AFCC Opening Keynote: The Many Forms of Curiosity
Panel Andrea Wang, Geraldine Teo-Zuzarte, Myra Loke | Moderator: Jeffrey Tan
Curiosity is a strong driving force in encouraging learning, exploration and innovation. In this opening keynote of AFCC 2024, our speakers will share about their encounters with this quality and how they have also leveraged on it in their work and or practice.
Building Curiosity with Books by Andrea Wang
For award-winning author Andrea Wang, books have played a crucial role in allowing her to forge connections and find joy. For the opening keynote session, Andrea will share how books and stories have helped her in learning important life lessons, explore and understand the world and influenced her work as an author of children's books.
Sparking Wonder Through Theatre by Myra Loke
For puppetry artist and educator Myra Loke, puppetry has always been an effective and transformative medium to engage and captivate young minds. Drawing from her works for different age groups, Myra shares her approach to harness the tangible and intangible theatrical space to spark a sense of wonderment, and ignite curiosity about the world around us.
Curiosity as an Antidote to Navigating a Challenging World
In a rapidly changing world marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), nurturing curiosity from a young age is crucial. With neuroscience studies showing that babies are naturally curious, facilitating this curiosity is then essential in equipping children with the skills to navigate and thrive, ensuring they grow into innovative thinkers and resilient individuals capable of embracing and driving change in an ever-evolving landscape.
technology writing curiosity spaces early childhood education creativity
Andrea Wang (USA)
Andrea Wang is an acclaimed author of children’s books. Her picture book Watercress was awarded the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor, among other accolades. Her other books, Summer at Squee, The Many Meanings of Meilan, Luli and the Language of Tea, Magic Ramen, and The Nian Monster, have also received awards and starred reviews. Her work explores culture, creative thinking, and identity. She lives in Colorado with her family. For more information about Andrea and her books, please visit www.andreaywang.com.
Geraldine Teo-Zuzarte (Singapore)
Geraldine Teo-Zuzarte is Head of School at SJI International Preschool. She holds a PhD in Early Childhood Education and is passionate about the development of children, especially those in their early years. A seasoned speaker with 30 years of experience, she has presented papers in conferences and workshops both locally and internationally. With her deep theoretical and practical knowledge on ECCE, Geraldine has inspired and nurtured many to become current leaders in the ECCE sector.
Myra Loke (Singapore)
Myra Loke is a theatre director, puppeteer / performer, designer, maker and educator.
Her artistic journey in Singapore’s theatre started 18 years ago when she was the pioneer batch of ARTivate, the youth wing of Drama Box Ltd. Now, Myra is part of the core team of The Finger Players, one of Singapore’s leading theatre companies, best known for their visually-arresting productions and its strong advocacy of puppetry. She led the company as co-Artistic Director from 2020 – 2023.
Myra also co-founded The Wanderlings, where she co-created You Can Reach The Sky (2017 – 2019), Singapore’s first immersive theatrical experience for babies. Myra believes in the transformative power of Puppetry for dialogue, reflection and social change.
Photo credit: Juliana Tan
Moderator Jeffrey Tan (Singapore)
Jeffrey Tan is an experienced theatre director, drama educator and creative producer. He started Theatre Today in 2016, to conceptualize and produce theatre, art workshops and productions, for children, youths, seniors and the disabled community. Jeffrey is currently Senior Lecturer at the National University of Singapore.
Programme dates and times are subject to change.