Mahima – Page 2 – Mahima Lamba Inquiry Project

How has Full Day Kindergarten changed the way all classrooms look?

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.

What evidence from neuroscience supports a play based approach?

Through this inquiry project I have found that current brain research supports a play based approach and that play is appropriate in all grades. A play-based approach would include movement, choice, novelty and exploration.

A play-based approach may also call for a different classroom structure and change of routines, and even a change of the physical space. Since the environment is considered the third teacher in the Reggio approach teachers interested in implementing a play based environment in their intermediate classrooms may draw on some of the theory from Reggio Emilia. Play allows children to make mistakes and experiment without embarrassment (Jenson, 2005). Older children have different social pressures than kindergarten students which may make them less likely to try something new. If the environment in any given class has a light-hearted or playful feel to it then students may be more likely to take risks in their learning.

Alternative seating arrangements may also contribute to a more play-based approach. It is well understood by teachers from a ‘management’ perspective that the seating needs to match the activity. A simple solution may be that the more seating possibilities available, the more possibilities there may be to try new activities. It’s important to remember that children benefit from all types of play and play is an accelerant of cognitive growth.

Quick Tips from Teaching With The Brain in Mind (Jenson, 2005)

careful in seating arrangements because seating can be a stressor
use cool colours like light blue
on the walls include affirmations, information and links to prior and future learning
give students the opportunity to use their skills in real contexts, the more authentic the better
create novel circumstances (especially important for gifted learners)
combat de-motivation with high levels of movement, choice, and novelty

How can I honour the voices of children through documentation?

Documentation shows children that you are listening to both the process and the products of their learning. I have always noticed the excitement children have when I take out my phone. They feel proud that I want to take a picture of what they are doing. Some children even want to direct the process “Take a picture of this”. Documentation is one aspect that I’m learning more about and want to challenge myself to understand further. The first thing to consider is that documentation is more than just recording “what happened”. Documentation, like everything in a Reggio Inspired context, needs to be purposeful. This is what makes teachers professionals. We need to understand -what is the purpose of the documentation and who is it for? In Visible Learners the authors suggest considering two aspects- when the documentation is happening (during vs. after) and who is the audience of the documentation (people Inside the learning group or Outside the learning group).

Documentation should always be made public. This is one of the main features that makes it different from assessment. This is in line with the principle of Transparency in the Reggio Emilia Approach. As noted by the authors in Visible Learners the representations of learning that are usually made available to the larger public are test scores and rankings. In the lower mainland for example The Fraser Institute, a think tank, ranks schools in a published list. These rankings do not begin to describe any learning that takes place in the schools which they attempt to pass judgment on. By making learning visible, documenting it, and then making it public, teachers are honouring children’s voices and adding them to the conversation.

Documentation can be a collection of photographs, quotes, reflections, drawings and other artifacts of learning. These artifacts can be used as a tool for learning amongst the group, a means of reflection and a way to engage families and communities.

I believe this aspect of the Reggio Emilia Approach to be highly relevant to teaching in the intermediate years. Many students may embark on creative processes where their passion, vision and creativity surpass their skill. This scenario often ends in the students being frustrated with the end product of their endeavor. Using documentation to follow the process can shift the perspective and value student’s creativity, learning, metacognition and their languages. The emphasis remains on their passion and vision.