Events

Listening to books being read aloud is one of the most valuable and pleasurable experiences we can give to young children. Reading alouds should be part of every child’s day.  Are these reading sessions pleasurable for you and the children? Are you frustrated because children are not engaged and lose interest? How do you engage babies, toddlers and older children? How do you encourage children to get involved in the story? Miriam Schembri will be sharing strategies on how to make reading storybooks more engaging and interesting. She will share ideas on how to involve babies, toddlers and young children during these reading session. She will be talking about how to choose age appropriate books and how to use resources to complement stories.

Ms Miriam Schembri is a retired senior manager with The National Literacy Agency. She led the Reading for Pleasure Programmes department within the Agency. Amongst other programmes, she co-ordinated the reading aloud sessions ‘Aqra Miegħi/Read with me’ for babies and toddlers and ‘Seħer l-Istejjer/The Magic of Stories’ for older children. By profession, she is an Early Years Educator. Miriam, worked as a Kindergarten educator for 30 years and part time tutor and Teaching Practice Examiner with the University of Malta. Miriam is currently an ECDAM committee member and secretary. She has provided CPD sessions for early years educators in diverse areas.  Lately, her focus has been in promoting the love and joy of reading to children from an early age.  This has also led her to author some books for young children.

During this session Ms. Wynberg will be presenting a project about the object-oriented play (OOP) of young children. This PhD project centers on the concept of OOP and its potential impact on early childhood development. Children start to engage in OOP as young as 6 months old and engaging in OOP continues to be a prominent activity for children till they are about 5/6 years old. Despite its developmental importance, OOP is understudied and often ignored or misunderstood in educational settings, mainly due to the mess it can create. However, children are not just making a mess while playing with objects; they are learning. A deeper understanding of the activities children engage in while playing with objects and the impact it has on their development is needed. This project aims to help pedagogical professionals to see through the mess and understand the value of the behaviours that children engage in while discovering the objects and materials in the world around them.

After giving an overview of the key phases of this project undertaken so far, Ms Wynberg would like to invite us all to think along! She and her colleagues are currently entering the final phase of this project. During this phase they aim to translate their academic findings into a comprehensive and practical tool that can be used in educational settings. By collaborating with professionals in the field (you!), they hope to develop an instrument designed to effectively support pedagogical professionals in understanding, observing, and guiding young children’s OOP.

Ms Elizabeth Wynberg was born with an insatiable curiosity for how young children learn and develop, and has dedicated the last decade to education and pedagogy. Her experiences while working as a pedagogical professional, teacher and researcher has led Ms Wynberg to pursue a PhD focused on object-oriented play (OOP). She balances her academic life with a bustling home, as Elizabeth is the proud parent of three young boys. They serve not only as her greatest joy but also as a source of inspiration and a constant reminder of why this research matters. Ms Wynberg’s mission is to connect research and practice, cultivating a future for children in which learning is both impactful and fun.

Although the concept of self-determination is usually associated with older children and young adolescents, the development of self-determination has its roots in early learning and experiences.  The promotion of self-determination should therefore begin with young children. The aim of this presentation is to develop an understanding of the specific and developmentally appropriate skills which, in early childhood, can serve as the precursors, or foundations, of self-determination. An awareness of these skills enables adults in the lives of children with disabilities to provide targeted support. This session will help us understand that the promotion of self-determination should begin with young children.

Dr Jonathan Borg is a resident academic at the Department for Inclusion and Access to Learning at the University of Malta. After graduating as a Primary School teacher, Dr Borg furthered his studies with a Master’s Degree in Responding to Student Diversity, and worked for several years as an Early Interventionist. In 2016, Dr Borg was awarded a PhD in Inclusive Education from the University of Sheffield in the UK. His lecturing portfolio and research interests focus on inclusion, inclusive education, early intervention, person-centred planning, the development of self-determination, narrative research and, specifically, the use of creative nonfiction methdologies. Dr Borg coordinates the BA (Hons) in Facilitating Inclusive Education within the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta. His most recent publications include chapters in ‘Studies in Education: Perspectives from Malta’ and in ‘Mapping the Rainbow’ which was launched by the Malta Ministry for Justice, Equality and Governance.

During this session Ms Bezzina will be outlining the following:

Theory:

• A brief outline of typical speech and language development in children 0-3 years
• A brief outline of the speech and language difficulties we follow as Speech and Language Pathologists

Practical:

• Tips on stimulating language development at a childcare level
• The use of multimodal communication (+ a note on key word signing)
• How to identify a possible speech or language difficulties and what to do next
• Speech and Language services in Malta

Ms Vanessa Bezzina is a  Speech & Language Pathologist. She studied Communication Therapy at undergraduate level at the University of Malta. Upon receiving her degree in 2013, she worked as Speech and Language Pathologist with the Speech and Language Department (SLD).

Throughout her work experience a passion grew for working with clients who are exposed to more than one language (bilingual/ multilingual), as they posed new challenges to assessment and therapy practices. She therefore furthered her studies in this area and was awarded an M.Sc in Language and Communication Impairments in Children with the University of Sheffield in 2018. Her research study was entitled ‘Speech-Language Pathologists’ training, practices and perspectives in serving bilingual and multilingual clients’.  

Ms Bezzina has delivered a number of talks to teachers, learning support educators in mainstream schools and parents of children in pre-kindergarten settings. She also delivers workshops to carers and teachers with a particular focus on key word signing as well as the use of literacy applications in the classroom.

Vanessa is trained to administer Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) and Lis 'n' Tell: Inclusive Story-Telling.

Charmaine Bonello is a Lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary education at the University of Malta. She studied and worked in early and primary education for the past twenty-five years. Her current research interest in Early Childhood Education and Care is Early Literacy, Children’s Rights, Postcolonialism, Quality Interactions, and the Emergent Curriculum. She is also the co-founder and Vice President of the Early Childhood Development Association of Malta (ECDAM), a member of the Board of Administrators of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the author of the Routledge book publication ‘Boys, Early Literacy and Children’s Rights in a Postcolonial Context’ (Bonello, 2022). She was recently appointed as the co-editor of the international refereed journal Postcolonial Directions in Education.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Anna Baldacchino is a part-time resident academic​ at the University of Malta and lectures in the Faculty of Education. She has also lectured at the Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology at the Institute of Community College (Early Years Programme) in Malta. ​She is the co-founder and President of the Early Childhood Development Association of Malta (ECDAM), and co-founder of the B & B Consultancy in the Early Years. Anna has been a long-time editor for the International Small Island Studies Association’s (ISISA) Newsletter.

Anna holds a Bachelor Degree in Child and Families Studies and a Master in Education from the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, together with a Doctorate from the University of Sheffield in the UK, specialising in the Early Years. She has served as a Learning Manager at Holland College and part-time lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island, both in Canada (2003 – 2013). She has delivered various presentations on themes relating to ​Early Childhood Education and Development, the Emergent Curriculum, and Postcolonial impact on Early Childhood Education in Malta, Taiwan, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Australia, Barbados and Grenada. She has a number of articles published in peer-reviewed journals about Early Childhood Education.

The last decade has been one of curricular transformation in the Maltese early years education (0-7 years) sector. A shift away from a prescriptive curriculum towards one that is co-constructed and co-owned by the educator and the child – the emergent curriculum - alongside the introduction of a national cross-sector learning outcomes framework led to new discourses and guidelines that challenged educators to rethink their practice.

During this session, Dr Bonello and Dr Baldacchino will be talking about the results of a qualitative study they conducted together with Prof Carmen Dalli from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, aimed at investigating how the newly introduced emergent curriculum approach is being experienced by educators and children in childcare, kindergarten and early primary settings (0-7 years) and its impact on practice in Malta.  It presents the story of seven inspiring early years educators working in Malta as they embraced their transformed curricular landscape and sought to implement a new pedagogy in what, for them, were uncharted waters. With few models to emulate and variable support from their immediate educational settings, the educators agreed to work with the researchers in a collaborative researcher-teacher narrative inquiry project. The educators kept a journal of their pedagogical thinking and subsequently unpacked their thinking in individual interviews and focus group discussions.

Do you believe in the ideal of an Emergent Curriculum philosophy, but find it challenging to understand what a non-verbal baby is interested in? Do you feel that time with a baby should involve more than just meeting their physical needs of feeding, sleeping, soothing and nappy changing? Are you unsure how to let a baby, from its earliest months, explore and investigate, becoming a constructor of his or her own learning pathway? Are you unsure about what resources and play experiences can be offered to babies in order to provide exciting opportunities while at the same time ensuring safety?

As a new mother and an Early Years Practitioner who firmly believes in an Emergent Curriculum, these were questions Chantelle Xuereb was constantly asking herself. During this presentation she will share with the audience her educational journey with her son Yan, discussing how by being in tune with her baby and observing him closely, she could decipher what he was interested in from the very first months of his life. She will share how this has allowed her to create age-appropriate play opportunities to assist his development. During this practical session, we will be exploring ways of being more in tune with babies and their interests, as well as a variety of educational play experiences and resources that may be offered to enable babies, in their prime time of rapid development, to grow, flourish and happily maintain the curiosity and love for learning they were born with.

Chantelle Xuereb is an Early Years Educator by profession. She has worked as a Kindergarten Educator from 2011 to 2018, after which she started teaching Year 2. Currently, she also works part time as a Tutor and Teaching Practice Examiner with the University of Malta. Throughout all her years as an Early Years Educator she has practiced an Emergent Curriculum Approach. She firmly that by providing children play opportunities based on their interests, children are motivate to explore, investigate and become active participants in their own learning journey. Chantelle was an ECDAM committee member since its beginning till 2020, and throughout these years Chantelle grew a love for sharing her experience with other practitioners so that together they can work towards more quality practice in the local Early Years scene. Chantelle has also shared her experience during CoPE sessions for Early Years Educators in state and private schools. In December 2021 Chantelle became a mother for the first time, to her little boy Yan. Taking parental leave to enjoy time with her son was also a golden opportunity for her to practice the Emergent Curriculum with her own baby.  Providing Yan with diverse play opportunities related to his different developmental phases and interests has been an interesting journey which continued to deepen Chantelle’s belief that an Emergent Curriculum encourages children, even from babyhood, to flourish as they grow into happy, inquisitive children, always ready to learn about the world around them.

During this presentation Prof Valerie Sollars will focus on the achievements which early years practitioners have for the children in their care. By being invited to discuss the achievements which they would like children to obtain as a result of the experiences in early years settings, practitioners would directly or indirectly: 

• identify what it is that they consider crucial and essential for children to acquire or achieve;
• indicate the extent to which external forces impinge on achievements targeting children’s success;
• shed light on their work with children and the learning experiences offered to them;
• illustrate their beliefs about children, childhood and children’s agency; and
• consider the extent to which achievements identified by educators are similar to the views and achievements parents expect of their children in early childhood.  

These issues will be discussed during the presentation which will be supported by evidence and findings from local research conducted with over 400 practitioners. 

Professor Valerie Sollars is a full-time resident academic member of staff at the Faculty of Education, at the University of Malta. She lectures and supervises undergraduate and post-graduate students who are pursuing studies and research in early childhood education and care.

Valerie has a long career in the field of early childhood education. In the local context, she has been responsible for introducing undergraduate studies in the field, thus raising the profile of the profession. She was also the coordinator of an international Master degree programme in ECEC which was offered jointly with other European universities and institutions. She is the author of a number of policy documents which have contributed to shaping the profession and was the main contributor to the writing of “The Early Years Cycle” in the National Curriculum Framework (2012).

Following her initial teacher education studies at the University of Malta, Professor Sollars studied at McGill University in Montreal, Canada as a Commonwealth scholar and subsequently pursed doctoral studies at the Royal University of Manchester. Within ECEC, her areas of interest and research include policy development; emergent literacy; language pedagogy in early years and quality issues. She has published scholarly articles in several journals and has presented her work at various international conferences and teacher-training meetings, including Bulgaria, Lithuania, Turkey, Scotland, Greece, Belgium, Austria and Norway. She has also delivered keynote presentations and organised several language-related projects and workshops with the European Centre for Modern Languages in Graz, Austria.

Professor Sollars was the Dean of the Faculty of Education between 2007 and 2015, becoming the first female Dean in the history of the University of Malta.

Dr. Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir will be talking to you about how in Iceland, preschools are part of the educational system and the first level of schooling. Icelandic early childhood education and care are part of the Nordic Model that is known for child-centredness and focus on democratic values. In this session, Icelandic preschools and preschool teacher education will be briefly introduced. Then, emphasis will be put on the main focus in ECEC in Iceland and contemporary challenges that preschools face. Diversity in society has increased during the last decade which needs to be taken into account when organising and planning the ECEC practice, to be able to welcome every child while respecting their needs and interests.

Dr. Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir is an associate professor in early childhood education and care at the School of Education, University of Iceland. Her research has been in the field of play, preschool teachers’ practice, preschool teachers’ professional development and the process of action research. Ingibjorg has participated in several national and international research projects within different fields in relation to preschool practice, in collaboration with preschool teachers and researchers. Ingibjorg is the coordinator of, and teaches at the preschool teachers’ education program at the School of Education.

During this session, Dr Deborah Pullicino aims to share practical ideas on how singing can be used in early childhood education to promote receptive and expressive communication skills.

This session will be in Maltese.

Ms Deborah Pullicino graduated from the University of Malta with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education in 2012. Later that same year, she started her teaching career in Maltese schools. She continued her musical studies, concentrating specifically on classical singing and music theory. 

In 2019, Ms Pullicino was awarded an Endeavour Scholarship and started the MA course in Music Psychology in Education, Performance and Wellbeing at the University of Sheffield on a part-time basis. She completed her Master’s degree in 2021. In her dissertation, she researched the singing practices favoured by nonverbal or minimally verbal children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and the effect of these singing practices on their expressive and receptive communication skills.

During her teaching experience in a primary special education school, she won a Tertiary Education Scholarship Scheme (TESS) and started her doctoral studies at the Department for Human Communication Sciences at the University of Sheffield. Ms Pullicino’s PhD studies focus on how singing affects the communication and speech skills of children on the autism spectrum, including children who are minimally verbal. Currently, she gives sessions called Singing to promote and enhance communication aimed at children who benefit from help to improve their communication skills.

Have you ever questioned your actions and language when interacting with young children? Are you interested in learning more about adult-child interactions in the first years of a child’s life? If your answer is ‘yes’, do not miss this ECDAM online session.

Drawing on the initial findings of an ongoing five-year longitudinal study with a mother and her daughter, Dr Charmaine Bonello aims to create a space for dialogue about the importance of responsive and sensitive adult-child interactions. Research shows that effective adult-child interactions are strong predictors of quality early childhood education and care and thriving home learning environments (Bradley, 2019; Centre on the Developing Child, 2016; Pianta et al., 2016; Sylva et al., 2004). In this presentation, Dr Bonello will focus on the Serve and Return style of interactions. Recent neuroscientific evidence shows that Serve and Return interactions help build a child’s brain, starting before babies can talk (Centre on the Developing Child, Harvard University, 2016). She will unpack the story of one Maltese mother who intentionally used Serve and Return interactions with her daughter for fourteen months. The audience will have the opportunity to explore the attitudes, knowledge and skills the mother adopted to initiate and develop successful Serve and Return Interactions and the challenges encountered. How the process facilitated child-led play, interactions that engendered a sense of entitlement for rights, and decolonised interactions over time will also be discussed. The outcomes of this study are relevant to parents of young children, pre-service and in-service early childhood educators and anyone interested in joining the mission to raise liberated children and active citizens right from the start.

Charmaine Bonello is a lecturer in Early Childhood and Primary Education at the University of Malta. She studied and worked in early and primary education for around twenty-five years. Her current research interest in Early Childhood Education and Care is Early Literacy, Children’s Rights, Postcolonialism, Quality Interactions, and the Emergent Curriculum. She is also the co-founder and Vice President of the Early Childhood Development Association of Malta (ECDAM), a member of the Board of Administrators of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society and the author of the Routledge book publication ‘Boys, Early Literacy and Children’s Rights in a Postcolonial Context’ (Bonello, 2022). She was recently appointed as the co-editor of the international refereed journal Postcolonial Directions in Education.

Sabina Sixsmith believes that Outdoor Learning gives children the opportunity to learn through a hands-on approach where they can enquire and experiment. It creates a safe, non-judgmental nurturing environment to give children a chance to engage in activities and take risks. This session will help educators understand the benefits of outdoor learning, as well as discuss the challenges, thus inspiring deep and meaningful connections to the world and an understanding of how a child fits within it. Outdoor Learning offers children opportunities in a natural environment that allow for a holistic view of the child, as the educator focuses on all aspects to contribute to the various abilities.

Sabina Sixsmith has taught 4-5-year-olds for 6 years after obtaining her first certificate in Early Childhood Education and Care. During this time, she studied part-time and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and Care from the University of Malta. After spending another 4 years in Kindergarten, she progressed to teaching Year 1 for the following 5 years. During this time, she read for a Master of Art in Early Childhood with the University of Sheffield. In 2021, she joined the middle leadership team as a senior teacher of the early years with focus on outdoor learning in nature and graduated with a Forest School Leader qualification. She is currently reading for a Master of Art in Educational Leadership and Management. Her research study will be focused on Evaluating and Outdoor Learning Programme in Year 2.

Iris Johannesdottir will be giving us an overview of what the High Scope pedagogy is all about and how it benefits the child. Iris will also be taking us through the experience of a typical High Scope day in Mánagarður, the kindergarten she manages in Iceland.

Iris Johannesdottir graduated with a Bachelor in Education from the University of Iceland in 2007. She got her High Scope training from High Scope Educational Research Foundation and has been a certified High Scope teacher and trainer since 2008. She has been working in Mánagarður since 2001. She teaches and trains all the staff who work in 3 High Scope kindergartens, in Iceland, about this pedagogy.

Are   Halloween, Christmas, and St Valentines, just fun activities?  Can a Caravaggio, a DaVinci or a Dali ever step inside an Early Childhood setting? What is the real value of stories and storytelling? Are they simply a language development tool? How can stories, celebrations, and art help children in their constant search for meaning and construction of their identity? 

Prof Adrian Gellel will be arguing that acquiring the language of art, stories, and rituals is the primary means for children to make sense of their own life, their place in the world, and their surroundings. The session will also provide practical ideas on how to use art and celebrations in an enriching and meaningful way.

Adrian-Mario Gellel is a Professor in the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education (Faculty of Education, University of Malta). His main areas of interest are Symbol Literacy, Child and Adolescent Spirituality, and general pedagogy.  Over these past years he has been actively engaged in developing and conducting meaningful symbol literacy outings for children between the ages of 4 and 11. He is an active member of the International Association of Children’s Spirituality and an immediate former Editor of the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality. In 2017 he was appointed Honorary Fellow at the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne.

Dr Lara Ann Vella will be discussing the role of teacher agency in early bilingual development and education. She will be drawing on the data from classroom observations and interviews where the differential degrees of agency of two preschool educators in Malta were enacted. These educators mediated languages in their bilingual classrooms. The educators’ background and language beliefs, the sociolinguistic context (national and local), as well as the school language policies influenced their classroom agentive roles. Practical adaptive pedagogies/practices and flexible bilingual strategies which meet the language and affective needs of preschool children in a more equitable manner will be discussed.

Dr Lara Ann Vella is the Coordinator for the Language Policy in Education Unit at the National Literacy Agency. Her main research interests deal with the bilingual development of children both at home and in educational settings and the use of languages in the curriculum. She was involved in the research team that wrote the Language Policy for the Early and the Junior Years issued by the Ministry for Education and has coordinated research projects that help to shed light in the bilingual development of young children in the local context. She has published works on the way educators promote bilingualism in school settings and is a co-author of the National Literacy Strategy (2021-2023). She organises training seminars for parents and educators on the promotion of bi- and multilingualism as part of the National Literacy Agency’s work to promote the language policies in education. Her PhD thesis dealt with parents’ and their children’s language attitudes and ideologies towards Maltese and English in Malta. She holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from Lancaster University.

Continous professional development is important for all employees (whether one works within the Education department or not) making sure that one is continously motivated and inspired to achieve new personal goals in life. Fabianne Galea, the manager of BeeSmart Kindergarten together with five employees, had the opportunity to attend a hands-on structured course titled: "See, meet and share" for primary and preprimary educators. The aim of the session is to share the interesting lectures and workshops attended related to the topic of pre-school education in Ostrava. This was funded by Erasmus thus the BeeSmart Kindergarten team could travel to the Czech Republic, attend the course and have all fees covered including travel expenses, accommodation and tuition fees. Sharing best practices of this fantastic experience including what we have implemented as a school will surely be beneficial to all working in this sector.

This session will be delivered in Maltese. However, the slides will be in English text.

Fabianne Galea is one of the two owners of BeeSmart Child Care Centre and Kindergarten which has been open for the past 9 years, since December 2013. Fabianne hold a Level 5 Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care and is presently following the BAECEC top-up degree at the Institutue for Education. Over the past years, she has been actively engaged in the Centre’s management and hands-on with the day-to-day routine, highlights and activities in both Nursery and Kindergarten. She believes that every child deserves excellence in early learning programmes and such service should make a difference in the lives of the children, their families and our community. She is also an active ECDAM member as she affirms that ongoing education and advocacy promotes positive early learning experiences providing all children the opportunity to succeed.

In this presentation Dr Ian Blackwell will discuss how to engage father figures in the early years. It will explore the value of having engaged fathers, the barriers that fathers face in accessing early years provision and will present a number of practical strategies providers should consider to reach out to father figures in their locality. Ian will also present his recent PhD research into 'dadness' and how communities can support caring, engaged fathers.

Dr Ian Blackwell has worked in community education for 25 years. He was Project Manager for The Natural Connections Demonstration Project at Plymouth University from 2012-2015, one of the largest outdoor learning projects in the UK. He is a Visiting Lecturer at The Institute of Education at Plymouth Marjon University (UK). He is also Study Programme Manager for Forest School for The Cornwall College Group. In 2007 he established Dangerous Dads CIC, a national social enterprise that supports father figures and their children across the UK. Ian specialises in fathers and masculinity, community and family learning, particularly the role of local green spaces in supporting community well-being. He has published widely on this topic. Ian's PhD research studied fathers' groups in England. - see www.marjon.ac.uk/about-marjon/staff-list-and-profiles/blackwell-ian

We are all familiar with the notion of providing high-quality ECEC provision. According to the political and policy discourse, it is assumed that we all share a universal meaning of quality, yet, as an early years practitioner/educator, what does it really mean to you? From your professional perspective, what is at the heart of quality educational care?

In this session, Georgina Fardoe will invite ECDAM members to listen to and share ideas, perspectives concerning the idea of providing quality ECEC, specifically, aspects of process quality. Central to ECEC process quality lies the embodied interaction between adult and child. This presentation grapples with different perspectives of relational care pedagogy, whilst bridging the gap between theory and practice. By the end of the presentation, participants will be able to identify their approach to interacting with young children, furthermore, their unique professional repertoire, whilst recognising how the quality of their interaction influences the relationships they have with their respective young children.

Originally from the North West of England, Georgina Fardoe moved to Malta in 2013. After spending the past eighteen years working across health care and educational settings, Georgina has remained interested in the psychology of social relationships and the notion of providing quality service, especially within Early Childhood Education & Care (ECEC) services. After returning to education as a mature student, Georgina holds both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in Psychology, specialising in Child and Family Psychology with the University of Chester, furthermore, is currently completing her PhD with the University of Sheffield. Her research focus centres on relational pedagogy within an ECEC context and the value of practitioner reflective practice as a tool for professional growth. Since working in Malta, Georgina has held leadership and managerial positions across different educational sectors, leading to her current role as Director of Studies & Development with Avanza Training Academy. Currently, she is responsible for the design and coordination of various vocational courses on offer at Avanza, including the early years development, education and care programmes.

In this session Ms Maria Mizzi will look into the necessary motor developmental skills that are required to build a strong hand, and in return produce clear and legible handwriting. The audience will be able to discover that handwriting requires much more than what we see, it is not just about knowing how to manipulate a pencil in the children’s tiny fingers, or learning the formation of letters, or even learning to write within the lines. Writing requires a whole body effort, this includes giving appropriate attention to position and posture and strenghtening the larger muscles before focusing on controlling the smaller muscles of the hands. The audience will also learn what to look out for when children produce illegible handwriting. This session will also include general recommendations on how to help our children improve their fine motor skills which will eventually enhance their handwriting skills.

Maria Mizzi holds a degree in Occupational Therapy and a Masters in Management from the University of Chester. Occupational therapy (OT) is a branch of health care that helps people of all ages who have physical, sensory, or cognitive problems regain independence in all areas of their lives. Maria is currently working full-time as a School Based OT, part of the Church Schools’ Student Services team. She is currently also managing the social media account - The Maltese OT on Instagram and Facebook; an innovative page for parents to discover and learn more about their children’s development. Ms Mizzi has been working with children for the past 8 years and helped a number of families to look away from their children’s disability and learn more about their “Abilities”. Maria believes that teaching and coaching adults is as important as providing therapy to children. When parents, carers, and educators acknowledge and identify how their actions may be adjusted and learn the importance of meaningful activities, they start implementing effective solutions. When adults feel more confident about what works for their children, they can provide further developmental opportunities for their child throughout the day.

The session will include:

An overview about the Early Childhood Education System, Ms Tiina Peterson, Chief Expert of Pre-Primary Education, Ministry of Education and Research:

• The Estonian national curriculum for preschools
• The government investments into the development of preschools
• ProgeTiger programme
• Finance principles of ECEC institutions
• Collaboration with universities and ECEC institutions
• OECD International Early Learning and Well-being Study (IELS)

Development activities, Ms Maria Jürimäe, Senior Specialist in Curriculum Theory and Learning and Junior Lecturer in Curriculum Theory, University of Tartu:

• Uniqueness of Estonian early childhood education and care
• Roots and history of Estonia`s pre-primary education
• Development and implementation of national curricula
• Toward child-centred pedagogy

Tiina Petterson is a chief expert of pre-primary education in the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. The main tasks of her profession are: management of early childhood education policy, including improvement of Early Childhood Education and Care law and National Curriculum for Preschools; advising heads and teachers of preschools and experts of local governments; managing the network of preschools and teacher trainers’ institutions; analysing preschool educational database; developing and coordinating international cooperation in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). Tiina is a member of the European Commission ECEC workgroup and OECD ECEC Network. She has a Baccalaureus Artium (Bachelor of Arts) in Preschool Pedagogy, a Psychology degree from Pedagogical University of Tallinn; and a Magister Artium (Master of Arts) in School Management degree from University of Tartu. She is currently a PhD student in education at Tallinn University. Her research interests are specific are preschool quality, leadership, professionalism of preschool teachers and workforce of different early childhood education and care systems.

Maria Jürimäe has been working as a teacher of extracurricular activities since 1995 for 10 years, and at the University of Tartu since 2000 till now. Maria obtained her Masters in language arts in 2001 focusing on phonemic awareness in Estonian children learning to read. Currently, she is a part-time Senior Specialist in Curriculum Theory and Learning and part-time Junior Lecturer in Curriculum Theory. Between 2000 - 2006 she acted as the leader of the work group developing National Curriculum for Early Years, later as a member of various work groups. She is presently leading the National Curriculum renewal work group of her University.

In 2008 Maria co-authored a book with Jana Treier: Curricula and kindergarten (Õppekavad ja lasteaed. Tartu: University of Tartu). Her latest book is about professional development of kindergarten educators in PLCs Sissejuhatus 1 (designrr.page)

Maria Jürimäe is the national representative of Estonia at the World Forum on Early Care and Education, a board member of the Estonian Reading Association, and a member of the Estonian Reggio Emilia Association.

Tiina Petterson and Maria Jürimäe will be giving us an overview of the Estonian Early Childhood Education programme. I am sure that we can all learn from this international perspective.

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be sent the link and assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of the CPD hours certificate.

Looking forward to seeing you.

ECDAM Committee

Regrettably, young children’s thinking skills are at times underestimated because ability is often associated with age. In this session, Dr Gauci will draw on her doctoral research to show that instead, young children are active competent thinkers who can process information, solve their inquiries, think critically, think creatively and engage in metacognition.  The concepts of relational pedagogy, meaningful dialogues, co-construction and emergent curriculum will be discussed as well as demonstrating how educators can assist children to foster thinking skills while exploring their working theories during project work.  Finally, Dr Gauci will discuss the role of school leaders in sustaining this pedagogy of thinking.

Dr Shirley Ann Gauci is the Headteacher of a kindergarten school and a primary school.  She has been involved in the education of young children for the past twenty-two years; first as a class teacher and then forming part of the senior leadership team.  Her interest in nurturing thinking skills in the primary years led her to pursue her studies and achieve a Master of Science degree in Leadership and Management from the University of Leicester.  er In her doctoral research, she continued to refine her interest in the fostering and advancement of thinking skills with a focus on early childhood. Dr Gauci holds a PhD from the University of Sheffield.

The session will introduce the idea of 'planning in the moment' as children play.  Ms Ephgrave will explain the rationale behind the approach as well as considering some of the practicalities involved in implementing such an approach.

Anna has been fascinated by babies and young children her whole life.  She has volunteered in various capacities and also has ten years’ experience as a foster parent.  She has over 27 years’ teaching experience, working for many years as an advanced skills teacher and most recently as an Assistant Head Teacher.  She has led her Early Years’ teams to four consecutive Outstanding grades from Ofsted.  She promotes child-led learning in which children are given autonomy and respect.  She now works as an independent author and consultant, supporting practitioners both in the UK and abroad.   She has had five books published in recent years.  Anna now lives in Bristol splitting her time between the consultancy work and looking after her grandchildren.

During this presentation we will discuss the benefits of touch. We will focus on the benefits massage has on children and also on the care givers giving the massage. We will also discuss how massage therapy can help with a child's development if used on a daily basis. 

Sara Caruana is a mother of an 8 year old boy and the owner and manager of Peekaboo Early Learning and Child Care Centre. While she was still discovering herself as a young adult, she had enrolled herself into a beauty school and qualified as a beauty specialist at the age of 19. She went on to graduate in Communication Studies at the University of Malta two years later. Sara furthered her studies in early years child care and development and now runs her own nursery. Sara was introduced to baby massage 8 years ago whilst practicing massage on her own child when he was still a baby. She has recently been certified as a baby massage therapist and uses this therapy with the children under her care at her child care centre as she firmly believes that it brings about many benefits to children and adults alike.

Bullying cuts across all ages and is present in all sections of society. There is always that something which can make a person the target of bullying. Much bullying takes place because of prejudice, because a person is different, be it race, gender, sexuality, social status…but also disability.

In this session, Malta’s only anti-bullying NGO, bBrave, shall introduce its organisation and the general forms of bullying.

Blue Iris shall then discuss the rationale for attending this presentation and connect this social scourge to disability, outlining the forms of bullying individuals with disabilities, as well as their families’ experience, the pain it brings to these individuals and their families, and potential solutions available.

Dr. Aaron Zammit Apap holds a B.A. in Legal & Humanistic (European) Studies, a Dip. Not. Pub. and an LL.D., all from the University of Malta, and an LL.M. in Competition Law, State Aid and Regulation from King’s College London. He currently acts as Director, Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Money Laundering Reporting Officer and Company Secretary for Terra Partners Asset Management Limited, an investment manager. Previously, Dr. Zammit Apap headed the Legal & International Relations Department at MaltaPost p.l.c., following which he acted as Legal & Regulatory Manager for Maltco Lotteries Limited. In addition to being a member of the Malta Chamber of Advocates, Dr. Zammit Apap is also enrolled with the Malta Association of Risk Management (MARM), the Malta Association of Compliance Officers (MACO) and the International Compliance Association (ICA).

Blue Iris

“Silence please” …  “Do not make any noise” … “Be quiet” … “Pay attention” …  These and many other phrases may come to mind when we recall our own experience of silence during our days in school. But should it be so?  Has silence only to do with discipline or can it be a means of fostering a positive experience in very young children? During our meeting we will explore the meaning of silence and what research and ancient traditions are telling us. We will explore ways and means how to foster positive silence during different moments of the day and through different techniques – including Maria Montessori’s Silence Game and Mindfulness.

Adrian-Mario Gellel is a Professor and Head of Department of the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education (Faculty of Education, University of Malta). His main areas of interest are Symbol Literacy, Child and Adolescent Spirituality, and general pedagogy.  Over these past years he has been actively engaged in developing and conducting meaningful symbol literacy outings for child between the ages of 4 and 11. He is an active member of the International Association of Children’s Spirituality and an immediate former Editor of the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality. In 2017 he was appointed Honorary Fellow at the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne.

Suzanne Axelsson lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden. She holds a Masters in ECE from Sheffield University, UK - her home country. During her graduate studies, Suzanne specialized in the Reggio Emilia Approach; language and communication; documentation as a tool to aid memory and deepen children's learning; and investigating what “quality” is in an early years setting.

Suzanne has a special interest in the art of listening and philosophy with children; exploring how play supports children in developing their listening skills with the understanding that listening is more than just hearing words; as well as practicing an anti-bias approach (also known as ‘norm-aware’ in Sweden).

Suzanne works at Stockholm University teaching trainee preschool teachers in outdoor learning, and museum visits to enhance ongoing projects. She spends the rest of her time as a consultant for preschools to develop their democratic approach to play and learning, and developing and writing about ‘Original Learning.’ She is actively participating in education conferences around the world and is a well-received presenter/keynote. Suzanne is also involved with educators in Jenin, Palestine offering them both on site and remote support. In her capacity as an advisor her efforts are focused on: inspiring a greater play focus on early childhood education; creating and supporting inclusive classrooms; offering site support and teacher training/mentoring; as well as researching the effectiveness of the course she is providing.

She has written chapters about play and learning, with focus on risky play, that will be published during 2021.

Description of Session

Outdoor learning and play with young children is essential for well-being and healthy physical, social and emotional development. Designing spaces for young children with limited budgets and limited space can feel restrictive. This presentation offers inspiration connecting theory and practice, with visual suggestions from around the world, analysed for their play and learning potential. The aim is to expand the possibilities of outdoor play and learning for young children even when the square meters cannot be.

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be sent the link and assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of the CPD hours certificate.

Looking forward to seeing you.

ECDAM Committee

Ryan Calleja has been serving as a Kindergarten Educator (KGE) for the past five years visiting as many as 11 Primary Schools, serving within two different colleges: St. Ignatius College and St. Benedict’s College. Presently, Ryan is working at Zurrieq Primary. Mr Calleja has also worked for a short time at St. Paula’s Early Education Center and has worked for three years at the Foundation for Educational Services (FES), with children aged 3 to 16, in five of their centres.

Session Overview:

Ryan will be talking about a child-centered approach and the importance of unstructured Outdoor Play. Shifting from an adult/teacher centered approach to the Emergent Curriculum has really been beneficial for both the children and for Ryan (educators) himself/themselves. Ryan will also show the process of the projects: how they come about; the importance of observing and allowing time for things to happen and develop; and the idea of moving away from the conventional rigid system of numeracy and literacy - the pen to paper approach. to putting the child into perspective.

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Luke Agius is in his 7th year as a Kindergarten Educator (KGE). For him this is not a job but it is who I he is, and does this every day with passion and excitement as if it was his first time. He currently teaches in San Gwann Primary. Luke is also an Early Years Music Practitioner; he has been carrying out various music educational workshops. These workshops consist of exposing children to instruments, beat, percussions, types of music and hands-on activities. These workshops took place in places like: government schools, church schools, Crickids festival, Notte Bianca, ECDAM, collaborations with Malta Education, different local institutions such as MCAST and other private centres.

Session Overview:

In this presentation, Mr Agius will share different ideas and learning opportunities that he carried out with the children in these past months making use of the Emergent Curriculum and the Project Approach. Children came up with different aspects of learning that he would not have imagined that they wanted to learn about. Luke considers this new approach as fun and beneficial for both the child and the KGE. He feels that he can be more flexible, more creative and more open for new ways of learning.

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org/events to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be sent the link and assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of the CPD hours certificate.

Looking forward to seeing you.

ECDAM Committee

Childcare has been at the centre of who Pia Darmanin is for as long as she can remember. From a very young age, even whilst being in childcare herself, she was always keen on looking after children who were younger than she was. As she grew up, she could never imagine having a career that didn't involve childcare. She eventually read for a Bachelor's degree in Psychology with the University of Malta and then carried on to a Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education with the University of Sheffield.

She has been working and taking care of children for the past 15 years, including 4 years in Amsterdam where she worked with over thirty-five families from all over the world. She moved back to Malta in 2015, pregnant with her first child. She is now the General Manager of three childcare centres. Pia also teaches in the award in Early Years Education, Development and Care with Avanza Academy and is the public relations officer of ECDAM.

Description of the session

This session will focus solely on practical ideas for childcare staff. She will be discussing how to plan effective activities which will help children fully engage, and explain how the main goal is all about the process and not the product. She will also delve into how one can allow children to take the lead which will enhance their learning, as well as what the attachment role of the educator is when aiming for calmer, happier children who are constantly absorbing information from their environment. 

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be sent the link and assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of the CPD hours certificate.

Looking forward to seeing you.

ECDAM Committee

Description of the Session

Dorothy Marlen would like introduce us to the Pikler approach with particular emphasis on the crucial importance of natural motor development in the first 18 months of life. The presentation will include:

• An introduction to the lemniscate of care (the 2 main principles of the Pikler approach) and how this links with Steiner’s understanding of the 4 lower senses. 
• Sharing her experience of running parent and baby groups based on the lemniscate of care
• The crucial importance of natural movement progression for later learning and development
• Natural motor development, primitive reflexes and obstacles to natural movement development.
• How we can best support babies natural motor development.

Dorothy Marlen called the session: "Nimbly, simply, confidently, naturally" for a reason. This is taken from a quote by Emmi Pikler (“If we give children enough space and possibilities for free movement, they will move as beautifully and gracefully as animals, nimbly, simply, confidently and naturally").

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be sent the link and assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of the CPD hours certificate.

Looking forward to seeing you.

ECDAM Committee

For over 20 years Dorothy Marlen has been a free lance trainer, workshop leader and author supporting carers and parents of very young children. Her early training was as a Steiner/Waldorf early childhood professional. She helped to start the Lancaster Steiner Education Initiative when her son was small (he is now 30), running groups and workshops for parents and writing a book on parent and child group work. From 2008 onwards, Dorothy trained in the Pikler approach, subsequently co-founding the Pikler Association which she chaired for 7 years, while organising Pikler trainings in the UK. In 2019 she became a Pikler pedagogue with the European Pikler Association. In 2016 Dorothy created with Crossfields Institute, and now leads, the Level 3 Holistic Baby and Child Care Diploma. This runs through Emerson College. This course synthesises Steiner early childhood pedagogy, the Pikler approach and the UK governments statutory requirement, with a unique 0-3 emphasis. For many years she was the Birth to Three representative on the Steiner Waldorf early childhood steering committee. In York, where she lives, she has pioneered and run for 11 years a model of parent and baby group work inspired by her Steiner experience and the Pikler approach. Dorothy Marlen has written about this work, especially natural motor development in early years magazines and book chapters. She also offers consultancy to nurseries, especially care in baby rooms.

Ronald G. Sultana is professor of sociology and comparative education at the University of Malta, a member of the Faculty of Education, and founding director of the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Educational Research. He has carried out fieldwork in several countries in Europe, the Mediterranean region, and New Zealand, from where he obtained his PhD. His research focuses on educational innovation, teacher training, and the links between education and work. This year he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Université Laval in Quebec, in recognition of his efforts to promote social justice through education.

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be sent the link and assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of the CPD hours certificate.

Looking forward to seeing you.

ECDAM Committee

Professor Ronald G. Sultana was commissioned by UNICEF to write a series of case studies of educational innovation in the Middle East and North Africa region. One of the case studies documented the Early Childhood Development programme in Jordan, which had the explict aim of helping the country create home and community environments that are more fit for children. Professor Sultana’s lecture will give an overview of the origins of the programme, the influence of European approaches to ECE, and the manner in which local educators in Jordan adapted key concepts in early childhood education to be more in tune with local cultures and traditions. Highlights of the presentation will include reflections on the role of different social partners in promoting nurseries and kindergartens, with coordination between different Ministries, religious authorities, several local and international NGOs and development agencies. Such national coordination, together with vigorous efforts to address the issue of children’s well-being from every possible angle, go a long way in explaining the success that  Jordan has achieved in establishing itself as an ECE leader in the MENA region.

Dr Karen Boardman is the Head of Department Early Years Education at Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, Lancashire, England. Karen has worked in a variety of exciting roles with babies and young children from birth to seven years old for the past thirty-five+ years, both as an Early Years practitioner and a Nursery/Reception teacher. Karen is responsible for all Undergraduate and Graduate Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) teaching routes, alongside a range of Undergraduate Early Childhood Education and Early Years Foundation degree programmes. Karen is passionate about high quality, authentic early years provision, supporting the individual needs of all learners and thus impacting upon the life chances of very young children and families. Karen’s research interests are early reading with under-threes, literacy pedagogy and provision for under-threes.

This presentation seeks to highlight how the policy discourse of assessment and accountability influences pedagogy for children under three years of age which consequently impacts on the quality of provision for early reading. Early reading is a phenomenon that is both confused and confusing for the ECEC workforce internationally. Curriculum policy, ‘governance’ and compliance shapes early reading provision and pedagogy for under-threes, against the autonomy of the professional workforce. This presentation seeks to investigate the experiences and challenges of the EYEs within an interpretive, constructivist paradigm. In essence, what the EYEs do with under-threes to support early reading on a daily basis and the rationale for this. It will outline the findings of an empirical research study exploring how Early Years Educators (EYEs) support under-threes with their early reading development. The findings highlight that the accountability policy and the school readiness agenda influences the EYEs views and beliefs about early reading, and also the quality of their practice with under-threes. This myriad of discourse is confusing for EYEs, often resulting in under-threes not fully engaging with early reading media, given the policy discourse and focus on the teaching of phonics in England.

If you are interested in joining this online session, please register through our website: https://ecdam.org to reserve a place. The Zoom link will be sent to you a couple of hours before the session starts. Only individuals registered will be assigned an attendance ticket to count for the issue of CPD hours.

Jane Spiteri is a lecturer in the Department of Early Childhood and Primary Education, within the Faculty of Education, at the University of Malta. She holds a PhD from the University of Edinburgh with a doctoral research on Education for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood. She has a long a standing interest in environmental learning with young children. She has published her research in peer-reviewed scholarship on education for sustainable development, early childhood education, outdoor learning, participatory research methods with young children, and gifted and talented education.

There are numerous benefits to beginning education for sustainable development in early childhood education. In the Western world, there is growing concern that children’s access to the outdoors is decreasing, resulting in children becoming disconnected from nature. Therefore, they do not gain a foundational ethic of care toward the natural environment. Concern for the state of the natural environment and fostering children’s connections to nature has led to a growing number of early childhood services worldwide implementing sustainable development practices. However, education for sustainable development in early childhood is not widespread throughout the sector, especially in Malta. This presentation examines what education for sustainable development in early childhood is, and how early childhood educators can implement this in their practice. Towards this aim, it presents a pedagogical approach that educators can use to enable children to become active citizens who act as agents of change for the environment and enact change for more sustainable communities.

Brief Bio:

Six years ago, I graduated from MCAST LV5 in Advanced Early years and since then I have been teaching at Kindergarten level (alternating Kinder 1 & Kinder 2). I currently teach Kinder 2 at San Ġorġ Preca College, Ħamrun S.S Primary School, using the combination of both S.T.E.A.M education and that of the Emergent Curriculum.

Back in the scholastic year 2016/2017, I was searching for more growth in my profession when I came across an E-Twinning workshop in the same year. From there on I embarked on both local and also European projects which improved my teaching pedagogy through various collaborations whilst also gaining several Quality labels both on a local and European level. After my second year in E-Twinning, my interest in the platform increased and in 2018 I have been appointed as an E-Twinning Ambassador making the journey even more pleasant and a fruitful learning one.  

Seeking for more knowledge and growth throughout my teachings, I combined what I love doing most to enhance S.T.E.A.M-tastic activities through E-Twinning, leading me to a world of both personal and professional outcomes through collaborated works.

What is S.T.E.A.M education? How can the E-Twinning platform enhance S.T.E.A.M in the Early Years setting? Throughout the session the benefits of both E-Twinning and S.T.E.A.M education would be disseminated amongst the members present at the session. 

Such benefits would include

• T.E.A.M & E-twinning making dynamic learning opportunities in the classroom and beyond.
• Enhancing the curriculum with less planning and more collaborations.
• Professional growth amongst partners.
• Enhancing digital literacy in the classroom through Web 2 Tools.

Throughout this session, ECDAM members would also have the opportunity to look through E-twinning Twinspaces, browse through concrete end products from various E-Twinning projects and also ask any questions as they please.