Chelsea Taylor

I highly recommend the Graduate Diploma of Education (GDE) Program. It helped me crystalize my beliefs and values about teaching and learning, and subsequently bring my practice into greater alignment with them. This involved questioning assumptions, uncovering unconscious biases, digging into my roots, and becoming a more critically reflective teacher.

The program exposed me to a wide range of theories and frameworks to help me on this journey and substantiate my pedagogical choices. The field studies allowed me to pursue my questions and inquire into the tensions I was experiencing. The program involved vulnerable, yet deeply cathartic work, and it was transformative both professionally and personally. I learned so much about myself, and it was therapeutic as much as it was educational.

There was a healthy balance of guidance and direction from my mentors and instructors, while also being encouraged to forge my own path and discover my own learning journey based on my unique story and circumstances. I felt safe and supported to take risks, and that my mental health mattered in addition to my academic achievement.

The cohort model naturally fostered collaboration and gifted me with a valuable learning community of critical friends, mentors, and instructors with whom I could analyze my practice from fresh angles. Ultimately, the program made me a more sure-footed, yet open-minded educator. My biggest takeaway from the program was learning how to truly listen, valuing the voices and poignant expertise of children, colleagues, instructors, Reggio experts, and Indigenous perspectives alike – and indeed, my own intuition and inner child.

- Chelsea Taylor (she/her)
MEd | Educational Practice
Mentor | Language, Literacy & Learning in the Early Years GDE Program