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A day in the life of our educators

Thinkers.inq
believes in Play with Purpose

There are no fixed timetables at Thinkers.inq, but rather an intuitive listening for the rhythm of the learners’ minds and bodies. The day will move to this beat so that learners have a powerful sense of their being, becoming and belonging in the space. It is difficult to describe a sample day, however, it might look something like this:

At the forefront of every educator’s mind will be our core life skills, such as empathy, gratitude, self-regulation, persistence and agency, and how we can help these skills flourish in our children’s lives through play.

      MENTAL PREPARATION

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ACTIVE & INSPIRATIONAL       

LISTENING & ENGAGEMENT

      

As each day begins learning leaders will be listening to learners share their stories and reciprocating. Leaders will be looking for unique moments so they can capture the child’s disposition and areas of inquiry which could be woven into the day. For learners who arrive after 8am leaders will deliberately connect with children as they arrive with time, body and eye contact to re-establish a secure base with each child.

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       CRITICAL FRIENDSHIPS INSPIRING PLAY

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During the morning leaders will be looking for ways to support wellbeing through thinking, communication and relationships. They will be listening to language and thought development via the depth of questioning used by their learners. As the children explore play, leaders will begin a conversation with learners about how they have grown as thinkers.

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CO-PLAYERS      

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As the morning progresses, leaders will harness opportunities to offer provocations to learners and explore their thinking and ideas around the interest topics e.g. sustainability. Learning Leaders will always be looking for opportunities to embed emergent literacy and numeracy skills along with developing curiosity aided by technology.

      SETTING & ENACTING INTENTIONALITY

As learners self-manage their morning tea, in consultation with their learning leader, leaders will engage in reflective and purposeful conversations with each other and the learners, getting excited about new explorations. They will celebrate thinking, skill development and wellbeing with children. At all times leaders will be working towards assisting the learners think about how they learn and what that might mean for them.

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DRAWING OUT & LEADING FORTH      

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The leaders aim during these sessions is to explore learners thinking about core skill development. i.e. how do I make that toy work, can I create it else where, where else can I find it, how many ways are there to play it, what if I…? Leaders will be demonstrating, co-constructing, philosophising, being curious, letting experimentation occur and allow play drive learning. 

      ALLOWING WELLBEING TO FLOURISH

At Learning Leaders will be about observing and recording wellbeing; modelling, celebrating, developing learners skills and driving excitement for growth.

BEING INSPIRED BY

CHILDREN'S CREATIVE THINKING      

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Lunchtimes always provide opportunities for learning leaders to engage with children regarding their experiences and how they are going making sense of their world. This will allow for leaders to gauge changes in thinking, dispositions and explore relationships.

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      INTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENT

As part of the afternoon’s activities, leaders will focus on a calmness of the body and mind. They will engage with thinking which helps to explore the quarterly theme and drive curriculum development. Making learning visible is a fundamental task for the learning leader. Every conversation will matter to capturing the extraordinary. Leaders will use this time to engage with the learners about how they have changed, where they want to change and how their change has impacted them. Leaders will be making their thinking explicit with the learners so that everyone’s learning is visible.

THRIVING CO-PLAY      

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The afternoon will also allow leaders the opportunity to guide core skill development through games and play. The aim of these sessions is to create opportunities to be stretched mentally, physically and relationally.

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      LIVING DAILY JOURNALS

As learners leave for the day, leaders will be present for the learning exchange between caregiver and learner and to prompt where requested. Leaders will take careful note of caregiver language, questions and ideas for use in further curriculum development. Leaders will also be present for caregivers as they inquire, think and share their ideas around their child’s development and growth. Leaders will also make purposeful contact with the learner as they leave to ensure that a secure base has been prepared for their return to Thinkers.inq

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