Journey Academy: Empowering Teachers for Child Development
Journey Academy ensures that our teachers have the support, tools and resources to be the best they can. Our very own customised learning platform, Journey Academy provides our centre teams with a diverse array of research-informed learning experiences to build their own professional capabilities, feel supported in their role and provide the best care and education for the children they educate each day.
Teacher support plays a crucial role in fostering a positive learning environment and has a significant impact on children’s development. Key areas greatly impacted include children’s emotional well-being and resilience. Positive teacher-child relationships also play a crucial role. These relationships significantly influence the trajectory of their learning.
Fostering Positive Teacher-Child Relationships
Establishing positive relationships with children allows teachers to better understand their individual needs, learning styles, and strengths. When children feel a strong connection with their teachers, they experience a sense of emotional security and belonging in the classroom. This emotional support helps reduce anxiety and stress, enabling children to be ready to explore and learn. By offering support and encouragement, teachers help children develop emotional resilience. They learn to overcome challenges. They bounce back from adversity. This builds a growth mindset, fostering a positive attitude towards learning and life. The effects of teacher support can extend beyond the classroom and can translate to children’s future success in relationships, learning and life.
Individualised and Inclusive Learning Environments
When teachers receive support and resources, they create personalised, inclusive learning environments. This ensures effective advocacy for each child’s unique abilities, interests, and challenges. Journey Academy enhances teacher knowledge. It offers research-informed experiences. These complement current practices. Plus, it encourages continuous reflection and improvement. All for the betterment of outcomes for children.
Journey Academy: A World of Learning Opportunities
Journey Academy can be likened in many ways to “choosing your own adventure!” With over 400 opportunities in Journey Academy, we have an incredible range of topics available for discovery from guiding positive behaviour and rituals to sustainability and how to introduce Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives. Our Policies and Procedures are easily accessible here and we also host our induction and annual mandatory learning in Journey Academy.
Within Journey Academy, these experiences range from self-paced learning modules facilitated by prominent early childhood practitioners as well as opportunities for action research through our Communities for Practice and access to face-to-face learning experiences.
We inspire our teachers to see themselves as life-long learners and provide a platform for this to be possible – the opportunities to keep learning are endless in Journey Academy!
Our content is developed from the voice of our teachers. As we identify areas of need, we seek reputable learning resources. These are either sourced externally or curated internally. We then share these valuable resources through Journey Academy. Our specialised Journey content courses are a crucial part of our journey towards continuous improvement, aligning with our vision for excellence.
Feedback on Journey Academy’s Impact
“It went fantastic! I am really excited to work with them moving forward. They had some interesting ways of interacting with the children which challenged the way we usually do things however with a positive result! We learnt the method of “Following” and it is where instead of us asking children questions while they are playing…This method allows for [the child,] time to emotionally regulate.” –Journey North Mackay
“…session really informative and set the foundation for some great observations that will come with the mentor sessions.” –Journey Kawana
Prioritising Teacher Support for Lifelong Learning
The support we provide extends to the classroom, sparking children’s curiosity and encouraging them to become lifelong learners too. Our teachers form deep connections with children. This allows them to respond effectively to their needs. Journey Academy enhances their ability to advocate for inclusion and responsive teaching. It influences their interactions, curriculum planning, and resource allocation. It even impacts their relationships with families and community connections. This is why our priority for our teachers is to ensure that they receive all the support they need to be the best they can be, each and every day!
