Reflections on The 2016 Kindergarten Program Document

The deepest language of all ... is the language of relationships. It goes

much deeper than more easily measured skills like logical thinking and

problem solving. Learning is about making relationships, and this is

the language that enables us to absorb information and process it at

a deep level.

(Fraser, 2012, p. 304)

I am so pleased to have the new Kindergarten Program document in my hands! Since beginning my journey in the early years, I have awaited for this piece to guide my thinking in supporting young learners in society today.

Here is what I know so far:

• There are four frames of learning which are interjected with one another throughout the document that are aligned with the "How Does Learning Happen?" document:
• Belonging and Contributing (BELONGING)
• Self-Regulation and Well-Being (WELL-BEING)
• Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours (EXPRESSION)
• Problem Solving and Innovating (ENGAGEMENT)

• The document has been enriched with so much goodness including:
•  embedded links to videos and articles to support the messages within,
• reflections from educators who have implemented FDK across Ontario
• reflection questions
• misconceptions
• opportunities for professional learning conversations

• The terms "teacher" and "ECE" are combined into "educator(s)

•  In chart form, the headings "Initially", "Eventually", "The Processes", and "Suggestions for Educators" to show the flow of what children might say at the beginning and how that will shift with scaffolding from educators

• Initial Observations and Communication of Learning (new reporting)

The Frames

The four frames are the basis for guiding educators and families through the curriculum. Briefly, this is a breakdown of their meaning:

Belonging and Contributing: the way in which children connect with the world around them, how they contribute to others and the community and their understanding of relationships

Self-Regulation and Well-Being: personal physical & mental health wellness, a child's way of thinking and feeling about themselves, regulating emotions and adapting behaviours

Demonstrating Literacy and Mathematics Behaviours: an engagement and love of learning, communication of thoughts through a variety of ways, language and math

Problem Solving and Innovating: meaning making of the world through exploration, learning through a child's natural curiosity, innovated ways of thinking

Each of the frames are broken down into deeper descriptions. This is helpful in learning where the frames come from and to recognize how they reflect the overall expectations in more than one way. 

Embedded Links 

There are many videos that are embedded within the document. I have yet to watch all of them, but from what I have seen so far, there are snapshots of educator experiences and visions about their classrooms that are meaningful to the literature. If you want to look at the videos in a sequential order instead of click on them from the document links, you can go to the following link that brings you to the Edugains Website. Other video links are found within the document that mostly come from the Ministry of Education website.

One of my favourite parts of the document is the "Misconceptions" piece. These bullet points pop out throughout the document to help educators shift their thinking as they really work to stretch and expand their ideas of teaching and learning with young children. On page 27, there is a great example of how the Misconceptions are used through a comparison of traditional versus inquiry-based approaches that reads, 

 
Shift in Vocabulary

The partnership between Teachers and Early Childhood Educators is of strong value if treated as such. Sometimes the way in which we refer to one another hinders the strengths and talents that we each possess. I am very excited to see the phrase "educator team" within the pages, supporting the teams in 'letting go' of being responsible for a specific area of learning based on their education.

Process of Learning (Literacy & Mathematics)

The charting system shows what children might initially say or do at the beginning of the learning process and what they may eventually do at the end (The Kindergarten Program, 77). It also outlines the 7 mathematical processes: problem solving, reasoning and proving, reflecting, selecting tools and strategies, connecting, representing, and communicating.  

A New Report Card


Being an educator who contributes so much to writing report cards, it has been extremely difficult not to see my name anywhere on the reports that are given to children and their families. The new report card has placed the educator names at the top indicating that ECE contributions have been made. This is such an important piece to the value of early childhood educators observations and documentation of Kindergarten students and the necessity of these observations for reporting.  

They are differentiated between "Initial Observations" and "Communication of Learning" and Roman Catholic/Public School versions. They can be found in Growing Success: The Kindergarten Addendum beginning on page 18.

Final Thoughts
 
With plans to continue updating this blog post, I want to leave you with the video below which is a wonderful reminder from Stuart Shanker that we, as educators, must remember to practice being mindful in order to come home feeling energized and happy with our days at school.  

Additional Links:

CMEC Statement of Play-Based Learning  
Edugains Sample Report Card Document
Edugains Summary of Changes to Expectations 
 Edugains Curriculum Appendix (How each of the expectations fit into the 4 frames)