Chapters International

Overview:

In an article titled Pedagogical Documentation: Impossible Goal posts and Imaginary Enemies, Fiona Zinn writes about how the practice of pedagogical documentation can support the researching teacher through a collaborative process of analysis, interpretation and reflection. Pedagogical documentation is widely understood to be of great value to educators, children and families in the early years, yet it is often easily misunderstood as a distraction from being 'with children'.

In this workshop Fiona will unpack some of the key strategies and challenges associated with documenting young children's learning. We invite you to join us as we build new understandings about this important aspect of our practice. (Participants will be encouraged to trial some strategies between sessions so attendance at all sessions is encouraged).

Fiona Zinn

Fiona Zinn is an early childhood, primary and tertiary educator who has worked in Australia and abroad for the past 30 years. As an International Education Consultant, Fiona has collaborated with a diverse range of educators and children across many countries and cultures. This work engages teachers in International School Settings to explore the many different ways we can re-think early years and primary pedagogy, curriculum and learning environments in response to research. She has an unabiding belief in the importance of children's wellbeing and its relationship to learning. Fiona has been elected to the National Committee of the Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange (REAIE) for many years, including holding the role of REAIE Convener of Professional Learning (2016 - 2022) and has worked as part of the development team that created a new suite of Reggio Emilia online learning resources for the ECA Learning Hub released in April 2022. Fiona has also enjoyed working as a sessional lecturer at Melbourne University for ten years, teaching into the Masters of International Education Program, and has collaborated with organisations such as the International Baccalaureate and the Tasmanian Department of Education on curriculum material and professional development resources for teachers of Birth - Year 2. In 2020, Fiona accepted a leadership role at The Friends' School in Tasmania and is now enjoying the challenge of re-imagining the early years alongside educators of children aged 12 weeks to eight years of age. She continues to consult and lead professional development with Australian and International Schools, supporting educational teams with pedagogical practices centred on creating environments for agency, wellbeing, creativity and playful inquiry.