Play to Projects

Jane BertrandSummer Institute, Port Moody

July 6, 2010

Early Learning in British Columbia

• Strong Start• Full Day Kindergarten• Early learning for 3s and 4s• Links to child care and preschool programs

Early Learning in British Columbia

• Early Learning Framework• Guide to Full Day Kindergarten• Primary Program

Early Learning in British Columbia

• A seamless continuum from 0 to 8 years

• Responsive pedagogy

Full Day Kindergarten

Purposes:• Engage children and families• Enhance children’s overall development• More time for play-based exploration and

inquiry• Connect to community early childhood

settings

Self-Regulation

• Arousal & recovery

• Emotional regulation

• Behaviour regulation

• Attention regulation

Every Child Every Opportunity

http://www.ontario.ca/en/initiatives/early_learning/ONT06_023399

…….. create an environment of child-directed activity that mobilizes the child’s interest and imagination…………..

Play supports early learning:

• Sense of narrative• Problem-solving• Sustained activity• Quantitative relationships• Using tools and planning• Spatial relationships• Representation

Inquiry - Projects

• An in depth study of a particular topic, often undertaken by the whole class, working on subtopics in small groups

• Children ask questions and investigate• Often begin with an exploration of topics that arise in

play• Teachers help to formulate questions, provide resources

and ideas and observe and document learning.• Children represent what they learn through drawing,

painting, writing, constructions, photos, videos etc.

Opportunities for children to represent their thinking in multiple ways to gather assessment information

InquiryDocumentation

Documentation

What About Literacy & Numeracy?

• Organized oral-language and print & number rich environment

• Opportunities for complex socio-dramatic play that demands metacognition, social negotiations and shared narratives

• Intentional instruction of specific emergent literacy & numeracy skills embedded in the context of the children’s daily experiences

Kindergarten/Grade 1 Combined

• Youngest grade 1 students are only a few weeks

older than the oldest K students.• Plan for a continuum of development that spans two

years• Plan environment for scope that accommodates

children who are ready to focus on reading and number strategies in small groups

• Extend projects to provide expanded opportunities for children’s representations

Kindergarten/Grade 1 Combined

• Youngest grade 1 students are only a few weeks

older than the oldest K students.• Plan for a continuum of development that spans two

years• Plan environment for scope that accommodates

children who are ready to focus on reading and number strategies in small groups

• Extend projects to provide expanded opportunities for children’s representations

Laissez-faire Didactic

Class rich in Playful class child-initiated with focused play learning

Teacher-guided learning with rich, experiential activities.

Exploring through play with active presence of teachers

A continuum of early learning pedagogy

Adapted from Miller, E. & Almon, J. (2009) Crisis in the Kindergarten: Why Children Need to Play in School. College Park, MD: Alliance for Children.

Early Learning

Individual Child

Family Context

Learning

Happens

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

LearningEnvironment