The workshop will remind participants of capacities that children have before they even enter our childcare centres; these capacities should be welcomed and nurtured in order to create a pedagogical context of trust and respect. Annabella will focus on the divergent thinking skills that children possess and will share with educators diverse strategies for keeping these skills ignited while re-igniting their own divergent thinking. The participants will also be introduced to the practice of the Imaginative Education theory.

Living Inquiries:

Well-being and belonging.
Engagement with others, materials, and the world.
Identities, social responsibility, and diversity.

Pathways:

Joy in relationships with people, place, materials and ideas.
Diversity and difference.
Safety and respect.
Emotions, thoughts, and views.
Every child is a gift.
Interests and inquiries.
Knowledge and theories.
Individual differences.

Suitable for ECE students, parents, intermediate and experienced early care and learning professionals working with children of all ages, from infants/toddlers to school age children, including children with extra support needs.

Facilitator: Annabella Cant

Dr. Annabella Cant is a professor in Early Childhood Education at Capilano University and the recipient of the 2019 Teaching Excellence Award from Capilano University. She is also an invited keynote speaker to many ECCE conferences and events. Annabella sits on the Academic Council of the Centre for Imagination in Research, Culture, and Education. She is also the initiator and editor-in-chief of the online journal: Childhoods and Pedagogies. She has been practising ECCE since 1994; in 1999 she started opening her own childcare centres in Europe (her schools were dedicated to children with very diverse backgrounds and abilities). She collaborated with a number of orphanages and organisations and welcomed all children. She is the author of the book entitled Unswaddling Pedagogy (2017) a book for all educators and parents. Her passions are:her family+puppy, running, drumming, and creating an inclusive world.