TCHR5009
Theory to Practice:
Education and Care for
Infants and Toddlers
Online Tutorial 5
Acknowledgement of Country
“The ancient spirits are all around us. They
awaken when someone is willing to listen.
They have many messages. To hear them, the
student must be quiet in mind, body and spirit,
for profound truth does not need to be yelled.
In this sacred space of quite whispers,
reflection can take place and the earth breathes
more easily” (Callaghan, 2019, p. x).
Our Journey Together
✓ Educator dispositions and potential
✓ Professionalism and leadership as an ECT
✓ Professionalism and reflective practice on placement
✓ Ethics and ECA Code
✓ Partnerships with families as a pre-service teacher
✓ Partnerships with families as an ECT
Ours is the ‘profession of uncertainty,’ but life is a
profession of uncertainty (Malaguzzi, 2021, p. 30, as
quoted in Giamminuti et al., 2024, p. 6).
The Pedagogy of Listening is a
Relational Practice and Disposition
What stories of practice are shaping the educator you are becoming?
When do you feel most present — most responsive — in your encounters with children, families, and
colleagues?
What are the edges of your practice that call for courage — the kind Malaguzzi described as ‘going
beyond the wall’?
How do you stay open to the unexpected — to wonder, tension, and transformation — in your work
with infants and toddlers?
The Dispositions of an Infant–Toddler Educator
Nurturing Caring Patient Sensitive Responsive
Flexible Adaptable Resilient Observant Reflective
Empathetic Compassionate Knowledgeable
Inclusive Continuous Learner
Professional qualities
Appreciation of individual contributions Authentic and relational communication
Attention to emotional wellbeing Active listening and compassionate conflict
resolution
Cooperative planning and shared
decision-making Consistency and coherence in approaches
with children
Commitment to ongoing learning and
reflection (PD) Support for the organisation’s philosophy,
policies and daily practices
Clarity of purpose and shared
responsibilities Acknowledgement of diversity and unicity
Relational ethics and the life of a place
Working as a team
Working in a team means engaging in a shared ethical and professional journey.
We are all co-responsible for nurturing a culture of collaboration, trust, and care — a powerful co-
leadership that supports both educators and children to flourish. To lead our own ethical practice is to
act with attentiveness and integrity, recognising how our gestures, words, and decisions shape the
collective life of the team. Our approach is grounded in an ethics of care (Moss, 2014),
acknowledging our shared responsibility to one another — and to the child we accompany — on this
path toward becoming high-quality early childhood teachers. When leadership is shared, each voice
matters. Together, we create a workplace climate where reflection, generosity, and curiosity guide our
practice — a space of co-learning and co-research in support of children, families, and community.
Who benefits when educators work in teams like this? Please discuss.
The children benefit
Children flourish in places where educators live their work as an
ethical and relational practice — where listening, dialogue, and
care shape the atmosphere of the setting.
The climate of a service is never incidental; it is formed through
the countless minor gestures (Manning, 2016) that express how we
think, relate, and dwell together. When educators collaborate, think
with, and engage in that generous dialogue of difference and
reciprocity — they weave a culture of collective care that sustains
the wellbeing of all (Giamminuti et al., 2024).
In such spaces, leadership is shared, knowledge circulates, and
each educator’s presence contributes to the coherence and warmth
of the whole. Children sense this harmony — they breathe it — in
the rhythms of the day, in gestures of attentiveness, and in the
relational tone that permeates every encounter.
National Quality Standard
QA 7 outlines the roles that effective leadership
and teamwork play in ensuring educators provide
high-quality ECEC, outlining the importance of
respecting the pedagogical perspectives of each
team member, and embracing new ideas.
Review NQS QA7 now and write down key terms
that support:
- Collaboration
- Best practice
- Service transformation
How to work in an effective team
Discuss each of the following and how these would be evident while working in teams:
• Direction and trust
• Clear communication
• Practice Positivity
• Focus on improvement
• Sharing the load
Professionalism on placement
How can I live professionalism as an ethical and relational
practice while on placement?
What challenges might I encounter as I build relationships of trust
and reciprocity with children, staff, and families?
How can I respond with curiosity, humility, and care?
Professionalism is not about perfection — it is about attention,
responsibility, and the courage to stay open to learning.
During placement
• Arrive on time each day — your reliability builds trust and shows respect for the team and
children’s routines.
• Stay for the agreed time and be fully present throughout the day.
• Sign in and out correctly — an act of accountability and integrity.
• Be organised, prepared, and ready to engage meaningfully in the life of the room.
• Know your Professional Experience Guidelines and required documentation — these ensure
clarity and safety for everyone.
• Offer to help without waiting to be asked; attentiveness to the flow of the day demonstrates
initiative and care.
• Show respect to all staff — professionalism is relational, not hierarchical.
• Communicate calmly, respectfully, and with genuine presence toward children, families, and
colleagues.
• Keep the wellbeing of children central — rest at home so you can be attentive at the service.
• Maintain confidentiality — protect the stories, images, and identities of children and families
with discretion and respect.
In groups
• Create your own Code of Ethics for your upcoming professional
experience.
• Include at least 5 of your own principles for working ethically as a
pre-service teacher.
• Move beyond lists — think deeply about the values that will guide
your decisions, your relationships, and your daily practice.
Professionalism
and ethics
Review the ECA Code
of Ethics
Why do we need a Code of Ethics?
The power and status of educators
• Children are among the most vulnerable members of our community. As adults and educators, we
hold power — and therefore deep responsibility — to protect their wellbeing, dignity, and right to
thrive.
• Young children often lack the language to defend or explain their experiences. Ethical practice
requires that we listen with care to what is communicated through gestures, silence, and play.
• The Code of Ethics supports us to pause, reflect, and act with integrity — helping us navigate
moral uncertainty and resist reactive or harmful decisions.
Multiplicity of stakeholders (children, staff, employer, community, families)
• In early childhood settings, we move within a complex web of relationships and expectations.
• Ethical tensions often arise when the needs or values of children, families, or employers differ.
• A Code of Ethics is a living document that guides and helps us hold children’s rights and
wellbeing at the centre, while also honouring the perspectives of others with respect and empathy.
Why do we need a Code of Ethics?
Unifies ECEC teams with commitment to core values
• Appreciating early childhood as a unique and valuable stage of life
• Basing our work with children on knowledge of child development
• Appreciating and supporting the close ties between child and family
• Recognising that children are best understood and supported in the context of family, culture,
community, and society
• Respecting the dignity, worth and uniqueness of each individual (child, family member, and
colleague
• Respect diversity in children, family and colleagues
• Recognise that children and adults achieve their full potential in the context of relationships that
are based on trust and respect
Use the ECA Code of Ethics to respond
to these ethical dilemmas
1. You have been invited to staff professional development while on placement. During
the session, your mentor teacher passes you a note that says ‘This is boring, let’s go
shopping instead’. You both decide to leave the session without telling anyone and go
shopping.
2. While on placement, you find out that one of the educators in your infant room is
friends with many service families on Facebook. Her Facebook posts are very
personal and sometimes she shares things about the children.
3. While on placement, you overhear the ECT talking about another child’s development
to a parent.
Consider these questions when
responding to the ethical dilemma
1. What are the key facts in these scenarios?
2. What dilemmas exist?
3. What impact could these dilemmas have on the
children?
4. What impact could these dilemmas have on families,
staff or community?
5. What areas of the ECA Code of Ethics will assist you
in addressing the dilemma?
6. What is your course of action?
Partnerships with families as an ECT
1. Make a genuine first impression
2. Embed partnerships in daily practice
3. Communicate and engage families
4. Get to know families
5. Be inclusive
6. Initiate conversation
7. Build trust
8. Commit to ongoing reflection and
professional learning
Partnerships with families as a pre-service teacher on
placement
Your relationships with families will naturally feel different while you are on placement. As a pre-service
teacher, your role is to observe, listen, and participate with sensitivity — always under the guidance of
your mentor teacher.
Sometimes, families (and even you) may feel a little nervous about your presence in the room. This is
normal. You might like to role-play or rehearse key phrases before introducing yourself or engaging in
conversation.
Communicating with families is a skill you will develop over time. Use this placement to practise — seek
guidance, ask for feedback, and reflect on each interaction.
Be approachable and respectful. Talk about children’s strengths, listen to their families’ insights, and
show genuine curiosity about their interests and stories. When unsure, always check with your mentor
teacher — collaboration and transparency are part of professionalism.
What wonderings have emerged?
Thank you for
immersing into
this journey
with us!
References
Callaghan, P., & Uncle Paul Gordon. (2023). The Dreaming Path. HarperCollins.
Clark, A. (2022). Slow knowledge and the unhurried child: Time for slow pedagogies in early childhood education. Routledge.
DeQuincey, T. (2005). Radical embodiment: Consciousness in the physical world. North Atlantic Books.
Giamminuti, S. (2014). Dancing with Reggio Emilia: Metaphors of quality, the image of the child, and democratic possibilities in early childhood
education. Peter Lang.
Manning, E. (2016). The minor gesture. Duke University Press.
Moss, P. (2014). Transformative change and real utopias in early childhood education. Routledge.
Pelo, A. (2014). The goodness of rain: Developing an ecological identity in young children. Exchange Press.
Rinaldi, C. (2006). In dialogue with Reggio Emilia: Listening, researching and learning. Routledge.
