration. Participants explore how physical exploration in natural environments strengthens both wellbeing and cognitive development.

Language and Literacy
The Floorbook Approach strengthens children’s expressive and receptive language through sustained shared thinking, collaborative inquiry and meaningful dialogue. Educators learn to plan with children, capturing and extending their ideas in ways that deepen vocabulary, narrative skills and conversational competence.

Professional Capability & Leadership
The day builds pedagogical leadership capacity, strengthens shared language across teams and supports reflective practice. Leaders develop strategies to align inquiry, documentation and outdoor learning with Quality Improvement Plans and regulatory requirements.