LEADING LIGHTS Issue 2 | 2019
Read more about the NZEALS Conference 2020
NZEALS 2020 conference has a special day for ECE leaders on 16th April.
Within our main conference theme of Turangawaewae – A place to stand, the theme for the day is Rua – Standing with resilience. Our keynote speaker is Dr Maria Cooper, Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work.
Maria teaches and researches in early childhood education with particular interests in teacher leadership as collective practice, early years curriculum, and responsive pedagogies for diverse learners. She is executive editor of Ngā Tau Tuatahi The First Years Journal and director of the Early Childhood Seminar Series, two initiatives that support early childhood teachers and leaders to strengthen educational provision for young children and their families.
In 2018, Maria received the New Zealand Association for Research in Education Judith Duncan Award for high-quality research that promotes equitable early childhood education and care within the field.
Following Maria Cooper’s presentation, you will be invited to discuss her theme in your ‘home group’ with other leadership professionals. Then, within the wider ‘menu’ of breakout sessions, you will find ECE research papers and leadership stories. They include accounts of ECE leadership experience in Australia, Ethiopia and New Zealand, and address issues of building leadership resilience, integrating indigenous knowledge and perspectives, celebrating authentic relationships with iwi, connecting children to the land, and the personal journeys of ECE leaders.
And, as April 16th is the day of the conference dinner, you can register to join the tour of the Hobbiton film set and share the friendship of delegates over our evening meal.