KU Annual Conference 2018 KU Annual Conference Program | Page 3
Introduction and Welcome
A warm welcome to the
2018 KU Annual Conference.
Our theme for this year
‘New Frontiers from Strong
Foundations’ is intended
to be both provocative
and reaffirming. Just as we
recognise a collective desire
to be perpetually growing and
reaching for greater heights,
we remain steadfastly rooted
in our respect for children’s
rights, strengths and potential.
In the face of many new
challenges confronting
the sector, we must step
confidently into the future
and embrace our collective
responsibility to consider
not only the strength of our
pedagogical viewpoint, but the
socio-political and advocacy
tenants of our work.
With this aspirational vision,
we are delighted to offer a
conference program that will
showcase a strong cohort of
KU Annual Conference 2018
renowned speakers across
diverse domains of learning.
Through our conference
streams and the pooling of
knowledge and ideas amongst
guests and delegates, we
hope to initiate a new social
discourse that will explore
the educator’s preparedness
to embrace early education
through an everchanging
contemporary lens. We hope to
inspire and challenge the early
education fraternity to consider
a landscape of possibilities,
so that educators can, with
confidence, begin to really
consider the new frontiers
of education. To rethink and
reshape teaching and learning
so that it is congruent with
the shifting demographic
of contemporary society,
inclusive of the promise and
challenge of digital literacy and
technologies, issues of social
justice and social competence.
The contemporary early
childhood landscape is
complex and intricate. It invites
educators through a dialogue
of this nature to innovate
change, where possibilities
are freely explored, ideals are
considered attainable and
reform is always within reach.
With the provocative offerings
of our keynote speaker Steve
Sammartino and featured
speaker Dr Michael Carr-Gregg,
along with an impressive list of
other speakers, we anticipate
this encounter will enable
educators to take formidable
strides towards new frontiers of
learning. One that involves the
consideration of multiple truths
and perspectives, to enable
pedagogies of innovation and
imagination; humility and
harmony.
KU CEO, Christine Legg
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