Risky Play and Why it Matters with Gill Connell

Junior Journalists interview school leaders and their peers about the challenges and opportunities in schools right now. When I was 12 years old, I wrote my first letter to the local paper, the Howick and Pakuranga Times, and interviewed my principal for one of my very first published articles. Now, things have come full circle as I sit down with the paper's current Junior Journalists to uncover the biggest challenges and opportunities inside classrooms today. In this episode, the students and I discuss the real pressures facing school leaders and how education is shifting to prepare young people for a rapidly changing, tech-driven career landscape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People often split camps between those who believe in play based learning and those who believe in structured literacy ..but what if they are not mutually exclusive and you can actually teach with both? We talk with an early childhood centre leader (Liz Lupton) and a primary school leader (Theresa Kinloch) about how they collaborate with each other to make sure students are ready when they arrive at school ..and that the transition from different styles of learning is smooth and meets the child where they are at. We also talk about the benefits of greater co-operation and contact between ECE and schools and what you can do as a parent to help pass on information that is really useful when your child starts school. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marianne Brown, a literacy expert with 30 years of experience, talks about a lightbulb moment when a struggling reader helped her discover the playground tip that helps with reading. Using the analogy of a slide, Marianne helped the little girl go from not being able to read a single word, to fully reading within just 10 weeks. She discusses the science behind why some children struggle and how oral language, conversation, and the alphabetic code are key to supporting students. With lots of practical strategies for parents to use ..and an explanation of why patience and repetition are important in building literacy.

If your child has ever needed learning support or additional education needs you might be familiar with the terms SENCO and LSC, but for many families this is unfamiliar jargon for very important roles within a school. In this episode, Lizzie Bayliss talks about how educators in these roles support students. We also discuss her journey from founding a fashion company to becoming a deputy principal and setting up the Everyday Collective, a project aimed at inspiring educators through encouraging continuous learning and reflection. There is also advice here for parents on building strong home-school relationships. Lizzie encourages open communication with teachers and school staff to ensure children receive the support they need.

How to set confident, compassionate boundaries that actually deepen your connection with children and don't negatively impact your relationship. Obstetric social worker and renowned Parent Educator Gen Muir is the author of Why Kids Need Boundaries. Gen shares her own parenting struggles and says it's a myth that boundaries threaten attachment. However, we talk about the most effective way to set clear limits that also foster trust and reduce conflict. I first came across Gen when I discovered the High, Low, Buffalo conversation prompt for families. It has been a gamechanger in our house and I speak about how it has helped open up conversations and information from our kids that we might not have got otherwise. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.