Seneca School of ECE Presents Speaker Series w/ Ann Pelo & Shelley Brandon

On the shoulders of Giants: In dialogue with Pedagogy... Re-thinking, Re-newing &

Re-viving

This speaker series is intended to create a collective collegial dialogue with inspirational change agents in the field of ECE. Faculty, students, mentors, community partners and alumni, are invited to engage in meaningful discussions aimed to provoke, rethink, renew and inspire change.

Special Speaker Guests - Ann Pelo & Shelley Brandon...

Ann Pelo is a teacher educator, program consultant, and author whose primary work focuses on reflective pedagogical practice, social justice and ecological teaching and learning, and the art of mentoring. Her work is anchored by a commitment to the right of educators to be intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually engaged by their work.. Ann worked as an early childhood teacher and teacher mentor for sixteen years at a full-day, not-for-profit early learning centre in Seattle, Washington. Currently, Ann collaborates with early childhood educators, teachers, and administrators in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, thinking with them about inquiry-based teaching and learning, pedagogical leadership, and the necessary place of ecological identity in children’s – and adults’ – lives.

Ann is the author of six books, most recently From Teaching to Thinking: A Pedagogy for Reimagining Our Work, with Margie Carter. She is the Co-Editor of the Reimagining Our Work Collection with Exchange Press, a series of books by early childhood educators that illuminate pedagogical practice anchored by a commitment to social justice, deep listening, teacher research, and documentation that foregrounds educators' thinking about children's thinking.

Shelley Brandon has been working in the field of early years education for almost 30 years. During that time, she has worked as a classroom educator with Infants, toddlers and preschoolers and a Centre Director and Pedagogical Leader in London, Ontario. She has a deep appreciation for the outdoors. Over the years, her role as a classroom educator has afforded her opportunities to bring her love of outdoor play into her work. The highlight of Shelley’s career has been her time spent with toddlers as she explored a small urban forest space. Her new book, Reimagining Heartbreak: An Educator’s Journey to Reclaim Whole-Heartedness is a collection of some of her favorite stories from her time spent in the forest.

This free speaker series was made possible through the generous sponsorship from Seneca Polytechnic Alumni.