Author: Jill McLachlan

The following is an excerpt from ‘Unearthing Why: Stories of thinking and learning with children’, written by Clare Britt and Jill McLachlan. (2020, p.28). Have you ever been surprised to find yourself in the classroom? Might seem a strange question — but it happened to me. As a beginning teacher I was startled to find…

You can’t be a ‘Reggio’ school. I am not a ‘Reggio’ consultant. There is no such thing as ‘The Reggio Approach’ in Australia. In September, I’m hosting a 2 hour seminar for educators and parents who are interested to reflect on the Educational Project of Reggio Emilia, Northern Italy. Problem is, choosing to host this…

“Farmers are smart.”, he said, “Do you know why? Because they don’t dig up their seed.” Join me as I reflect on these wise words, gifted to me by my Grandpa Leslie.

Life, learning and leading is hard work and no amount of pre-packaged positivity can replace a hope that is grounded in reality and grown out of the messy (and rich!) soil of rich relationships, humility and faith in the possibility of change, growth and connection. #hopeinfluences

When I think about teachers meeting in dialogue I imagine them meeting in a synapse. ‘Uhhh pardon me, a synapse?’. To explain, I’m going to have to take you on a journey all the way back to high school biology. Think nerves, neurons, synapses and all that jazz. What fascinated me then, and still does…

I have recently returned from two days working with Chris Celada and Margo Hobba, as a part of their workshop, ‘Teachers and Children: Being IN Research’. I am buzzing with ideas, insights and questions that were surfaced through our time together. The experience invited educators to consider knowledge from new perspectives, through participation in a shared research…

It is always fascinating to me, after a conference, what lingers in my mind and heart. What will be the thoughts, words and conversations that hold me and keep me wondering in the weeks ahead? What will be the stories I re-tell, re-think and re-consider? What marks will be still there, long after the details…

An excerpt from, ‘Unearthing Why’, Jill’s book, co-authored with Clare Britt. What if we re-imagined teaching as listening? Really listening. We once heard someone describe listening as, “coming into a conversation with a willingness to change your mind”. What a challenge – to come to a conversation or an encounter open to change. When we…

Once again, I find myself digging around Freire’s book, Teachers as cultural workers: letters to those who dare to teach (2005) searching for inspiration and a reminder of the significance of our work as teachers. Today it is this gem that stands out,  “Only rarely does a text lend itself to the reader’s curiosity” (p.54)….

Our educational environments speak powerfully about our expectations of students and our beliefs about what learning can look like in schools. Only last week, I found myself reconsidering the ‘space’ I work in. Three days a week I work as a Year 4 teacher at my local public school. My space just fits me and…