Reggio Emilia Australia Information Exchange

A few speaker highlights from Leading for Participation 💚

Across our three-day Leading for Participation: Co-Creating Pedagogical Culture Through the Reggio Emilia Principles Intensive, we were fortunate to hear from an incredible group of leaders and educators who generously shared their experiences, provocations and perspectives.

From exploring leadership as a relational and participatory practice, to considering how our identities, values and ways of seeing shape the cultures we create, our speakers invited us to pause, question and look more closely at our own practice.

✨ Across our other guest speakers and sessions, we were challenged to think about participation, power, listening, identity and possibility - and what these ideas might mean in the everyday contexts in which we lead.

What emerged was not a single definition of leadership, but a rich collection of perspectives, questions and provocations to carry forward.

We’re still reflecting on the many moments of confronto, connection and shared inquiry across the three days - and we’ll be sharing more of these reflections in the weeks ahead. 💚

A huge thank you to all of our speakers and, of course, to the wonderful group of participants who contributed so generously to the conversation.

So, why the Gold Coast? Landscapes of Hope | 2027 REAIE Conference 💚

Our 2027 conference is heading to the Gold Coast - and there’s plenty to look forward to beyond the conference room.

With easy airport access, beautiful beaches, great accommodation and dining, vibrant precincts and attractions for all ages, the Gold Coast makes it easy to turn your conference trip into a little getaway.

And with July temperatures reaching around 25°C, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the outdoors, explore the coastline and connect with this vibrant place, rich in First Nations history and culture. A destination where city, coastline, culture and Country come together.

✨ Conference by day, Gold Coast adventure by… whenever you like thanks to Experience Gold Coast.

📍 Gold Coast Conference & Exhibition Centre | 1–3 July 2027

Register here: https://reaie-2027.eventsairsite.com/registration

Geelong Network Meeting | Monday September 7th 💚

Please join us at The Geelong College Junior School to learn more about creating ‘school-wide’ projects. The Junior School team will share how creating projects centred on big ideas, across multi-age groups and year levels can enhance professional learning opportunities for educators.

The Geelong College Junior School consists of an Early Learning Centre for children aged 3 and above and a junior primary school from Foundation to Grade 3. We look forward to continuing our conversation from the last network meeting about the continuity of the principles of Reggio Emilia inspired practice from early years through to primary school.

Educators of children of all ages are warmly invited and encouraged to join us.

Our meeting is held on Wadawurrung land. The traditional Aboriginal name of Geelong is Djilang and Djilang is the traditional lands of the Kulin Nation.

Resgiter here: https://events.reggioaustralia.org.au/GeelongNetworkMeeting #/

What is the REAIE Board Reading? 📚

This month, REAIE Board member Heather Conroy shares a resource that has continued to inspire her thinking: Mosaic of Marks, Words, Material.

Rich with stories, documentation and reflections from the educational project of Reggio Emilia, this publication invites educators to consider the many ways children communicate their ideas, theories and understandings through the Hundred Languages.

If you're looking to deepen your understanding of children's expressive languages and the role of documentation in making learning visible, Mosaic of Marks, Words, Material is a wonderful addition to your professional library.

💚 Have you read it? Purchase your copy here: https://reggioaustralia.org.au/shop/mosaic-of-marks-words-material/

There's something powerful about learning together.

In 2027, join educators from across Australia as we travel to Reggio Emilia for an unforgettable week of learning, connection and reflection.

As part of REAIE's Australian delegation, you'll experience the educational project of Reggio Emilia in the place where it began, while building meaningful relationships with fellow Australian educators who share your curiosity, commitment and passion for children's learning.

Whether you're new to the Reggio Emilia Approach® or looking to deepen your understanding, this is a journey that will stay with you long after you return home.

🇦🇺 Learn with Australians.
🇮🇹 Explore Reggio Emilia in a program deisgned by Reggio Children
💚 Return inspired.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now - book for a group by emailing [email protected] or our website: https://events.reggioaustralia.org.au/InternationalStudyGroup2027 #/

What if documentation could do more than record learning?

Join Lou Kirkwood in Canberra on 12 September for a full-day exploration of educational documentation through the lens of the Reggio Emilia Approach®.

Together, we’ll consider how observation and documentation can help us make children’s and adults’ learning processes visible, creating opportunities to interpret, reflect and search for new meaning in our everyday practice.

We’ll explore how documentation can support:
✨ Deeper observation and understanding
✨ Meaningful communication with families
✨ Professional learning and reflection
✨ Assessment of learning within everyday practice

Together, we’ll consider how these ideas can be meaningfully interpreted within Australian educational contexts.

Register here: https://events.reggioaustralia.org.au/Documentation-SearchingforMeaningACT #/

Join us for a rich day of reflection, dialogue and professional learning - and reimagine what documentation can make possible.

What happens when educators come together to think, question, and create?

The reflections from our recent Culture of the Atelier workshop speak for themselves. 💚

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed so generously to a day of dialogue, hands-on exploration, and shared learning inspired by the Reggio Emilia educational project.

Ready to experience it for yourself?

📍 Melbourne – September
📍 Sydney – October

Join us as we continue exploring the Culture of the Atelier and the possibilities of the Hundred Languages, intentional material curation, and environments that invite children's thinking to flourish.

Register here for Melbourne: https://events.reggioaustralia.org.au/100LanguagesV2-TheCultureoftheAtelierStoriesinPracticeVIC #/

Register here for Sydney: https://events.reggioaustralia.org.au/HundredLanguagesV1-NSW #/

How do we see children? And how does that image shape the way we teach, listen and learn alongside them?

Join Fiona Zinn in Brisbane on 5 September for a full-day exploration of the Image of the Child through the lens of the Reggio Emilia Approach®.

Together, we’ll explore the many possible images of the child and childhood over time, and consider the powerful choice made in Reggio Emilia to see children as protagonists of their own learning.

Through dialogue, reflection and connection to Australian contexts, you’ll have the opportunity to examine your own image of the child and develop or revisit a personal statement that can inform your pedagogical practice.

A day to pause, question, reflect and reconsider what is possible when we see children as capable, curious and active participants in their own learning. ✨

💚 Brisbane, 5 September (9:00am–3:30pm)| Facilitated by Fiona Zinn

Join us for this rich day of professional learning and reflection, register here: https://events.reggioaustralia.org.au/ImageoftheChild-QLD #/

Resource Spotlight | Finding Our Way: Developing a Shared Pedagogy 💙

This thought-provoking text explores how educators can develop a shared pedagogical vision through collaboration, reflection, and professional dialogue. Rather than offering simple answers, it invites readers to embrace the complexity of teaching while building cultures of curiosity, trust, and collective purpose.

Purchase your copy here: https://reggioaustralia.org.au/shop/finding-our-way-developing-a-shared-pedagogy/

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