The full day kindergarten program is meant to include more time for play, exploration and inquiry in the kindergarten year. With a full day, kindergarten teachers have less pressure to implement curriculum outcomes and more time to create environments of play, inquiry and community. Effective kindergarten teachers are changing the way they think, and the way their student’s think by creating meaningful opportunities for children to engage in the exploratory play of childhood. Reggio inspired kindergartens in particular seek to interest children in exploration through authentic projects. All kindergarten teachers in the province of BC are encouraged to engage in project based learning as outlined in the BC Full Day Kindergarten Guide. Reggio inspired teachers embed this style of learning in the culture of their classrooms.
In a news piece in the Toronto Star it was noted that “Teachers in grades 1 and 2 now find their lessons no longer work on children steeped in play-based learning- kids who are more confident, ask more questions and who are used to setting the agenda in the classroom”.
According to a principal from TDSB (Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini as noted in the article) “The idea of sitting at their desks for long periods of time won’t work for these students”.
I couldn’t agree more. I believe that if a strong inquiry focus is implemented in all full day kindergartens we will have created more “Why learners” than ever before. In fact, there will be such an increase in “why learners” that we may even stop describing children in this way. There will be so many of them in every class that the description will be redundant. These students will not lose their curiosity after a couple years of school. These children will not accept teachers as the source of all the world’s knowledge. “Because I said so” is not a good enough answer for these students. These students will expect their classroom to support their thirst for understanding.
They will want to know everything from “Why are we doing this math?” to questions so imaginative I am unsure if my adult brain is even still capable of creating an example.
Once they are satisfied with their investigations they will want to express themselves in a hundred languages and a hundred more. They will be like this in grade 1 and grade 2. They will be like this in grade 3, 4, 5…8,9 and all the way to grade twelve
– And I will be ready for them.
When they have a question for me, I will have a question for them. When they ask my why we’re doing something, I will have a thoughtful response. When they think something is interesting, I’ll bring in books and resources about it and not only allow it, but encourage their research of the topic. When they want to tell their story and show their understanding I will have the materials available. I will guide their learning and learn their languages.
These students will look deeper and find their own answers and truth for themselves. They will seek evidence and experience. They will want to experience their learning and then speak it in one hundred languages.
In the future every classroom will look more and more like kindergarten. Movement and physical activity, inquiry, community involvement, life skills and play will be evident in every context. The learning will focus more on the process and less on the outcome. Learning will be collaborative and not individualistic.
In 2023 the first students from full day kindergarten will leave the public school system as young adults. At that time I predict that all classrooms of any grade will incorporate aspects of kindergarten, or at very least mine will.
There will be
- dramatic play
- active play
- book making and children as authors
- art making and children as illustrators
- sharing and reflection
- group time with emphasis on classroom community
- balanced amount of whole group, small group and individual activities
- arrays of alternative seating including standing desks, sitting desks, no desk, tables and cozy spots
- project based learning and inquiry
- strong emphasis on social skills
And children will still have one hundred languages…the difference will be that we will all listen more closely.