Early Childhood training workshops are in high demand and the spaces are frequently filled immediately following registration. Four teachers from Egham, Amber Taylor and myself, Kay Honey, from Pre-Kindergarten and Brenda Herron and Lisette Van Zanten from Kindergarten, were excited to hear of a workshop being run by IBO Asian Pacific in Mumbai. Having all worked with PYP in the Early Childhood Years we were all eager to share our successes and had our own personal areas of interest we hoped to develop.

The Ecole Mondiale World School were our excellent hosts and welcomed us with their traditional Indian culture. The venue was able to accommodate 400 teachers, tutors and resources. The workshop began in earnest on Friday morning: although we were provided with an agenda, the workshop leaders, Anne Van Dam and Cherry Bogunovich, were very open to accommodating our varying needs. Thirty-nine teachers, from India, Australia, Vietnam, Africa, Britain and more, all came with varying amounts of PYP experience, from those who were just introducing it to their program, to those like us who had worked within a well established IB school.

The first day concentrated on The Taught Curriculum – How do children learn best?

We looked at current research to support play-based environments; defining play, linking play to play policy, links between play, literacy and social competence. We looked at inquiry in Early Years and how to facilitate inquiry in the school environment and the roles of the teacher.

Saturday focused on documentation and communication; the process and product of learning, documentation and observation, facilitating and recording inquiry, promoting independent learners, literacy and numeracy as tools of inquiry. The learned curriculum; assessment, what does it look like in Early Years, it’s purpose and strategies, was particularly relevant.

On Sunday, our objective was of a more personal nature; putting what we had learned into practise.

Anne and Cherry were experienced, informative and open; they encouraged the group to share their expertise and were supportive in our questioning and in our challenges. I came away from Mumbai feeling confident in my classroom practises but inspired to build on my skills. I do not plan any major changes but will develop areas in my teaching that I know are sound, to reflect upon and critique opportunities for play and the classroom environment. Families put their trust in us to take care of their children, to promote a love of learning and to give them the skills they need to be successful. Communicating children’s learning helps us to work together for the benefit of the child.

A successful trip and I can’t wait to extend my inquiry into India, it’s people and it’s culture!