The notion of ‘co-researching’ may be causing a little uncertainty around your place. You may have heard that you are being encouraged to try it, but you’re not all that sure what people are talking about! Remembering that the prefix ‘co’ means ‘with’, won’t be much help if you or your colleagues are unsure about the ‘research’ bit!

A question I am consistently asked is “how do I get my team to be more accountable?”. Accountability within an ECEC setting is vital to ensuring a positive and engaged workplace culture, where the growth of its people is considered vital. Services with a high level of accountability tend to have high quality teams that … Read more

And so the day begins.  Another day of watching and waiting for the news that could possibly set a new and unchartered direction for us all.  Every day seems to be just like the last. Today of all days has been the end of a particularly anxious wait for our community.  Another day of uncertainty … Read more

I wonder if you’ve been caught up in the pressure for assessing literacy development? Did that result in ticking off checklists and requiring more group instruction? It’s certainly reasonable to pay attention to whether children are making progress in the building blocks for becoming literate members of the community. That probably means that you’ve noted … Read more

‘If you are not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback!’        Brene Brown. Living in the ‘Arena’ of leadership means you are going to get dirty; you are going to fail, and not everyone is going to agree with what you do or say. In my 25 years … Read more

We all have moments at work where we either want to scream or stomp a little! When communicating with colleagues becomes difficult or near impossible we need a new strategy to overcome the ‘communication hurdle’. A brillant tool for achieving this goal is called Restorative Practice, or as I like to call them restorative conversations. … Read more

Words are just words, and in the world today there are consulting firms and marketing agencies employed to advise leaders about what to say and how to say things. However, in the end, all that matters is what you do, not what you say. The words we use, the values we espouse, and the impressive … Read more

You are probably aware of advice to be ‘really present’ in work with young children. Certainly, we nod and say, ‘of course’, but honestly, do we have any idea what we’re talking about? Sometimes with a problematic idea, it’s useful to define what it isn’t, perhaps to define the opposite idea, to help us clarify … Read more

Many of our courses and team-building activities have an element of a strengths based approach within them. Why’s that? The research on strengths and their use in the workplace provides a compelling argument as to why organisations could incorporate strengths on a more regular basis. But first, what is a strength? A strength can be … Read more

With the popularity of webinars and other on-line methods of learning, Semann & Slattery is often asked, ‘WHERE IS MY STUFF?’ The ‘STUFF’ usually consists of: Certificates Links to webinars Think sheets – resources NESA hours (for teachers registered in NSW) Here are some tips to make sure you get your stuff delivered to the … Read more