The British Association for Early Childhood Education (http://www.early-education.org.uk/)
contains several elements relevant to my current professional development.
Within Publications and Resources, there is an archive of educational
publications that I can use in my research and studies, as well as others for
purchase. The Free section contains helpful tools and documents for free
download on such things as young children’s social-emotional needs including
behavior, and many areas of early academics. These resources are not only
helpful to me but to the educators I train and families I work with.
I found nothing controversial within this site but did find
the special interest groups to add a whole new level of comprehensive support
to early childhood professionals in such areas as communication, science and
infant care. There are currently 20 active branches. The purpose of these special interest groups
are to assist those involved in early childhood education across England,
Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales through meetings, professional development
and networking. These branches are run and managed by volunteers. I find that
to be extremely admirable. The model is empowering for professionals who have
expertise to offer others.
This website is enmeshed with some elements of neuroscience
within the Development Matters publications and information on legislative
efforts and campaigns within the region. I did not see specific information
related to investment in early childhood. I did find the information regarding
the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012 of
interest and was able to compare and contrast that document to our current Early
Learning Framework.
Hi Tammra, The special interest groups sound interesting. It seemss like a great way to connect with other professionals, provide useful information and services, and learn more about England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, through travel and first hand experience. Hmmm... Maybe I should look into this more!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to ask one of my professionals in Ireland that I am communicating with about these special interest groups! Sounds awesome!
ReplyDeleteHey Tammra, This just came across my email from "Google Alerts". I saw it concerns ECE in Michigan, so I thought I'd send it to you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mlive.com/opinion/saginaw/index.ssf/2012/05/another_view_senate_action_cou.html
Hi Tammra,
ReplyDeleteThe free downloads of documents will one in handy. When I run across things that I feel may become helpful in the future, I'd print and put in a binder that include other helpful resources. I put the binder in the staff lounge and believe me, the teachers read it on their own. Some are eager to know hats going on or how we can do things differently. Its good to see how others cope with different situations.
The special interest group is awesome. I give kudos to the individuals who invest their time to help those who are wanting to learn more to better assist our children. Thanks for sharing this with us.
Great post, the speical interest groups sound very interesting. Did they say why there wasa need for these special interest groups? This has me very interested . Thank you
ReplyDelete