Anthony Semann: Hi, it's Anthony Semann here. And I'm joined with Kirsty Liljegren, an early childhood trained teacher and consultant based here in Melbourne, Victoria. Kirsty, thanks for joining us.
Kirsty Liljegren: Great to be here.
Anthony Semann: We're here to talk about partnerships and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework, or the VEYLDF, has two of the Practice Principles that are focused on partnerships. I remember reading an article by Cafaro who argued that teaching is too important to do on our own, and this really spoke about the importance of building strong partnerships. Can you talk to us about how we might form those strong partnerships with our colleagues?
Kirsty Liljegren: I really agree with Cafaro, and I think this is really important that we establish that culture of communication and collaboration with our colleagues. When we even think about planning, for instance, to think about how that's enriched when we collaborate, when we bring our ideas and thinking together and how that amplifies possibilities for children. But also outside our own context too, that importance of networking and I remember struggling with documentation back in the early days of using that as a pedagogical strategy and coming together with two other colleagues and we'd bring our documentation of children's learning together, compare and discuss and debate in that very sort of democratic way and really learn from each other's questions, wonderings and ideas.
Anthony Semann: It's interesting authors like Goodhue and Seriamlu talk about communities of learners, that the coming together, where two or more people want to share ideas and intentionally grow their knowledge together. Can you talk to us a bit about how a community of learners might be established and what you see the benefits of that coming together intentionally to learn and grow might be?
Kirsty Liljegren: I think, you know, good quality pedagogy really rests on this idea of community of learners and this includes our colleagues, you know, the children, the families as a resource, all working together and, you know, exploring ideas and saying that every day what we do is an opportunity for professional learning. That we can grow because of our conversations, because of that professional inquiry that the VEYLDF asks of us. And, you know, I always think that we are we're either exploring something we're fascinated or curious about or problem can become an opportunity.
Kirsty Liljegren: Like it might be something like risky play and we can document this and be in conversation together as a community about what this means and what will change and how we have shared understandings together. And that, of course, happens over time.
Anthony Semann: We all have something to learn from each other, is what I'm hearing here.
Kirsty Liljegren: Absolutely. And to think about parent perspectives. And, you know, if they are fearful or are concerned, let's think about where that comes from. You know, they want the best for their children and they're concerned about the safety. So how might we reassure them? How do we involve them in risk assessments, etc.? So, you know, we through that conversation and through that respectful, open relationship, we can work together and really support and have that shared understanding together.
Anthony Semann: Building relationships with people outside of the traditional boundaries of early childhood education and care, like allied health, is one thing that we need to consider when we're working in a kindergarten program. Can you share with us how you think these relationships can be established, what we might learn from these relationships, and the positive impact this might have on the learning and development of children attending a three-year-old kindergarten program.
Kirsty Liljegren: I had a big lesson around this in my early years of teaching, I worked overseas in a school with children with special rights and worked really closely with physios, occupational therapists. And what I learnt from these people and how it added to my repertoire of knowledge about how to listen and notice what was going on with children is something I'll always be grateful for. So I think we should always be seeking out these opportunities, inviting these perspectives in, and it's something that we can always grow from.
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