Seeds Of Practice

Cultivating Learning in Relationship 

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Seeds of Practice is a professional learning program hosted through The Centre for Indigenous Professional Learning and facilitated by Kristi Talbot to bring early learning educators together to grow, share, and strengthen their practice through an Indigenous lens of governance, collaboration, and reflection. 

This program nurtures a supportive network of educators who will walk side by side collaborating, discussing, and exchanging ideas for developing classroom programs that honour land, language, and community. Participants will have the opportunity to co-create learning experiences, explore new resources, and find collective inspiration for how Indigenous and Western approaches can coexist in early childhood education. 

The gatherings follow the cycles of the Grandmother Moon, recognizing that our learning, like the seasons, moves through phases of growth and renewal. 

• New Moon Gatherings – A time to plant seeds of intention. 
  Educators come together to imagine, plan, and map out classroom programs, guided by new ideas, teachings, and inspirations that arise in community. 

• Full Moon Gatherings – A time to harvest and reflect. 
  Participants revisit the previous weeks’ experiences, share what worked, honour the lessons learned, and celebrate how their classrooms and hearts have grown. 

Through this cyclical rhythm, educators are invited to slow down, reflect, and reimagine their programming in ways that nurture both children and educators. Each session is a circle of relationship a space to reconnect with spirit, practice, and purpose. 

Suggested Uses for Early Childhood Educators:

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• Collaborative Professional Learning
  • Participate in facilitated learning circles to collaboratively explore programming ideas, share experiences, and co-develop approaches rooted in Indigenous and relational pedagogies.
• Reflective Practice and Program Planning
  • Use reflection prompts between gatherings to test new ideas in practice and return to the circle with reflections and insights from classroom experiences.
• Peer Support and Community Building
  • Engage with fellow educators in a supportive network that encourages relationship-building, shared learning, and collective growth.
• Resource Sharing and Knowledge Exchange
  • Utilize shared digital spaces (e.g., Padlet/Sway) to exchange resources, stories, and examples of practice that support ongoing learning beyond the sessions.
• Integrating Cycles of Learning
  • Apply teachings connected to the Grandmother Moon’s cycles to support planning, reflection, and intentional rhythms of practice within early years settings.

Learning Outcomes

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• Strengthened Collaborative Practice
  • Educators will enhance their ability to work collaboratively with peers to co-create meaningful early years programming.
• Improved Reflective Planning Skills
  • Educators will develop strategies for ongoing reflection and intentional planning informed by Indigenous and relational approaches.
• Enhanced Programming Design
  • Educators will strengthen their capacity to design responsive programming that honours land, language, and community connections.
• Increased Professional Confidence and Leadership
  • Educators will build confidence in sharing ideas, facilitating dialogue, and contributing to collective learning environments.
• Support for Professional Wellbeing
  • Educators will experience connection and support through collaborative learning circles that reduce isolation and foster professional renewal.

**Please note space is limited to ensure an intimate and supportive environment for authentic dialogue and collaboration.