Practice+
The Floorbook Approach
Semann & Slattery, in collaboration with Dr Claire Warden, invite you to join us as we explore the Floorbook Approach in the Australian early childhood sector.
Together, through shared dialogue, reflection and documentation, we will explore how children’s voices and collaborative thinking can reshape practice and leadership, one Floorbook at a time.
Claire Warden introduces Floorbooks
A growing number of teams are embracing the Floorbook Approach and sharing their journey. In this video, teachers from Blaxland Preschool and Kindergarten share their top tips to help find a place to begin .
What is a Floorbook:
A Floorbook is a 'collaborative, large format book that captures the evolution of learning through dialogue, inquiry and reflection over time. It acts as a hub for learning'. Dr Claire Warden
Through this process, the Floorbook becomes more than a record. It is a space where ideas are tested, revisited and extended over time. It supports a slower, more deliberate way of working, where curiosity is sustained, and decisions are grounded in shared understanding rather than assumption. In this way, the Floorbook holds the thinking of a community as it unfolds.
- Collaborative and multi-voiced
A Floorbook intentionally brings together the perspectives of children, educators, families and communities, positioning learning as something co-constructed in relationship.
- Process-focused, not product-driven
A Floorbook captures thinking and learning over time, making theories, ideas and understandings visible in organic, interconnected ways.
- A hub for documentation
A Floorbook draws together observations, dialogue, images, reflections, questions and artefacts in one shared place, rather than separating thinking across multiple disconnected systems.
- Grounded in inquiry and dialogue
A Floorbook is shaped through open-ended questions, shared investigation and sustained conversation, supporting curiosity, agency and collective meaning-making.
- Supports assessment, planning and quality improvement
By making learning visible and traceable over time, a Floorbook enables educators and leaders to clearly link practice to approved learning frameworks, planning cycles and quality improvement processes in a way that is coherent, accessible and easy to track.
Embracing the Floorbook change
Taking on the Floorbooks Approach may seem more daunting than it needs to be. Here we explore a few strategies in how to embrace the new ideas and how to start implementing them into your practice.
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Floorbooks Collaboration Package
Build a Floorbooks learning experience that fits your needs
A tailored plan can be developed with your centre to ensure the Floorbook Approach works within your curriculum in meaningful, responsive and sustainable ways, supporting long-term quality improvement rather than one-off training.
A bespoke package combines a selection of learning events and tools, aligned with your QIP, philosophy, and inclusive practice priorities including:
- Claire Warden in-person events (2026 tour)
- Webinars and online workshops
- On-site workshops, Coaching & Inquiry Circles
- Floorbook® resource packs
Fill in the adjacent form, and we'll be in touch shortly to discuss your needs.
Semann & Slattery
Helping educators unpack Floorbooks Approach to align with Australian standards
At Semann & Slattery, we are proud to partner with Dr Claire Warden in a collaboration that is both purposeful and closely aligned with our shared values. Together, we are committed to honouring the integrity of the Floorbook Approach while thoughtfully translating it for the Australian early childhood context.
This partnership is grounded in a mutual belief in dialogue, learner agency and social justice. It invites educators to engage as learners themselves, creating space for reflection, making thinking visible, and cultivating practices that are meaningful, responsive and sustainable for children, families and communities.
Through this work, we continue to support educators in deepening their understanding and strengthening their practice in ways that truly value the voices and experiences of all learners.
Dr Claire Warden
Floorbook Approach founder helping educators unlock ideas and techniques in the classroom
Working in partnership with Semann & Slattery offers a meaningful opportunity to see the Floorbook Approach thoughtfully interpreted within the Australian early childhood context. What stands out in this collaboration is a shared commitment to dialogue, social justice and learner agency values that sit at the heart of the approach itself.
Together, we create spaces where educators are invited to be learners—engaging in reflection, making their thinking visible and strengthening their sense of professional identity. This work is not about adopting a method, but about deepening understanding in ways that are relational, responsive and sustainable.It is a partnership that respects the integrity of the Floorbook Approach while supporting educators to connect pedagogy, leadership and quality improvement with both confidence and care.
