STEAM – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics professional learning package

This module explores how educators can support children’s maths and numeracy learning by weaving mathematical concepts and ideas into day-to-day practice, play and outdoor programs. It also looks at intentional teaching and child-led learning and highlights why it’s important for educators to model how to think and talk mathematically.

This course is available within a standard ECA Learning Hub subscription.

This module is designed to encourage early childhood educators and teachers to engage in inquiry-based, child-led STEM practices. It discusses common notions of STEM and unfolds what STEM looks like in the early years. It also outlines the importance of STEM inquiry in the development of vital life skills and presents links to the Early Years Learning Framework.

The module will help participants explore everyday learning opportunities relevant to children’s lives and develop a basic understanding of co-constructed environments, the principles of inquiry-based learning and the concept of metacognition.

This course is available within a standard ECA Learning Hub subscription.

Music has long been regarded as an important part of early childhood education. In this module, explore music as an integral and vibrant part of a child’s family, community and culture, and how it can be utilised as a powerful tool for learning and development. Written by Dr Amanda Niland, this module is a vibrant look at the foundations of music, ‘musicking’ and musical skills — for both educators and children.

For young children, music can be a way of:

• connecting with others
• expressing themselves, and
• exploring and making meaning through their senses.

This course is available within a standard ECA Learning Hub subscription.

Engineering creativity in loose parts play involves open-ended and easily manipulated materials that children can use to construct, deconstruct and transport, both to support them in developing working theories of the physical world and to augment their social and imaginative play.

Since Simon Nicholson first formally described this natural aspect of children’s play in 1971, understandings of loose parts play have widened and diversified. In contemporary research, it is considered to be completely without boundaries and mix easily with other kinds of learning.

This webcast will examine many practical examples of loose parts play using materials that are recovered, upcycled or drawn from nature. These include opportunities for loose parts play in infant and toddler spaces and in symbolic and imaginative play.

Special emphasis will be placed on provisions that are environmentally responsible, encourage co-operation and problem-solving, and are cheap as chips!

This course is available within a standard ECA Learning Hub subscription.

Children are born scientists. From birth, they start exploring their world and building an understanding of how things work and how we communicate. They are ever-curious and have lots of questions. To encourage children’s curiosity and keep up with their questions, educators in early learning settings need to build their own scientific understanding and become knowledgeable co-investigators. This module explores how new media and a podcast by ABC Kids listen, called Imagine This, can be used by educators to build scientific content knowledge. It also shares some of Dr Nij Lal’s simple scientific explanations, along with a collection of resources to help educators engage effectively in science with young learners.

This module  builds on the concept of scientific content knowledge and shares some of Dr Nij Lal’s simple scientific explanations, along with a collection of resources to help us engage effectively in science with young learners.

This course is available within a standard ECA Learning Hub subscription.