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Jane Whinnett MBE

“I think it's about children's holistic development and maths has to be part of it. It's about understanding the world around you. And part of that is understanding and communicating through language, but it's also about, maths. And I think we see that at different stages in babies, development, thinking about, those very Froebelian early ideas of same and difference. And that you talked about the law of contrasts or the law of opposition.” – Jane Whinnett

Jane Whinnett MBE is an associate tutor on the Froebel in Childhood Practice course at the University of Edinburgh and a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor.

She is author of the Froebel Trust pamphlet on Froebel’s Gifts and Block Play Today and co authored Sewing with Young Children. She has published chapters in 'Early Childhood Practice: Froebel Today' (2012) and co-edited the award winning book 'Putting Storytelling at the Heart of Early Childhood Practice' (2020) and 'The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel' (2023).

Jane trained as a primary school teacher, later specialising in early years and went on to become Headteacher at two local authority nursery schools in Edinburgh. In 2019 Jane was awarded an MBE for services to Early Childhood Education.

Michael Friedman

“I think our conception of mathematics is very much, literally traumatised by some sort of an idea of mathematics, which is just solving equations or having to do with, derivatives, for example. A concept that is stuck, but no one knows what it is. And obviously this is not what Froebel had in mind when he came to teach children and babies, et cetera, how to learn mathematics.” – Michael Friedman

Michael Friedman is a historian of science and mathematics whose research focuses on conceptions of materiality and material practices between the 17th and the 21st century. In this context, he looks into the material practices of mathematics (folding, weaving, braiding, knotting, as well as 3D models) and how symbolical-mathematical knowledge was prompted by them. He is an associate researcher at the Bonn University; before coming to Bonn, he held positions at the at the Cohn Institute For History And Philosophy of Science And Ideas at Tel Aviv University, at the Humboldt University, Berlin, at the Fourier Institute at Grenoble and at the Max Planck Institute for mathematics in Bonn. His recent publication is the monograph: "On Joachim Jungius’ Texturæ Contemplatio. Texture, Weaving and Natural Philosophy in the 17th Century” (2023, Cham: Springer).

Pete Moorhouse

“Woodwork really incorporates just so many elements of mathematical development, practically all the maths that we need to be covering during the foundation stage can certainly be covered at the woodwork bench, but it's also, around mathematical problem solving. It's about mathematical language. It's really far reaching.” – Pete Moorhouse

Pete Moorhouse is an early years creative consultant, researcher, author and artist educator based in the UK. He is an associate trainer for Early Education delivering training nationally and overseas and is also a Travelling Tutor for the Froebel Trust. His work in school is centred around nurturing children's creativity inspired by Froebelian principles.

Pete authored Froebel Trust pamphlet The Wonder of Woodwork and is a leading authority on woodwork in Early Years education. He has written several books and journal articles, including ‘Learning Through Woodwork’ (Routledge) as well as books on outdoor learning. He is currently working his latest book – ‘Creativity in Practice: Nurturing creative and critical thinking in early childhood education’. He was awarded an honorary research fellowship from the University of Bristol and is currently researching creative progression in early education. Pete was also awarded a Churchill Fellowship to undertake international research into best woodworking practices in education. Pete won the national award from the Creative Learning Guild for his work promoting creativity in education and is Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Pete authored the Froebel Trust pamphlet,

Professor Larry Prochner

"Early years educators are part of a profession and part of one of the characteristics of a profession is having a common history that becomes, and knowing that becomes part of our professional socialisation and builds community."

Professor Larry Prochner is a professor of early childhood education at the University of Alberta. He has been a member of research teams for two Froebel Trust-funded history projects—Froebelian Endeavours and Reimagining Teaching.

He is the editor, with Kristen Nawrotzki, of the forthcoming book Nature and Early Education: Global Perspectives on Outdoor Learning for Young Children, to be published by Routledge. He serves on the executive committee of the International Froebel Society and was co-president for several years.

Dr Kristen Nawrotzki

"You're part of a professional community that has succeeded in many places over very long periods of time and often under circumstances that were pretty tricky for all different sorts of reasons. So I think that's important just to know that you're not alone."

Dr. Kristen Nawrotzki is a historian of education at Heidelberg University of Education in Germany. She has authored numerous studies of the movements for Froebelian education in the US, UK and elsewhere and is a former co-president of the International Froebel Society.

Donna Kilpatrick

"Everything about Froebel for myself helps me to meet the needs of my children and helps me to get it right for them and think about what's important for them and put them at the heart of everything we're doing."

Donna Kilpatrick is a Mum of two girls aged 19 and 17. She has taught in Falkirk schools for over 25 years and is proud to be the Head Teacher of Whitecross Primary School and Nursery. Donna recently started her Froebel journey and has been so inspired by the teaching that she received at the University of Edinburgh where she completed the Froebel in Childhood Practice Course.

Donna has had the opportunity to learn from the most amazing educators but also had the privilege to meet them at the IFS Conference in Erfurt. She is passionate to ensure that play and the Froebelian Principles continue to be developed in her practice at her nursery and school.

Dr Karen Vincent

"[Froebelian education] is a way of thinking about education that puts the child at the centre that really has a very sound value base that I think offers teachers and educators opportunities to make sense of it as learners in their own right."

Dr Karen Vincent is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Canterbury Christ Church University. Her experiences as a teacher in early years settings are at the root of her pedagogical research interests. She is currently engaged in researching with nurseries in Kent to explore pedagogical interactions in the outdoors.

This is part of a Froebel Trust funded project to explore the use of wearable technology to explore freedom with guidance. She is also engaged in a collaborative project with Birmingham City University and the University of the West of England exploring experiences of Early Childhood Studies graduates in the workplace.

She co-wrote Supporting Early Literacies through Play, with Dr Kate Smith. Karen is Secretary and Vice Chair of the England branch of the International Professional Development Association (IPDA), Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a TACTYC Trustee.

Grace Choi

"One of my favourite phrases, ‘life is messy.’ [...] it's part of being alive and that makes us human. But if AI starts making everything more predictable, you know. Too much listening, too much coping with children's emotions and over empathising with their every little emotions and eliminating conflicts or failure. Then, I mean can you really call that education?"

Grace Choi is the President of the International Froebel Society and the Principal of Rainbow Kids International Kindergarten in Beijing, China. For over a decade, Grace has been committed to advancing Froebelian principles in early childhood education, focusing especially on Froebel Gift Blocks teacher training since 2012. As the founder of Rainbow Teacher Training School, Grace has worked closely with educators and organizations like the Korean Froebel Society and Taiwan Froebel and Montessori Society to bring Froebel’s child-cantered approach to educators in China and beyond.

In recent years, Grace has shifted her attention to the intersection of technology and Froebelian education. She believes that in the face of rapid technological advances—especially in areas like AI and digital learning—it is more important than ever to focus on maintaining a holistic, child-cantered approach to education. Instead of simply adapting Froebelian education to fit into the modern tech-driven world, Grace is passionate about exploring how Froebel’s principles can coexist with technological innovation, preserving the integrity of Froebelian pedagogy in a world increasingly shaped by machines and digital platforms.

Grace’s work is grounded in the belief that the future of education must prioritize the whole child -nurturing intellectual, emotional, and social development- not just focusing on solutions that serve narrow human advancement. She is dedicated to pioneering a future where Froebelian values continue to inspire holistic learning environments amid the challenges of the digital age.

Dr Andrea Schmid

"I think it's a great contribution to inclusive education too, because in his engagement with educationally disadvantaged children and young people affected by poverty and disability, Froebel is already regarded as a pioneer of inclusion and a school for all, I think."

Dr Andrea Christine Schmid is a professor of the University of Erfurt in Thuringia/Germany at the Faculty of Educational Science and the Department of Special and Social Education.

Her main areas of focus in research and teaching are as follows: special needs education and inclusion, Reform- and Froebel Pedagogy, health and professionalization research and counselling. She heads the Froebel Research Unit at the University of Erfurt and is Vice President of the International Froebel Society.

Holli Williams

Holli Williams is Head of Schools at Linden Tree Nursery Schools, a small chain of privately-owned settings in Southwest London. The team at Linden Tree has completed three of the Froebel Short Courses - this training began their transformation, adopting a Froebelian educational approach in all their settings.

Holli is a Trustee of the Froebel Trust and also became a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor in 2022. Holli is now a proud parent as she and her wife welcomed their first child in July 2023.

Rachna Joshi

Rachna Joshi is a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor and an early childhood teacher, action-researcher and consultant. She works with under-threes, Nursery and Reception children in classroom settings and holds an MA in Early Childhood Studies. Rachna also writes for organisations like Tapestry and Early Education.

Her recent work includes embedding music into settings via grants to purchase outdoor music walls, open-ended music resources and workshops for children and their families.

Dr Fufy Demissie

Dr Fufy Demissie is a senior lecturer in the Sheffield Institute of Education. She began her career in higher education after 10 years of teaching in Foundation Stage settings.  She currently coordinates the Continuing Professional Development network and the student placement programme for the Early Years Community and Research Centre (EYCRC) at the Meadows nursery, Sheffield.   

Fufy teaches on the BA and PGCE early years courses at Sheffield Hallam University and supervises doctoral candidates. Her own research focuses on understanding the role of dialogic pedagogies in professional learning in the early years and beyond. Recent projects include an Erasmus project on Global Citizenship and Mathematics education and a classroom intervention to promote metacognition in early childhood settings. Fufy is also a trustee of the Froebel Trust.

Jane Whinnett MBE

Jane Whinnett MBE is an associate tutor on the Froebel in Childhood Practice course at the University of Edinburgh and a Froebel Trust Travelling Tutor.

She is author of the Froebel Trust pamphlet on Froebel’s Gifts and Block Play Today and co authored Sewing with Young Children. She has published chapters in 'Early Childhood Practice: Froebel Today' (2012) and co-edited the award winning book 'Putting Storytelling at the Heart of Early Childhood Practice' (2020) and 'The Bloomsbury Handbook to Friedrich Froebel' (2023).

Jane trained as a primary school teacher, later specialising in early years and went on to become Headteacher at two local authority nursery schools in Edinburgh. In 2019 Jane was awarded an MBE for services to Early Childhood Education.