Let’s play school! New Approaches to Early Learning

This fall, like every fall, a new group of three- and four-year-old  children across the province experienced their first day in elementary school. Some were excited, some were scared, and some were just curious. What was school going to be like? How would they spend their time? Their teachers had many of the same questions as they prepared to return to their classrooms. What experiences were these children bringing to their learning? Which ones were comfortable interacting  with others? Which ones had had little playtime with others? What experiences had they had with language? With literacy? With mathematics?

Kindergarten teachers face a unique challenge. Strategies or approaches that may be appropriate for Grade 2 or 3 students are not necessarily suitable for younger children, and Kindergarten teachers have had to learn to adapt many teaching strategies to mesh with their understanding of child development. Until now there have been few professional development opportunities to help them focus on this task.

To meet the unique needs of these teachers, ETFO, with funding from the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat, offered the first-ever Kindergarten Institutes this summer. Almost 600 Kindergarten teachers took part in the three-day Institutes held in eight sites: London, Oakville, Toronto, Barrie, North Bay, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay.

The focus was to help teachers to think about programming that is appropriate for young children and how it is supported by the Revised Kindergarten Program 2006. This new curriculum document outlines in much broader detail than previously what children are expected to know by the time they reach Grade 1, and how they can demonstrate their knowledge. It offers a wide range of examples of how to address or to meet expectations, including the use of learning centres and inquiry or play-based programming.

In the early years, children learn best through active participation, experimentation, observation,  and  inquiry.  By  interacting  with  others as they learn, they have a chance to share their learning, to consider their conclusions, to synthesize  their  thinking, and  to  reflect  on  what they are learning. At the same time they learn the important social skills and develop emotionally. Children become excited about learning when it starts from what they already know and are interested in, and they challenge themselves to represent their knowledge in a  way that makes sense for them – through words, symbols, letters, drawings, dramatizations, and manipulation of materials. The love of learning and the desire to explore new ideas that they develop in these early years can set the stage for a lifetime of academic success.

Institute participants considered how to use learning centres to build richer experiences for children that would:

• encourage enhanced vocabulary and more extensive oral language experiences
• incorporate the application of literacy and mathematical knowledge
• require problem solving and higher order or critical thinking.

All Institutes began with a session on child development that reminded teachers that young children’s brains are still developing, particularly in the areas of social/emotional intelligence and vocabulary  development.  Programming  must support brain growth.

Teachers were encouraged always to carefully consider their rationale as they make programming decisions. Leaders of a session devoted to reflective practice guided participants through scenarios and activities that caused them to con- sider the many decisions they make every day – How best can I assess this? How can this child demonstrate her learning? What materials is this child or group of children ready to work with?

Unlike  typical  workshops,  the  Kindergarten Institutes  will  bring  each  of  the  600  teachers back to the regional workshop sites to share their successes, their challenges, and their questions. This will allow participants to discuss with their colleagues the changes they have made in their programs.

Appropriate Kindergarten programming hap- pens when teachers combine curriculum expectations with a thorough knowledge of the specific needs of young children. As a result of this professional development program, a large group of ETFO members had the opportunity to consider their programs through a unique lens.

Summer Academy: Members learn new ways to support student success

Some 2000 members took advantage  of ETFO professional  development courses this summer.

Summer Academy, now in its fourth year, was bigger than ever thanks to provincial funding. That funding allowed the Federation to double the number of courses, add special learning institutes for Kindergarten teachers, provide enhanced resources, and lower the cost to participants.

This was first time ETFO has received provincial government fund- ing for professional development. All  courses are taught by ETFO members.

In addition to grade-specific courses, members took part in:

• Reflections of Me, ETFO’s pioneering course on body image and self-esteem
• The Summer Aboriginal Learning Experience focusing on First Nations culture and history
• Credit courses for teachers wishing to obtain additional professional qualifications
• A Women’s Leadership Institute for women wishing to enhance their leadership skills
• ETFO’s Principal’s Qualification Program (PQP) courses for teachers wishing to take leadership roles in their federation or in their school.

For more information about professional development at ETFO, please go to etfo.ca and click on Professional Development.