OC15-Fostering Mutual Flourishing

$39 (free for subscribers)
Debi Keyte-Hartland
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Length: 1.5 hours
Time: 9am – 10:30pm (EST)

Fostering Mutual Flourishing: Creating Environments for Thinking for Children and Educators

$39 (free for subscribers)
Debi Keyte-Hartland
Date: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Length: 1.5 hours
Time: 9am – 10:30pm (EST)

About this Online Conversation

Debi Keyte-Hartland is pedagogical consultant, artist-educator and facilitator of professional learning in early childhood contexts in the UK where she is based but also internationally.  Her interests gather around participative and creative pedagogies which enable children to co-construct and co-design curriculum and their learning experiences and environments.  She is also fascinated by the activating conditions that foster generative environments for thinking, for both educators (in professional learning contexts) and children.  She draws upon Nancy Kline’s (2020) 10 components of a thinking environment (2020);  Annie Murphy Paul’s (2021) work on thinking with our bodies, surroundings and relationships; and new materialist theory to consider how we think with materials (Pacini-Ketchabaw, Kind and Kocher, 2024) as a framework for understanding the enriching practices and environments that support both adults and children to co-develop and share their thinking.

Robin Wall Kimmerer (2020, 2024) also serves as an inspirational tool of Debi’s own thinking in how we consider and foster ‘mutual flourishing’ in early childhood centres in which children, educators, families and the more-than- human grow and learn together, supporting connection, belonging and well-being of all through mutual flourishing.   The Pre-Schools and Infant-Toddler Centre’s of Reggio Emilia and their approach to young children’s learning and research and that of their educator’s continues as a traversal pillar of reference throughout Debi’s work and her thinking.  For Debi, the Reggio Emilia Approach serves as an ethical and ecological context which favours collective thinking, doing, and experimenting which recognises the liveliness and vitality of early childhood education which challenges notions of certain and scientific methods for delivering education advocated by neoliberalist political and economic philosophy.

In this conversation, Debi will travel with your thinking, to think together about:

• How we can develop Kline’s 10 components to foster and create conducive conditions for thinking together (both for children and adults) in ECE
• How we can consider Kimmerer’s idea that all flourishing is mutual in the reciprocal and lively nature of learning together and alongside children in ECE
• How the arts, as vital languages of our humanity enable connection, transformation and flourishing, and how they are needed now, more than ever before

Biography

Debi Keyte-Hartland is a highly regarded expert in the fields of arts, creativity, and participatory early childhood education. With over 25 years of experience, she has established herself as a thought leader who bridges the gap between creative and critical reflective practice and pedagogical theory and research, inspiring educators and institutions to embrace the transformative power of creative thinking for young children in early childhood settings.

Debi’s ability lies in facilitating professional learning to develop relational pedagogies and child-centred curricula that fosters rich learning through creative and critical thinking, communication and expression in which children explore and elaborate their working theories and enquiries with and of the world. She is deeply influenced by the Preschools and Infant Toddler Centres of Reggio Emilia, Italy and trained with Reggio Children as a Teacher-Educator of the approach which emphasizes intentional yet responsive teaching alongside children’s ability to shape their own learning experiences together with others. Through her work, Debi advocates for environments that prioritize attuned teaching rich in exploration, collaboration, participation, and playful learning, allowing young children to flourish as creative thinkers.

As a pedagogical consultant and coach mentor, Debi has worked with schools, early years settings, and educational organizations globally, helping them reimagine their curricula and environments to better serve the needs of their young learners. She offers professional learning for educators, to think deeply and critically about their practice, pedagogy, planning and provision to enable them to equip themselves with the tools and strategies to cultivate creativity in the classroom. Her workshops often focus on how the visual arts as languages of our humanity can be integrated into learning processes, making education more engaging and meaningful for children.

In addition to her hands-on work with educators, Debi is an accomplished speaker, known for delivering dynamic, insightful keynotes that challenge conventional views of early childhood education. As a leading voice in early childhood her presentations blend theory, research, and case studies from practice.  Debi is an Associate Consultant with Early Education who worked on the national curriculum guidance material for England Birth to 5 Matters.  She is a coach mentor on the SPACE to Flourish programme based in London, UK supporting professional learning and critical thinking on pedagogy in the arts and creativity. Debi is also an associate tutor, teaching and supporting MA Early Education students at CREC, the Centre of Research in Early Childhood and pedagogista to an ESRC funded research project about Children’s Participation in Schools with 4 Universities in the UK, exploring participatory pedagogies.

The Early Learning Conversation Space

Our online conversations happen in a really cool space using a platform called "GoBrunch." This is not your boring Zoom meeting! It is an immersive, virtual space that feels more like being together in person. Want to check out some of the rooms we use ahead of time? Here are the two we use the most, depending on the size of our group. Check them out!

Tables Groups Room, where we can break into smaller table group conversations.

The Cozy Library Lounge, where we sit in a circle and have live conversations about our online courses.