kindergarten matters intentional play-based...

Webcasts for EducatorsStudent Achievement Division

Viewer’s Guide

Kindergarten Matters

Intentional Play-Based Learning

Multi-media resource for professional learning

On this DVD you will find a Print and Video Resources folder which contains WMV files for PowerPoint presentations, this Viewer’s Guide (PDF), and monographs – Grand Conversations in Primary Classrooms, Integrated Learning in the Classroom (Capacity Building Series), Primary Assessment, and Integrated Curriculum (What Works? Research into Practice).

To order:Webcasts for Educators – Kindergarten Matters: Intentional Play-Based Learning

Contact ServiceOntario416-326-5300 or 1-800-668-9938http://www.publications.serviceontario.ca/ecom

The webcast segments and related resources are also accessible online atwww.curriculum.org/secretariat/kindergarten

This resource may be copied for not-for-profit educational purposes.

Funded by the Student Achievement Division, Ontario Ministry of Education.

Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................................... 3

From Viewing to Action ................................................................... 4

VIDEO SEGMENTS

It’s about...

Re-Thinking ...................................................................................... 5Educators re-think their teaching practices, including the concept of play-based learning.

DocumenTing .................................................................................... 7Educators use innovative strategies and tools to make learning visible to children, their parents and their teachers.

Self-RegulaTing ................................................................................ 8Dr. Stuart Shanker speaks about how teachers and parents can support the development of self-regulation in young children.

InquiRy ........................................................................................... 10Educators engage children in authentic inquiry that sparks curiosity and motivates learning.

Thinking .......................................................................................... 11Deep thinking skills are developed through play-based learning across the curriculum.

Concluding Thoughts: It’s About Changing .......................................... 13

Resources and Related Reading ....................................................... 14

Technical Instructions .................................................................... 15 •HowtoAccessthePrintandVideoResources ............................... 15 •HowtoSavetheVideoFilestoYourComputer ............................. 16 •HowtoInsertVideoClips(WMVfiles)into a PowerPoint Presentation ............................................................. 17

“ ”Play nourishes every aspect of children’s development – it forms the foundation of intellectual, social, physical, and emotional skills necessary for success in school and in life. Play ‘paves the way’ for learning. Canadian Council on Learning, 2006

Ontario educators recognize that, today and in the future, children need to develop critical literacy skills so that they can synthesize vast amounts of information, make informed decisions, communicate effectively and thrive in an ever-changing global community. They also recognize, based both on research and their own professional practice, that children learn best when they are active problem solvers who see themselves in what is taught, how it is taught and how it applies to the world around them.

The purpose of an effective early years program is to establish a strong foundation for learning, and to do so in a safe and caring play-based environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of all children.

The goals of Ontario’s Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Program (2010–11) are as follows: •to establish a strong foundation for the early years by providing young children with an integrated day of learning •toprovideaplay-basedlearningenvironment •tohelpchildrenmakeasmoothertransitiontoGrade1 •toimprovechildren’sprospectsforsuccessinschoolandintheirlivesbeyond school

Educators intentionally create learning opportunities for children based on their interests and strengths. Through inquiry, they enable them to develop skills and understandings in the context of problem solving through play, talk and interaction.

Younglearnersneedtoestablishtheirowninternalmotivationforbehaving appropriately. They need to learn how to self-regulate. An effective early years program helps all learners develop the knowledge, skills and perspectives they need to become informed, productive and responsible citizens.

IntroductionAdapted from: The Full-Day Early Learning – Kindergarten Program

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For additional reading and reflection…

The Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Programhttp://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten_english_june3.pdf

From Viewing to Action

Inthisresource,youwillseechildrenandeducatorsengagedinintentional play-based learning. Reflect on the “intentionality” behind the learning and teachingreflectedineachscenario.Howdidtheteachersetstudentsupfor success?

YouwillalsohearpsychologistDr.StuartShankerspeakingaboutself-regulationand early childhood learning and teaching.

We invite you to think about what you see in each segment, engage in dialogue with your colleagues and reflect on your own practice in light of your new insights.

Youmaywishtousethefollowingorganizertorecordyourthoughtsasyouengage with the text.

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Current Program Future Program

RepeatingThese practices have proven successful and are supported by current research.

Re-thinkingThese practices have had some measure of suc-cess but may need some modifying to enhance their effectiveness.

RemovingThese practices have had little success and are not supported by current research.

Organizer #1 — Reflecting on My PracticeWhataspectsofmyKindergartenprogramamIthinkingabout?

*NOTE: Organizer #1 is available in Word and in PDF in the Print Resources folder on the DVD.

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VIDEO SEGmEnTS

It’s About Re-ThinkingVideo Segments: • Introduction (3:48) • Re-Thinking Play-Based Learning (4:55) • Learning in the Context of Inquiry (3:09) • Co-Constructing Learning (13:01) • Authentic Problem Solving (3:28) • Concluding Thoughts (8:42)

For children, play provides natural and authentic opportunities for learning; while engaged in play they develop thinking and problem-solving skills, acquire language and deepen their understanding of numeracy concepts. They also practise social and emotional self-regulation. Play-based learning provides opportunities for children to explore their environment, to act out roles and to experiment with materials and ideas as they develop theories about the world.

Intentionalplay-basedlearningconsistsofbotheducator-initiatedandchild-initiated activities. Children are engaged in a large group, a small group or as individuals in thinking creatively, exploring and investigating, solving problems and sharing their learning with others. Early Learning–Kindergarten teams need to be skilled in building upon student inquiry in order to help each student move forward in his/her learning across activities and across the day. This engaging,

Effective Early Learning–Kindergarten team members are themselves reflective learners who have a passion for the success of the learners in their care and a deep respect for the children’s individual differences. Team members recognize that their own learning is a continuous and reciprocal process – they learn from each other, and from the children and their families. The Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Program, 2010–11

personalized and integrated way of teaching builds communication skills, inquiry skills and vocabulary, so children leave Kindergarten as learners with a sense of personal confidence and value as well as with the literacy and inquiry skills that support their continuous learning.

Inthissegment,youwillseeandhearhoweducatorsarere-thinkingtheconceptof play.

• Howmightyoumakestudentsawareoftherelevanceofwhattheyarelearning?

• Whatevidencedoyouseeinthissegmentof“intentionality”?Howmightyou support teachers in recognizing the potential for teaching and learning revealed by the students during their play?

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Let the Children Play: Nature’s Answer to Early Learninghttp://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/LessonsInLearning/Nov-08-06-Let-the-Children-Play.pdf

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It’s About Documenting

Video Segments: • Introduction (3:46) • Assessment: Running Record (3:46) • Shared Reading (8:39) • Documenting the Learning (4:41) • Documentation Panels (12:30) • Concluding Thoughts (3:23)

Early Learning–Kindergarten teams use reflective practice, planned observation and a range of assessment strategies to identify the strengths, needs and interests of individual children in order to plan intentional play-based learning opportunities that are appropriate for each child. Teams listen and observe closely to determine what children are thinking, what concepts they are demonstrating and what they reveal about their prior knowledge. They use appropriate assessment tools to pay particular attention to the development of language and early literacy skills in these young learners and to plan rich authentic learning activities that support each child’s literacy development.

Inthissegment,youwillseehoweducatorsareusingavarietyofformsoftechnology to document and make learning visible to children and their parents.

The documentation highlighted in this segment is an example of assessment as learning. Discuss this statement.

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In the early primary years particularly, teachers can ensure they are capturing accurate representations of student understanding by providing children with a wide variety of authentic ways to demonstrate their learning. Capacity Building Series – Primary Assessment

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The teacher featured in this segment cited examples of how she used her documentation to communicate with parents as well as students. What methods resonated with you as particularly powerful means of communication, and why?

This teacher spoke of using her planning and preparation time more efficiently and effectively. She abandoned her previous practices in favour of linking her planning to the needs of her students. What would a teacher need to know and be able to do in order to teach with such precision?

It’s About Self-Regulating

Video Segments: • Introduction (4:18) • What is self-regulation? (6:17) • What is the difference between compliance and self-regulation? (2:39) • How does play-based learning support the development of self-regulation? (3:22) • What can educators do to support students in developing self-regulation? (4:06) • Concluding thoughts (7:47)

Self-regulation skills in particular provide children with the capacity to recognize their strengths and needs and to monitor their progress, and adaptive, coping, and management skills help them to respond to challenges as they learn and develop. Hattie, 2009


Consider the Wallshttp://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200405/ConsidertheWalls.pdf

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Teachers often say that so much time is taken up managing children’s behaviour thattheyareleftwithtoolittletoenrichchildren’splay.However,researchdoneby Dr. Stuart Shanker on self-regulation suggests that children need assistance to developtheabilitytoself-regulatesothattheyareabletolearn.Hestressesthateducators need to help children understand how much stimulation they need to be actively focused for learning.

This research suggests that we need to re-think how we look at both the behaviouroftheteacherandthechildrenintheclassroom.Ifchildrenaretolearn to self-regulate, they need an environment that is intentionally structured to help them to develop the ability to resist impulses, to focus their attention, to stay on task despite distractions, to hold information in their brains and to change their focus when needed.

Inthissegment,Dr.Shankerspeaksabouthoweducatorscanintentionallysupport the development of self-regulation.

• Thinkaboutyourpriorknowledgeofself-regulation.Howhasyourthinking been impacted by Dr. Shanker’s message? • Howmightyouincludeparents/caregiversaspartnersinhelpingtheirchildren develop self-regulation?

• Dr. Shanker speaks of what teachers need to know and be able to do. Howmightyousupportprofessionallearningintheareaofself-regulation?


Developing Young Children’s Self-Regulation through Everyday Experiences http://www.naeyc.org/files/yc/file/201107/Self-Regulation_Florez_OnlineJuly2011.pdf

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It’s About Inquiry

Video Segments: • Introduction (4:35) • Types of Inquiry (11:33) • Play-Based Inquiry (6:00) • The Teacher’s Role in Play-Based Inquiry (1:43) • Concluding Thoughts (3:44)

Most children are naturally curious about their surroundings. They have an interest in exploring and investigating to see how things work and why things happen. Children have an innate sense of wonder and awe and a natural desire for inquiry. Kindergarten programs can capitalize on children’s natural curiosityandtheirdesiretomakesenseoftheirenvironment.However,curiosity on its own is not enough. The guidance of a thoughtful and intentional teacher is essential to enabling children to maximize their learning through free explorations, focused explorations and guided inquiry-based learning opportunities.

Inthissegment,youwillseehoweducatorsareengagingtheirclassesininquiryin a variety of classroom settings. • Whatdoestheword“inquiry”meantoyou?Howdoyoucurrentlyencouragea spirit of inquiry in your Kindergarten program?

• What evidence do you see of the four stages of inquiry (Provocation, Exploration, Investigation, Communication) as described in the Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten Program?

Students must be ready, willing and able to ask effective questions in order to succeed. Green, Gould Lundy & Glass, 2011

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• Through inquiry-based learning, the students in this segment are developing lifelongskills.Howmightyoumakestudentsandparentsawareofthe relevance and power of what they are learning?

• Effectivequestioningisalifelongskill.Howmightyouhelpchildrendevelop their inquiry skills so that they can pursue their interests, assume a critical stance and remain motivated to dig deep for meaning?

• Meaningful integration helps children deepen their understandings of what they are learning. Comment on the evidence of effective integration that you noticed in this classroom.

It’s About Thinking

Video Segments: • Introduction (4:13) • Self-Regulation: The Teacher’s Role (2:29) • Teachers’ Use of Intentional Language (4:58) • Re-Thinking Teacher Practice (5:57) • The Teacher’s Role in Play-Based Learning (4:12)


One Teacher, 20 Preschoolers, and a Goldfishhttp://journal.naeyc.org/btj/200603/LewinBTJ.pdf

Effective teachers are powerful mediators of children’s thinking and learning. They design learning environments that stimulate children’s curiosity. Salmon, 2010

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Robust thinking is not reserved for older children. Our youngest learners are also capable of analyzing situations, comparing and contrasting information, drawing conclusions, making judgments and coming up with new and different solutions. The secret for younger children is grounding robust thinking tasks in hands-on, multi-sensoryexperiencesthatengageboththeirbodiesandtheirminds.Itistherole of the teacher to use his/her assessment data to plan such experiences but to also participate in such experiences in order to support and extend the children’s learning.

Inthissegment,youwillseehoweducatorsarepromotingdeepthinkingskillsthrough intentional play-based learning opportunities across the curriculum.

• Considertheroleoftheeducator.Howdoestheeducatorsupportandextendthe children’s thinking?

• Howdoestheclassroomenvironmentactasthe“thirdteacher”inthese scenarios? • Metacognition is the process of thinking about one’s own thought processes. What opportunities did you notice in this segment for teachers to support students in developing their metacognitive awareness?


Tools to Enhance Young Children’s Thinkinghttp://fiu.academia.edu/AngelaSalmon/Papers/623364/Tools_to_enhance_young_childrens_thinking

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Concluding Thoughts: It’s About Changing

As educators of young children, we are being asked collectively to change our thinking in a number of ways. We must re-think the materials we use, the classroom structures we institute, the learning experiences we provide and the language we use. Such re-thinking represents a major shift in our beliefs about what young children are capable of and what role educators of young children need to play in helping children to realize their potential.

• HowhasyourviewofKindergartenchildrenchangedasaresultofviewingthis video?

• Whatroledoes“co-construction”playinKindergarten?Howcanchildren’sideas and thinking be negotiated into the learning?

• Howmightyoubegintohelpparentsunderstandthevalueofplay?

An empowered teacher is a reflective decision maker who finds joy in learning and in investigating the teaching/learning process – one who views learning as construction and teaching as a facilitating process to enhance and enrich development. Fosnot, 1989

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Resources and Related Reading

Florez,I.R.(2011).Developingyoungchildren’sself-regulationthrougheverydayexperiences. Young Children. July issue.

Fosnot, C. T. (1989). Enquiring teachers, enquiring learners: A constructivist approach for teaching.NewYork:TeachersCollegePress.

Green, Gould Lundy & Glass (2011). Talking to learn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hewes,J.(2006).Letthechildrenplay:Nature’sanswertoearlylearning.Lessons in Learning. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Learning.

Lewin-Benham, A. (2006). One teacher, 20 preschoolers, and a goldfish. Young Children. March issue.

Ontario Ministry of Education (2010). Growing success: Assessment, evaluation and reporting in Ontario schools. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education (2010). The full-day early learning – Kindergarten program. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.

Ontario Ministry of Education Monographs: Integrated Curriculum (2010). What Works? Research into Practice. Integrated Learning in the Classroom (2010). Capacity Building Series. Primary Assessment (2010). Capacity Building Series.

Peaslee,A.,Snyder,I.,&Casey,P.(2007).Usingdocumentationforprofessionaldevelopment. Young Children, 62(4).

Salmon, A. (2010). Tools to enhance the young child’s thinking. Young Children. 65(5).

Tarr, P. (2004). Consider the walls. Young Children. May issue.

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How to Access the Print and Video Resources

To access the Print and Video Resources folder in Windows, insert the DVD into the DVD drive of your computer and:

1. Click on the Start menu.

2. Select My Computer.

3. Right-clickthemouseontheDVDicontitledeitherKINDERGARTEN_

MATTERS_DISC_1orKINDERGARTEN_MATTERS_DISC_2toopenadrop-

down options list. (Both DVDs contain the same resources.)

4. From the drop-down list, select and click on the Open option.

5. Double-click on the folder titled Print and Video Resources to access the files.IgnorethefolderstitledAudio_TSandVideo_TS.

6. Select the resources you wish to use directly from this folder, OR Copy onto the Desktop and open files from the Desktop.

Alternatively, when the DVD is inserted and the options box opens:

1. Select the option Open Folder to View Files.

2. Click on the Print and Video Resources folder.

3. Select the files you wish to use directly from this folder, OR

Copy the files onto the Desktop and open them from the Desktop.

To access the Print and Video Resources folder in Mac OS X, insert the DVD into the DVD drive of your computer and:

1. Exit from the DVD player (which typically opens automatically when a DVD is inserted in the drive).

2. Double-clickontheDVDicontitledeitherKINDERGARTEN_MATTERS_

DISC_1orKINDERGARTEN_MATTERS_DISC_2.(BothDVDscontainthe

same resources.)

3. Select the files you wish to use directly from this folder, OR

4. Copy the files onto the Desktop and open them from the Desktop.

Technical Instructions

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How to Save the Video Files to Your Computer

The video files can all be copied and saved to your computer using either of the following methods for copying and pasting files.

Method 1

1. Right-click on the file and choose the Copy option.

2. Right-click within any computer folder into which you would like to save the file, and choose the Paste option.

Method 2

1. Left-click the mouse on the file you want to save, so that the file is highlighted.

2. Simultaneously press the Ctrl and C keys (or, for Macintosh users, the Command and C keys) to copy the file.

3. Left-click within any computer folder in which you would like to save the file, and simultaneously press the Ctrl and V keys (or, for Macintosh users, the Command and V keys) to paste the file there.

For Macintosh users, the Command key is the one with the following

symbol:

NOTE: IfyouwanttoinsertvideofilesintoaPowerPointpresentation,youmustsavethesevideofilesinthesamefolderthatcontainsyourPowerPointfile.Ifyou save a PowerPoint presentation to another location (e.g., a memory stick, CD-ROM, etc.), you must also save the video files in the same location in order for the video to play. So, if you transfer the presentation to another computer, you must also transfer the video files with it, or else the video will not link to the PowerPoint presentation.

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How to Insert Video Clips (WMV files) into a PowerPoint Presentation

On this DVD, you will find WMV versions of all segments of the webcast. To insert a clip into a PowerPoint presentation, follow the directions below:

1. Open your PowerPoint program.

2. Create a new PowerPoint presentation OR open an existing PowerPoint presentation, and within it, open the slide on which you would like to add the video.

3. InsertthewebcastDVDintotheDVDdriveofyourcomputer.

4. Ifanewwindowopensaskinghowyouwouldliketoviewthefilesonthedisk, choose the option Open Folder to View Files; OR

Ifanewwindowdoesnotopen,opentheMyComputerwindowfromtheStartmenu.IntheMyComputerwindow,double-clickontheiconthatisshaped like a disk, which will likely be labelled D: or E:.

5. Save the video segment that you want to insert in a PowerPoint into the same folder that contains your PowerPoint presentation.

NOTE: Video files that have been saved to your computer can be cropped and edited into smaller segments using Movie Maker (free on PCs) or iMovie (free on Macintosh).

6. Open the PowerPoint slide on which you would like to insert the video, and clickontheInsertmenuinthePowerPointmenubar.

7. FromtheInsertmenu,selectMoviesandSounds,andclickontheMoviefrom File option.

8. A window opens, prompting you to select the video file that you would like to add. Find and select the video file that you saved in step 5.

9. Once you have chosen the video file you need, another window opens and asks whether you want your movie to play either automatically when you enter the slide, or only when it is clicked. Choose your preference.

(Youwillnoticethatthestartingimageofyourmovieisnotdisplayedonthe slide.)

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