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.
Understandings
The Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten program capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity and their desire to make sense of their environment. However, curiosity on its own is not enough. The guidance of a thoughtful Early Learning–Kindergarten team is essential to enable children to learn through inquiry. The team should use inquiry-based learning to build on children’s spontaneous desire for exploration and to gradually guide them to become more focused and systematic in their observations and investigations. As children move naturally from noticing and wondering about the objects and events around them to exploring, observing, and questioning in a more focused way, the Early Learning–Kindergarten team helps them develop and extend their inquiry process. Team members provide children with opportunities to plan, observe, and gather information, and then to compare, sort, classify, and interpret their observations. They provide a rich variety of materials and resources, and interact with children to clarify, expand, or help articulate the children’s thinking. They then encourage children to share their findings with one another through oral and/or visual representations. Many different skills make up inquiry-based learning for children, and children need numerous opportunities to develop and use these skills as they progress through the Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten program. Inquiry skills should not be taught in isolation; they should be integrated into interesting topics and ideas and in children’s ongoing play. Some skills need explicit teaching (e.g., using a magnifier, posing questions, analysing data, using graphic organizers), whereas others may be reinforced or practised using different types of activities and investigations (e.g., sorting and categorizing). Taking into consideration the strengths, needs, and interests of the children in the class, the Early Learning–Kindergarten team should model the inquiry process and pose questions that encourage, support, and extend the children’s learning. For example, the team could ask such questions as the following:
Children learn best when dealing with topics they can explore directly and in depth. Abstract topics (e.g., rainforests, penguins, planets) are difficult for children to conceptualize. The topic of any inquiry should be drawn from things that are familiar to children in their daily lives.
(Kindergarten Curriculum Document, http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten_english_june3.pdf)
Understandings
The Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten program capitalizes on children’s natural curiosity and their desire to make sense of their environment. However, curiosity on its own is not enough. The guidance of a thoughtful Early Learning–Kindergarten team is essential to enable children to learn through inquiry. The team should use inquiry-based learning to build on children’s spontaneous desire for exploration and to gradually guide them to become more focused and systematic in their observations and investigations. As children move naturally from noticing and wondering about the objects and events around them to exploring, observing, and questioning in a more focused way, the Early Learning–Kindergarten team helps them develop and extend their inquiry process. Team members provide children with opportunities to plan, observe, and gather information, and then to compare, sort, classify, and interpret their observations. They provide a rich variety of materials and resources, and interact with children to clarify, expand, or help articulate the children’s thinking. They then encourage children to share their findings with one another through oral and/or visual representations. Many different skills make up inquiry-based learning for children, and children need numerous opportunities to develop and use these skills as they progress through the Full-Day Early Learning–Kindergarten program. Inquiry skills should not be taught in isolation; they should be integrated into interesting topics and ideas and in children’s ongoing play. Some skills need explicit teaching (e.g., using a magnifier, posing questions, analysing data, using graphic organizers), whereas others may be reinforced or practised using different types of activities and investigations (e.g., sorting and categorizing). Taking into consideration the strengths, needs, and interests of the children in the class, the Early Learning–Kindergarten team should model the inquiry process and pose questions that encourage, support, and extend the children’s learning. For example, the team could ask such questions as the following:
- “What would happen if...?”
- “How would we find out?”
- “What are the places in our school yard where we might find worms?”
- “What ways can you use to get the water from one container to another?”
Children learn best when dealing with topics they can explore directly and in depth. Abstract topics (e.g., rainforests, penguins, planets) are difficult for children to conceptualize. The topic of any inquiry should be drawn from things that are familiar to children in their daily lives.
(Kindergarten Curriculum Document, http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/kindergarten_english_june3.pdf)
Practice
In our own classroom, learning through play is very commonplace. We use the word 'play' often and with it being said, we mean many different learning goals. We could be talking about measuring, investigating, sharing, building, writing, story-telling, pretending. They learn the expectations of kindergarten through their play. It is their work!
They can be investigating an inquiry about ramps. Why things go down when placed on a ramp in the big blocks area, in the sand centre, in the water table, in the marble run. They learned the new vocabulary like 'gravity', 'pull', 'push', 'force', 'downhill'... and so much more through their play.
Check this out:
Amazing blog about Ramps
We act like guides and coaches, sometimes initiating questions or just observing.
They love to show us their learning and sometimes, they need time and space and they might not feel the need to share.
Just like adults, after a long busy day, we sometimes need to reflect and take our time to absorb the learning. We feel like children need the same time and opportunity to reflect and absorb the learning. They are constantly learning all day long. Even when they are 'being mindful' and 'relaxing' they are learning how to clam down and listen to their bodies.
What is 'Messing About'?
“Messing about” effectively with materials and ideas requires a very delicate balance. The presence of the teacher is subtle, space and time for the children’s unrestricted exploration is crucial – but the hand of the teacher is nonetheless very present. She must be there to recognize threads of interest and to ask the questions that will provoke new thoughts for the investigation.
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Frances and David were profoundly excited by the continual act of learning andgrowing- both in themselves and in all around them. They understood that to trulyteach, you must always be learning.
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. |
Being active in the community and with families shows great leadership as an early years teacher. I am always striving to taking courses, workshops, attending conferences, is all beneficial to being a leader in this field. No matter the experiences that teachers grew up with, the experiences that they immerse themselves in with being involved in the school community, with parents, with community partners always make us more ready and prepared for most of what this field can throw at us.
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