Marie Hammer

Currently a lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Monash University where she has taken a number of leadership roles including Early Childhood Course Leader for 5 years. I have worked in a range of different childrens service types including long day care, sessional kindergarten and family support programmes as well as 5 years as President of the Kindergarten Teachers Association of Victoria, representing the needs of early childhood educators. I stood down as Victorian Branch President of Early Childhood Australia in 2009 and was a member of the ECA, Victorian Branch Qualifications Approval committee for Early Childhood professionals until 2011.

I have a range of research interests including the professionalism of the Early Childhood field and pedagogical and curriculum approaches. I have also participated in two summer schools in Moscow, Russia exploring the application of Vygotskys theories of development to teaching practices. My particular research interests are in the area of childrens social competence and the role of emotions. Within this context she has explored looking at the role that Early Childhood professionals can play in supporting children who have experienced trauma.

I was the National Australia Bank, Yachad Scholar 2004 and am using the outcomes of a study tour in Israel as a cross cultural study dimension to explore the impacts of trauma for young children on their emerging social competence as part of my PhD study.