Innehållsförteckning för ISSUE 9 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2021/21 SLOW från Pedagogy+

Now that our part of the world has begun to right itself, it is time to pause and reflect on our collective experiences of the past nine months or so. Take some time to acknowledge what each one of us managed to achieve amid a pandemic and an economic catastrophe. A time that changed the life we knew, in the workplace and the life that we are living, in this moment. It is time to give thanks…to everyone, for working in early childhood programs, before and after school programs and schools during this period, which was an incredibly brave thing to do. With little government support or acknowledgement of the possible risks, everyone grappled with the extreme protocols of cleaning and sanitising, and the new ways of being with children…

French couturier, the late Christian Dior (1905-1957) spent his childhood at Villa les Rhumb, a seaside villa set on the cliffs near Granville in Normandy, France. With a passion for nature and sensitivity for design the young Dior, an avid gardener, and his mother established and tended the now famous rose garden, later to become a rosarium growing over twenty different rose species. His early experiences, romantic soul and life-long obsession with flowers has influenced his love of the floral in his design and fragrances. Some say lily of the valley, some the rose was his favourite flower, but it is the beauty of the quintessential rose and his childhood at Villa les Rhumb that have left their mark on all of his creations. In his autobiography Christian Dior et…

Food… The New York Times Romans Protest McDonald’s May 5, 1986 By MARY DAVIS SURO Special to The New York Times ROME, May 2—The first McDonald’s fast-food restaurant in Italy firmly planted its golden arches above a doorway in the heart of the Piazza di Spagna on March 20 [1986]. Recently, several thousand people rallied in the picturesque piazza in protest…Plates of spaghetti cooked in vast iron skillets were served to supporters. And from a makeshift stage…celebrities spoke out against the hazards of fast food. They proclaimed the ‘degradation of Rome’ and the ‘Americanisation’ of Italian culture… 1986, McDonald’s opened in the heart of Rome, had the world gone utterly mad? For Carlo Petrini this was the tipping point. Petrini an activist, committed journalist, wine critic and food gourmet had…

Each issue of the magazine looks at a theme relevant to early education; exploring and challenging practice and thinking. The pages of Pedagogy+ brim with inspiring articles, candid conversations, the latest trends and lifestyle treats -our brief being to foster critical thinking and stimulate conversations that can advance the theory and practice of pedagogy in early education settings, and to encourage you to think about you. Why subscribe? - it’s an opportunity to: ▪ Slow down, relax and enjoy a well-informed read ▪ Share in the insights of highly-respected and knowledgeable education experts ▪ Enjoy the experience of deciding - what might I like for me or that would make a great gift for someone else ▪ Critically reflect on what you do and why you do it… 1 YEAR…

From the moment you enter, a powerful and vibrant symphony of light, colour and sound compels you to leave the world behind and immerse yourself in Van Gogh’s painting. An experience that is simultaneously enchanting, entertaining and educational… it stimulates the senses and opens the mind. (Excerpt from Van Gogh Alive exhibition catalogue - Images courtesy of Bernadette Dunn). Exhibition closes 20 December 2020. The Exhibition Space in The Royal Hall of Industries, Moore Park.…

It is at the dining table that families and friends, old and new, create some of their fondest memories. Festivals and feasts, celebrations and fine-cuisine, birthdays and banquets – all bring visions of happy times and bountiful tables. And never more so than Christmas. For some it is a religious festival celebrating the birth of Christ, for others it marks a time of year to spend with loved ones… history tells us that the yuletide celebration has its origins in a pagan festival – the ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia, a December week of celebrations and giftgiving leading up to the birthday of the sun. The rituals and traditions of the Christmas season are universal and unique, being celebrated in countries across the world with each culture contributing to the symbols…

I have been impelled, as Michel Foucault would say ‘to become someone who I am not, someone who has learned to live with, indeed embrace, the losses that inevitably proliferate with time’ (Halperin, 1995) One of the complexities of COVID-19 is that I find myself in solitude. This, for me, is rare. Such solitude has been for me an unknown situation for close to two decades. I have been forced to be still, to think on my own, and to work on my own. Indeed, this has been punctuated with moments of collaboration with others, but these moments have been infrequent. Such unknown terrains in life are not things that I often experience, as such they throw life’s GPS out of sync or as Jamaica Kincaid would suggest 'are hard…

‘STORIES ARE JUST DATA WITH A SOUL’- Brené Brown (2011) A timely journey with Brené Brown led us down a windy path of questioning who we are, what we are doing, and who we want to be in the future. Inspired by her words of wisdom, we were swept up in the raw knowledge that without telling our stories and our truth, we would not hold the capacity to authentically unleash our influence. COVID-19 pandemic aside, we seem to be living in an epidemic—one of shame, fear and imposter syndrome. Even as we sit here and put these words to paper, there is a feeling of doubt: who are we to write this? With this element of anxiety, coupled with a little excitement, we share with you our learnings for…

THE SOCIAL OUTFIT Every Tabitha piece is ethically made in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Created using traditionally hand-dyed and hand-woven silk (a Cambodian specialty), their creation provides employment, training, and the perpetuation of local artisan skills. HOT PINK MULTI STRAND NECKLACE. $45.00 AUD www.thesocialoutfit.org TWO GOOD CO. Two Good began ten years ago as an ad-hoc Kings Cross cook-out for the area’s less fortunate. They didn’t mean to grow like they have. They didn’t mean to have this much impact. They just wanted to feed some hungry people. The road-side barbecue evolved into Australia’s first organic soup kitchen at Saint Canice’s in Kings Cross. Donate & deliver a nourishing meal to a women’s shelter doorstep, while creating employment for women from these safe houses, to actually make the meals for the…

How amazing are teachers? During Victoria’s extended lockdown period, I invited educators from across the country to show their support for their Victorian colleagues by sending some love via snail mail. People signed up by the thousands and I acted as match-maker pairing teachers from around Australia with a Victorian teacher or two. Under the hashtag #lovevicteachers this project became the most extraordinary love-bomb of all time with educators sending letters and gifts to Victorian teachers who were feeling isolated, forgotten, lonely and disheartened. Friendships were created, strength was found, love was shared… I was so proud of Vic teachers for reaching out and signing up for help (it’s not easy to say ‘I’m struggling a little here’) and I was deeply moved by the generosity of all those who…

Education for slow food is about alightandconvivialoccasion to feel good and enjoy ourselves teaches the valuesof andrespectforourown and other people’s rhythms is learning by doing, because hands-on increasesandstrengthenseducationaloutcomes values the ofculturesknowledge skills and opinions recognizes everyone’s needs, and stimulates the interests and ofeachindividual approaches topics intheir favoringamulti-disciplinaryapproach means taking tounderstandinternalizeand elaborate one’s own vision encourages byfacilitating dialogueself-expression listeningandmutualacceptance is a personal journeythatinvolves and is nourished by its own givingvaluetomemory knowledge and local cultures facilitates exchange among local networks, reinforcing the sense of develops ofeveryones own role and actions stimulates andtrainsintuitionand promotes generatingnewandmoreresponsible thoughts and behaviors…

In pre-COVID times we were challenging many mindsets and practices in the workplace around diversity and inclusion, including gender bias, ageism and cultural differences. As COVID-19 impacted our world with remote working being enforced for many, the challenges of isolation, not belonging and psychological safety were added to the list of insecurities people were feeling. For many working in early and middle childhood programs, we experienced a drastic change in our work lives as families around us lost jobs, experienced enforced, reduced working hours, or they were suddenly now working remotely. While many of us were fortunate not to be impacted by the loss of jobs or reduced hours, we did lose a number of our colleagues who worked in a casual capacity. Across the education sectors uncertainty about long…

A SPRINGBOARD FOR CHANGE The pandemic has put at the forefront of the debate the role of rural and indigenous peoples and their close relationship with mother earth, seeds and food. And in these moments of crisis we recognize that for us it is also a time of great opportunities to recover our food sovereignty, to think about a sustainable world, respectful of mother earth and more collaborative from the community perspective. It is an opportunity to reconnect with life, with the land, to teach young children to love the countryside, as our ancestors loved, to connect with our grandmothers through food, to remember and honour them enjoying our ancestral flavours. I have great hope because every day I see more young people and children dialoguing with adults and grandparents,…

Happy December, happy end of year…have yourself a Merry SLOW Christmas. I love Christmas…it is a season of celebration, a memory palace filled with family and friends, joy, rituals and traditions, snow, the fragrance of a pine tree and the most delicious roast dinner…my close friends know that come the Christmas chat, ‘what will we do this year?’ – I want all of the trimmings…and so this is where hectic can take on a personality of its own…the festive food shopping, the presents and what to buy, and the expense…all of this coupled with the fatigue of racing to the end of your work year, trying to finish all of your projects and being prepared for the celebration. This is a Christmas list that reads – high level expectation and…

Thank you to these courageous leaders for contributing their thoughts and learnings—and a huge thank you to their wonderful teams and early childhood teams across Australia for standing in solidarity. Reflecting on what I’ve learnt during 2020, and what is now the new norm of COVID-19 life, is still going to take some time. The road here in Victoria is still raw, and time away is needed to disconnect, pull apart and process what has been the toughest year of my 20 years in early childhood. I have mixed feelings and emotions, perhaps some of that is because I’m tired, exhausted. What I have learnt is that our sector, educators, families and children, are both vulnerable and resilient. I’ve cried for what has happened to educators. I’ve cried because I’ve…

Dr Claire Warden founder of Auchlone Nature Kindergarten is a thought leader in the world of nature pedagogy and educational thinking. She is an active and committed advocate for the natural world. Her professional endeavours bring into sharp focus the need for us to re-imagine our relationship with nature. Encouraging us to take better care of the beautiful planet we share with a diversity of other than human species. Claire is warmly welcomed by learning communities around the globe… she holds a special place in her heart for Australia BOOKS YOU LOVED AS A YOUNG GIRL? Imaginative books that often took place in nature based spaces. One was called ‘The Little Grey Men’ by BB that endures in my mind as a group of little folk who set off on…

Years ago, after an afternoon of meetings on the latest teaching standards, university grading mandates and being told about the ‘latest’ strategies that all educators ‘should use’, I went into the staff room to grab a coffee. I was a university lecturer in a school of education and in the staffroom, my colleague, who was a former primary school teacher, was in the middle of a story. As I prepared my coffee, I overheard her talking to colleagues about a time when her school wanted to increase her class size. She was explaining all the ways she tried convincing her principal why it shouldn’t happen. From her account, all her examples fell on deaf ears. ‘I finally told him, “I don’t have that much love to give.”’ It’s a statement…

This year, 2020 has been strange. A strangeness eased for me, and many others, by the natural world. Blue skies, gardens, green spaces, birds, trees, sparkling winter harbour lit by a sun so bright the water glimmers like a diamond scattered plate, (although to be truthful I’ve never seen a diamond scattered plate). I find solace in memories of my experiences with the natural world and of course, gardens. Gardens are for me ‘chambers for a memory palace’ (1994. Lyndon & Moore). I am lucky to count eight family gardens in my childhood, which were the memory palaces for me. Drifting inside the green sea of a weeping willow, picking apples in my grandmother’s orchard, eating sum warm apricots at the top of my aunts tree, picking violets, feeding Pop’s…

‘Being slow means that you control the rhythms of your own life. You decide how fast you have to go in any given context. If today I want to go fast, I go fast; if tomorrow I want to go slow, I go slow. What we are fighting for is the right to determine our own tempos’ – Carlo Petrini (Founder, Slow Food Movement) VALUING SLOW: We live in a world in fast forward A world obsessed with speed Weneedtoconsiderthe damage that the road runner life does to us and children, and the toll it takes Thepacebywhichwe live and practice our lives has an impact on: relationships, environments, wellbeing, connections and pedagogy WHAT HAS THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE AT YOUR SITE? The routines? The rush of the day? ‘So…

Beautifully, gorgeous books authored and illustrated to inspire and enchant. Best-selling author Kobi Yamada brings to his writing a deep understanding of the messages we need to impart to our children. He writes of courage, imagination, persistence, self-value, positivity, resilience, possibilities, dreaming and most importantly realising the potential that lies within all of us. Whether it be the bookshelf at home or in the classroom these books are a must for every child’s story time and reading experience. Valuing ourselves, a positive mindset and self-awareness are attributes that serve us well in life, influencing how we see ourselves in the world and how we build our relationships with others. The learning written into Kobi’s stories is for all ages, parents and educators included. The provocations posed resonate with all of…

Bringsomenaturalbeautyinto your home – fill vases with summer blooms, fill your garden pots with fragrant herbs, add to your collection of sea-shells Walkearlyintheday before the rest of the world wakes up Yourfavouritesummertune– play it often, sing and dance along Scheduletimewithsmallgroups of friends Swim, swim and swim! Createafavouritesummerdrink – some may wish to go healthy – a mix of berries and ice and all things nice – some may wish to add a little extra spirit – but always enjoy – and drink it from a beautiful glass… Take time to watch the sun go down Digoutthattreasuredbook and reimmerse yourself in a well-known plot with characters you love Make time to visit a gallery or museum Findasumptuoussummerrecipe and cook up a feast for loved…