Educator leads way forward
CHRIS Tayler, the Educational Leader and Cultural Resource Support at Darwin Family Day Care, won the Outstanding Leadership award at this year’s Northern Territory Education and Care Awards.
Ms Tayler has a long history of working in early childhood in the Territory.
“My main expertise is around leadership and professional learning in children’s services, with a focus on pedagogy, curriculum and management issues,” she said.
“I have extensive experience in early childhood education within and for very remote indigenous communities.
“And I was the lead developer and creative force behind the Early Years Learning Framework professional learning package for remote educators.”
Ms Tayler led the development of a supporting training package to demonstrate the methodology behind this unique innovative training resource.
And during her role as the Executive Director for the Department of Education and Workplace Relations and NT Catholic Ed, she helped to produce a book, resources and DVD for Indigenous Educator during 2010 -2012.
“I also led the development and co-wrote with Professor Alison Elliott the methodology to be used to teach pedagogical early childhood indigenous and non-indigenous leaders,” she said.
“I mentored indigenous and nonindigenous pedagogical leaders to implement the resources in early childhood setting from birth to age five travelling to sites in Western Australia, Queensland and the Northern Territory.”
During her Churchill Fellowship, Ms Tayler developed a blog to share cultural inclusive video clips.
“I have made video clips often in my free time, using my own digital resources and programs,” she said.
“I have used my connections with indigenous community and my family to allow me to build these teaching and learning vignettes of the local NT natural bush and water ways with specific learning outcomes to demonstrate Intentional Teaching and Cultural Competence. These clips also include co-ordinators and educators from DFDC willing to participate.”
Ms Tayler said at DFDC they cared for a large number of indigenous children from very remote communities with their extended hours care.
“This has been the inspiration and motivation behind the development of vignettes focusing on Nature Pedagogy I have filmed here in Darwin,” she said.
“I am an active participant on the Nature Pedagogy Facebook page founded by Claire Warden.
“Claire has since been to Territory Childcare group and implemented two days of workshops for our educators and practice mentors to demonstrate nature pedagogy inside, outside and beyond.
“And in my role as Educational Leader here at DFDC I was ap- proached by Embrace Culture Kindy to include my blog didgchildcare.wordpress.com on their website as a resource.” Embrace Culture Kindy is endorsed by ACEQUA.