New Ideas!! New Ways!! Conference

TAFE Western has pioneered the Children's Services Conferences to bring early childhood workers in Central and Western NSW together to engage with one another and share current information, new ideas and trends for their Industry.

Now an annual conference, New Ideas!! New Ways!!, has been hosted at Orange College for the last six years. Between 130 - 230 early childhood professionals from across NSW have benefited from a variety of presenters and enjoyed networking with others at each conference.

2013 Children's Services Conference

Saturday, 25 May Commencing 8:30am

Registrations are now being accepted on line or via Western Institute Colleges. The early bird conference registration fee is $145.00 and closes on 5 April 2013. Registrations between 6 April 2013 and the closing date of 10 May 2013 will be $165.00. Special dietary requirements please email them to Judy Hansen at judy.hansen@det.nsw.edu.au.

$165.00 Registration - closing date 10 May 2013 Register and pay online

Workshop Booking/Registration

Booking/Register for your Workshop

NOTE:

You will require your current student logon and password to register if you have ever enrolled in TAFE NSW.
You have to pay your conference registration fee prior to entering the workshop booking site.
Your TAFENSW receipt number will entitle you to book 2 workshops, one each in the morning and afternoon sessions.
To check your student number and password, get assistance with registration for the conference or workshop bookings please call Judy Hansen 02 63915642 or email Judy Hansen prior to proceeding.

Conference Keynote Speaker 2013 – Caroline Fewster

Caroline Fewster is an early childhood academic, author and presenter. Until July 2012, Caroline was the Head of Program, Children’s Services at Bond University.

As an early Childhood education Consultant, Caroline works extensively with many Children’s Services throughout Australia, developing customised professional development programs for early childhood practitioners. Since 2000, Caroline has presented workshops and programs at a variety of state, national and international Early Childhood Conferences.

In 2006, Caroline received the prestigious Carrick Institute Award for innovative and collaborative approaches to student learning in “the field of children’s services”. Feedback from Children’s Services’ Organisations indicates the success for her workshops and programs are the ‘wonderful, practical and creative ideas’ she brings to demonstrate to participants during workshops and programs.

Caroline’s Keynote presentation – Environments for Learning

The Keynote Address extends the concept of the environment as a significant educator; we can extend our thinking beyond the perception of a room arrangement. We can ask ourselves what values we want to communicate through learning environments and how we would like children to experience their time in our Services.

In all early childhood settings, within the physical and social environments, we can demonstrate that as educators we respect and treasure early childhood and the identity of all children and their families, and show great pride in our work as designers. Caroline will share a display of many practical ideas for innovative and interesting teaching and learning experiences that will be linked to the NQS and the EYLF and the quality of the service you provide for your families.

Caroline will challenge some long held assumptions about early childhood environments and promote the link between theory and practice in her presentation. The possibilities for learning are endless.

Workshops

Delegates have the opportunity to attend two workshops during the day. The workshops are designed to inform, inspire and interest participants in a smaller group setting. Each workshop will run for 90 minutes.

Workshop 1 – Designing & Creating Early Childhood Environments that Inspire Children’s Learning with Caroline Fewster.

Babies and toddlers are unique. They have particular ways of learning about the world and exploring their environment. Learning environments provide the foundation of knowing and understanding the world; therefore it is essential to design environments especially for babies and toddlers.

This workshop challenges the predictable and predominant features of a baby and toddler environment and explores possibilities for including a range of play and learning spaces and places that offer babies and toddlers challenge, intrigue and surprise, support their investigations and share their enjoyment of learning.

Workshop 2 – Knives, drills and fire…Playing with risk in children’s services with Luke Touhill.

Luke Touhill Over the past 15 years there has been an increased emphasis on children’s safety and a corresponding change in the kind of experiences that we offer to children. In the drive to create perfectly ‘safe’ environments however we have often neglected the important role that risk plays in the learning process. When children miss out on opportunities to experience risk and challenge they don’t learn how to judge risk effectively and are less likely to respond appropriately (and safely) when they do find themselves in a dangerous situation.

The EYLF and NQS have re-emphasised the importance of challenge for children’s learning. However it is not always easy to draw the line between a challenge and a hazard and to know what is ‘okay’ and what is not. As educators we have gotten so used to over-policing risk there is a danger that we may respond to this new found freedom by allowing anything on the groups that experiencing risk is important. Like children who have no exposure to risk, we may find that we have also lost our ability to judge when a risk is worthwhile and when it is not.

This workshop will look at why risk and challenge are so important for children’s healthy development while also considering how we can effectively draw the line between a challenging and worthwhile risk and a dangerous one.

Workshop 3 – Stay Cool Under Pressure, Strategies to keep your cool when the pressure is on with Georgia Lush.

Georgia Lush Emotional regulation is one of the most important elements in today’s workplace, and particularly important when working with children. This workshop is about understanding what happens in the bodies when we experience emotion, and giving you the tools to better manage your emotional response to the world.

Find out how your limbic system affects your focus and learn some tools to better manage your brain through techniques such as reappraisal, labelling and staying present to the moment. This program will help you develop a more mindful approach to your ‘to do’ list.

Workshop 4 – Helping all Children Become Effective Communicators with Karen Trengrove

Karen Trengrove The ability to communicate effectively is the most important skill we will develop in a lifetime. Communication enables our true participation in society and is what connects us to others. Sadly up to 20% of children start school with difficulties in speech and/or language. Despite our best efforts, many children do not transition to school as ‘effective communicators’ (EYLF Outcome 50. Children who start school with speech sound disorders are as risk of social, emotional and educational difficulties. It is crucial that these children are identified and nurtured in the early childhood years in order to make a successful transition to school and thrive as adults.

This workshop will provide Early Childhood Educators (0-6 years) with a range of practical, research based practices and play based strategies to support children with speech sound disorders so that they become effective communicators (ELYF Outcome 5). Participants will also be provided with a range of activity ideas to support the development of pre-literacy skills in these children. Educators are guaranteed to enjoy this fun, interactive workshop and will leave feeling confident in their ability to support all children (including those with speech disorders) to become effective communicators .

Workshop 5 – First I was Afraid, I was Petrified with Amy Shine

Amy Shine and her team at Forbes Pre School survived the assessment process and will share their experiences of the preparation, the visit and the joy of receiving an exceeding rating.

Amy remained true to her vision and the service philosophy and supported her staff through the process.

You will have the opportunity to ask questions, and hear the process step by step of preparation Forbes Preschool underwent. This will include breaking down each area, the what, why and how???

Workshop 6 – The Many Faces of Play with Anita Vandenberg

Anita Vandenberg Anita van den Berg has worked for several years in early years education in prior to school and school settings both here and in the UK. She has most recently been teaching early childhood based subjects at CSU and part time in children's services in Orange. She is very interested in current early childhood based research and has worked as a research assistant in a number of projects with CSU and Macquarie Universities. Anita has had an ongoing interest in, and passion for play and the value of play for learning, health and wellbeing and takes any opportunity to promote play as the best way to teach and learn!

Play based learning is at the heart of the EYLF but what does play mean to you and how might you encourage important skills or respond to those "they just play all day" comments while still following children's interests? In this presentation Anita hopes to discuss the many faces of play and explore the ways those working with children can get "back to basics" and create and use play experiences to develop confident and involved learners, promote meaningful relationships and encourage important skills for current and future learning.

Spotlights will, as usual, be a feature of the Conference in 2013!

Stall Holders

A variety of stall holders will be present on the day. For a chance to see what is available in new resources - both equipment and texts.

2013 Conference Program

Children's Services Conference Program

Orange College March Street Campus

Orange City Map

Highlights from the 2012 Conference

More than 150 people joined together in Orange for the conference on 19 May 2012.

Observing the importance of early childhood education and care being recognised by all governments has been a highlight of her many years in the profession and she is looking forward to the introduction of the National Quality Framework. Delivering training sessions throughout Australia for the Professional Support Coordinators, and for State, Territory and Commonwealth Governments, Heather Barnes delivered her keynote address "The New World of the NQS".

Workshops on the day included:

Preparing for the Assessment Visit – Heather Barnes
Everyday Outcomes – Putting EYLF Learning outcomes into Practice – Luke Touhill
Music with Messages Yala Gari (Speak the Truth) – Minnie & Darren Sutherland
Puppet Potential – Renee Webster
The Neuroscience of change – Georgia Lush
Practical Tools & Techniques to assist in successful classroom Communication – Megan Fox & Louise Rathie

Pictures from 2012 Children's Services Conference

Highlights from the 2011 Conference

Increased attendance saw over 170 people join together in Orange for the conference on 21 May 2011. Well respected author, lecturer, consultant and advocate Anne Stonehouse delivered her keynote address "Relationships for Learning".

What's the EYLF got to do with babies and Toddlers - Anne Stonehouse
Story Telling to rebalance the child's world - Judith Burton and Lisa Curle
Gardening with children - Heather Brady
Aboriginal Families - Tracey Foster
Montessori - as relevant today as it was yesterday - Cathy Swan
Words, words, words - Ros Craig
Beyond Procrastination - Georgia Lush
Time to Play - supporting successful play in the preschool years - Melinda Beveridge
Mental Illness - Christina Hunt

Pictures from 2011 Children's Services Conference