This event is part of the School of Education's Bristol Conversations in Education research seminar series. These seminars are free and open to the public.

Hosted by: Language, Literacies and Education Network (LLEN)

Speaker: Professor Kate Wall (Professor of Education, University of Strathclyde)

The session is going to explore the productive learning associations between a practitioner enquiry approach to professional learning and playful pedagogy in the early years. In doing so I hope to show a bridge between pedagogy and methodology that is catalytic of effective professional learning for practitioners . I will make clear the underlying assumptions of practitioner enquiry and what the implications of engaging in enquiry are in regards an orientation towards play. Using real life examples from early years settings to exemplify the discussion and ground this approach in practice, I will give guidance about the use of enquiry-based tools which have often been used to support professional learning. In particular, I will focus on the ways in which early childhood practices can support an approach to research that facilitates meaning and interpretation of data in playful spaces for learning. The basic premise behind this perspective is that practitioners in early childhood settings are already skilled enquirer, unearthing and interpreting the intricacies in children’s play. This session will look to harness those skills in order to explore children’s perspectives through play.

Kate Wall is Professor of Education at the University of Strathclyde. A primary teacher by background, her work is characterised by enquiry-based partnership with children and practitioners of all ages and stages. She is interested in methodologies for gathering learner perspectives on experience, curriculum, and metacognition, and is recognised for her work on how visual approaches with pedagogic orientations can facilitate this kind of dialogue. Kate’s work aims to generate knowledge of ethical practice for eliciting voice within a democratic community, and to do this, particularly with young children, she has needed to look to more creative methods and practices for supporting the level of participation and ensuring authentic voice. 

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