About Me

I am an international arts-educator and early years pedagogical consultant who has worked in education, health, social and cultural fields for 20+ years developing creative and transdisciplinary approaches to learning and inquiry in the classroom.  I use my ongoing practical research in the classroom with children to develop rewarding and supportive professional development opportunities and consulting experiences to explore and discover the possible ways in which we can work alongside children.

I speak, write and share my work alongside of the educators with whom I work to raise the profile and illuminate what is possible in early childhood education.  I have developed a wide repertoire of training material that helps to engage and ignite the curiosity of educators and develop deep thinking about children’s learning processes and the researchful pedagogic practices that can support children’s meaning-making strategies.

I have participated in many study tours to visit schools in Reggio Emilia since 2002 and have been involved in many professional development opportunities with Reggio Children and I’m currently studying with them on their Teacher-Educator Programme.

I have also recently been involved with transnational research with schools in the UK and Sweden through Erasmus+ that looked into the ways in which digital media could be used in creative and expressive ways with young children.  I am currently researching with schools in Romania, Spain, Sweden and the UK the transdisciplinary effect of learning and the pedagogy that supports it.    .

I also have co-written and co-deliver a Masters Module on Creativity and the Arts in Early Childhood Education for CREC and accredited via Birmingham City University together with Peppy Hills.

I am an Associate Consultant of Early Education

I have an MA in Education from Birmingham City University and was awarded by Creative Partnerships in 2011 for my work with Windsor Centre for Children and Families, Wolverhampton for ‘achieving the extraordinary and being an inspiration to others’.  In 2013 I was awarded the EECERA/Routledge Annual Practitioner Research Award  at the 23rd EECERA conference in Tallinn, Estonia for my paper entitled: Developing Children’s Critical Thinking Through Question and Dialogue

I offer professional development and keynotes around subjects including:

• Pedagogical Documentation and Making Learning Visible
• Developing Creative and Expressive use of Digital Media
• Visual Thinking – Children Communicating their Ideas and Interests
• Loose Parts and Young Children’s Curiosity and Learning
• Enhancing Contexts for Creativity and Thinking Critically Through the Visual Arts
• Inquiry and Interests – Developing Knowledge and Understanding
• What does it mean to be Reggio Inspired?
• Curriculum Design in the early years

CV Available upon request

debikeytehartland@mac.com