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)

A Reflective Classroom Set-Up

I am so lucky to continue building a classroom with my teaching partner, Jill, for another year! When I think about how far we have come as a team in just one year, I feel so grateful! 

This year, instead of unpacking boxes, figuring out the way to our classroom from the staff room, and meeting the countless incredible staff at our then new school, we have time to breathe, think, reflect and ease back into our space. 

This will be my first experience continuing in the same classroom, at the same school, with the same partner. I get to welcome back our JKs who become SKs and also be just down the hall from the new grade one's!

I continue to feel connected to other educators through social media and I look forward to growing as an educator through this blog. After reading a blog post from Tracy and Cheryl's visit to another classroom, I felt a bit of inspiration in that a few changes in our classroom could do us good.

We have changed the flow of our day to accommodate less transitions which now include beginning our day with Outdoor Learning. Last year, we visited a school that began their day outdoors by having learning centres happen outside just as they would outside. Because we have shifted our morning time from inside to outside, children will also have the opportunity to "sign in" using "sign in rocks". They will find their name on the rock and place it from the "Not Here" basket to the "Here" basket. 

We have added a "Wonder Shelf" near the window which also separates the large carpet area from the art studio. This shelf holds clipboards, magnifying glasses, writing tools and will also hold "wonder journals" which we plan to introduce slowly to the students. 

Our whole group meeting space has relocated to the middle of our windows. I'm very excited about this because it opens up our classroom and connects so beautifully with the blocks and building space. I love that the shelves in our room are already along that wall, allowing us to use the previously "block shelves" for other uses such as the shelf for our wonder area! Our dramatic play area is now near our whiteboards. The whiteboards will be a great space for children to communicate their play!

We also have a new member of our class that has o'fish'ally "moved in" on Wednesday! His name is to be determined by our students and he is currently living in our Quiet Area. My hope is that he brings a sense of calmness to our space, but also gives the children a sense of responsibility and opportunities to learn.

One of my personal goals this year is to bring more of the outdoors, inside. For example, incorporating more nature and plants into our classroom space. How do you do this in your classroom? 

Thinking and Learning Made Visible: Iphoneography and Portfolios

The following photographs were taken at St.George’s Golf and Country Club. Please note that ideas, tips, and tricks surrounding portfolios and Iphoneography listed below are property of Joanne Marie Babalis.

 

Today, I had the pleasure of joining fellow educators learn from Joanne Marie Babalis as she spoke about capturing great photos and rich documentation for portfolios. When I walked up to sign in, I was instantly inspired. Joanne has a way of making everything beautiful. I have known this by following her blog, Twitter and Instagram accounts for some time Her lemon flower centre pieces (LOLO Floral and Event Design @lolo_floral) caught my eye as I peaked in the presentation room while waiting to go inside. Taking a look around, I noticed pieces of her new role at Anne Frank Public School, artifacts and books from her recent trip to Reggio Emilia, and the colourful array of paint, markers and children’s work on display. It was magical.

 

Joanne first spoke to the way she structures learning portfolios in a Kindergarten classroom. I have been a DECE in Kindergarten for two full years now and I have already grown significantly in terms of how I approach portfolios. However, today’s workshop has given me some serious tips and strategies for planning what goes into student portfolios going forward.

• interviewing students monthly can seem daunting – attempt to interview a student a day in terms of giving feedback similar to keeping running records in order to get through all children
• use a tally chart to ensure all children have representation of curriculum areas in their portfolio (can do monthly or end of term)
• what goes in a portfolio can also go on a blog – written professionally and ready to go
• include running records, beginning assessments (fine motor), math interview, etc. because they show growth
• having a “Monthly Learning File Folder” gives children a place to keep their work and goes home monthly after ‘personal best’ pieces are taken out

She talked about interviewing children at the beginning of the year in order to really get to know them. Learning about students and their interests, etc. is a process and takes time. I loved her idea of asking them questions like, “Why are you special?” or, “If you were meeting someone for the first time, what would you say about yourself?”. The portfolio also included a family interview that helps educators in the room learn about the child through the family lens. It Alaska questions that relate to culture, work, favourite things to do as a family, etc.

At the end of the day, there is a sharing time where a few students are able to share their writing, or guided reading, etc. I appreciate this being structured a bit as I currently struggle with what is “sharing worthy” in our classroom and how it will benefit all learners.

There were a number of Iphone Apps recommended in order to enhance photos taken. We had some time during the workshop to explore them. Here are four of my favourites:

Pic Tap Go – wide variety of filters, add lots of light, crop appropriately to square (full, crop or float)

iSplash – turn photo to black and white and highlight colour of choice

Insta Editor – add filters, labels, speech bubbles, text, band aid (blemish our faces) etc

Vintique – add filters, text, vignetting and other settings

Joanne provided many tips that offered guidance when capturing photos of children, provocations, or learning environments. I often find it challenging to organize pictures both professionally and in my personal life. She said that if you didn’t get the right shot, then try again right away, referring g to special photos as “Once in a lifetime photograph” (Reggio Emilia). Also, she suggested to delete photos right away if you don’t need them as an important part of staying organized. I don’t think I am alone in saying I have an abundance of photos and no clue what to do with them ;)!

 

Joanne, thank-you for giving educators the opportunity to learn from you. Everything from the venue to the materials displayed was impeccable! It is unfortunate that I was only able to attend one of the four workshops presented this summer, but I look forward to future workshops. I can’t wait to share with my friends & colleagues the tricks and ideas surrounding photos and portfolios!

Social Media as a Tool in the Classroom ANNOUNCEMENT!

It is with great excitement that I announce my first ever conference presentation date in the upcoming 27th Annual Early Years Conference.

Each year, Conestoga College hosts a full day Early Learning Conference to support the current trends in early learning and care in March. Earlier this fall, I was asked to consider speaking at this event on “Using twitter as a tool in the classroom”, a topic I have spoke about to students and small groups at the college. After readjusting the topic and expanding it to include additional social media outlets I use such as my personal and classroom blog, we have confirmed the title: “Using Social Media as a Tool in the Classroom”. Thinking back to last years experience where I learned and was inspired by Sarah Andrade and Tracy Pickard’s authentic teaching experiences, I am very excited to announce that I will be speaking at this year’s conference for the first time this March! 

Details and registration are to follow on the Conestoga College website and I will be adding to the blog when they do. Thank-you to all of those who have supported my interest in social media and value the ever-changing teaching methods in education!

Twitter: More than Just "What's Happening"!

 

Twitter has very quickly become one of the most common tools I use in my everyday life. Why? To connect. To share. To inspire others and learn about others who inspire me with their provocations, thoughts, and questions about children and education.

Anyone can benefit from using twitter. It is hands down, the quickest way to connect and share ideas with others who share similar interests. With 140 characters or less, tweets are a simple and concise way to get a message out on the web. I cannot imagine a better way to share a quick documentation piece with a brief message to families and other educators that could happen even multiple times daily! Twitter’s 140 character limit keeps messages straightforward and to the point.

Since I began working with Kindergarten children, I have turned to Twitter to share with families the wonderful learning that has taken place in our classroom daily. The feedback I received was incredible so naturally, I continued. On most days, I would tweet multiple times, doing my best to ensure all children were “tweeted about”. It is so important to me to be able to bring children’s learning to their families when their families cannot be with us to learn. And Twitter has been just that – a way that I could re-create the learning opportunities, wonderings, anecdotes and moments that went on in our classroom so that others could be involved as if they were right there with us!

Below are a few examples of ways I have used Twitter to share learning experiences with our families this past year.

This is a photo of an SK student's journal page. She drew, labelled, and reflected on our bean plan inquiry independently! 

 Here is a snapshot of a group of students participating in the process of making books. An SK student created one and then started a book club to teach others how to make their own books. He even helped them come up with topic!

 One of my favourite things about twitter is that you can actually be signed up for an account and not have to tweet anything at all. This is amazing because many of our families really just want to see what is happening with their child’s learning and would rather not participate in tweeting (which is totally fine, by the way ;)!) However, it is so, so, so much fun when a parent lets you know they appreciate something you are doing by favouriting, retweeting or replying to one of your tweets. This online family engagement has been a remarkable way to keep in touch with one another throughout the school year.

 

Once I established a ground for families to follow and involve themselves in our learning, I found myself connecting with other professionals and creating my very own PLN (professional learning network/personal learning network). Amoung these individuals are many insightful and thoughtful educators around the globe who are passionate about what they do with young children. From following other professionals, I began considering ways in which I could contribute to the conversations and how I could take part in the collaboration that was happening right at my fingertips. Since my initial sign-up with Twitter, I admit there are many ways in which I can continue to enhance my tweets to engage a larger audience, but for right now, I am content with the small connections that I can make in a big way. Having a PLN allows you to connect with others who may be promoting a professional development opportunity, sharing documentation pieces from their classroom, sparking thought-provoking questions in a chat (or a “twitter party”!), and general networking.

This Spring, I spoke at Conestoga College to share the benefits of using twitter in an early years setting. Here is a guide to using twitter that I have created including how to get started and a glossary!

Still not sure? Check out this article: http://dailygenius.com/how-and-why-teachers-should-start-using-twitter-right-now/

Unsure of how to convince parents and families to sign up? http://technicallyteamann.com/parents-not-on-twitter-no-problem/

After reading this post, I hope you consider the possibilities of using Twitter in your classroom. Think about the families you have in your classroom community and how they might benefit from the instantaneous connection you could provide them with. How could you include your students in using twitter and why would you want to? I strongly believe that children learn best when they are 100% connected to their environment and in control of their learning. If they have opportunities to share their learning with the world, why not help them do so? (Of course, consider being a digital citizen and teach your students what this means prior to handing over the device!)
If you’re new to twitter or have recently signed up, connect with me at @KEnfelis. I love to hear the ways in which others are engaging with twitter in their classrooms or professional networks!
Good Luck and Happy Tweeting!

To New Beginnings

“The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings” – Dave Weinbaum
 

The time has come where my adventures at New Dundee Public School have concluded. What an incredible first year this school has provided me with. I not only feel blessed to have had so many encouraging colleagues and students this year, I also feel empowered by the support I have received from the families and the New Dundee community. When I look back to the beginning of this school year, I remember the excitement of meeting the team and what a blessing it has been to learn with that team all year! As anyone could expect, I have grown tremendously as an educator and a person since last September. This school has been the place where I could open up and test out ideas, share insights and have my opinions valued and respected.

New Dundee Public School:

Thank-you to everyone involved for welcoming me into this wonderful environment. You will be missed deeply!

With that being said, the future is exciting! I will be relocating to a large K-8 Cambridge school in a core day position. Clemens Mill Public School is a Phase 5 Kindergarten site – meaning, Full Day Kindergarten will be implemented for the first time at this school this year. I look forward to sharing insights and continuing to learn with a diverse new educator team, and of course, meeting our new students in fall 2014.

Best of luck to everyone as we think ahead to the new school year. Enjoy your summer in the meantime!

The Learning Environment

On May 12th, 2014, our Kindergarten team opened up our learning environments to other Waterloo Region District School Board educators. This after school event was an opportunity to share beliefs about the use of space, time and materials that were chosen for the environment in a FDK classroom.

Here is a compiled list of what the group came up with when thinking about a Kindergarten 

Learning Environment:

• purposeful
• creative and fun
• open-ended
• dynamics of the team
• quantity of materials
• meets individual needs
• provocations
• healthy and safe
• child-centred
• third or fourth educator
• inclusive
• use of space and time
• accessible
• indoor and outdoor

After reviewing these ideas and the FDK document, my additional thoughts about the learning environment include:

• documentation
• visuals (what’s on the walls?)
• family involvement (photographs)
• authentic materials
• natural spaces
• neutral colours/bullitens
• appropriate resources
• comfortable and safe for children
• encourages empathy, interest in trying new things, and the development of self-confidence
• room for small groups, large groups, and independent workspaces
• learning centres that incorporate: quiet/book, literacy/writing, building/blocks, dramatic play, sensory (sand, water, etc.), mathematics, science and technology, and visual arts
• area for big movement
• observation tools (iPads, class list on clipboard)
• adheres to different learning styles
• organization using labels of words, pictures, symbols or numbers

Aspects of the Learning Environment

The next sections of this post highlight specifc parts of the learning environment from above that really stand out to me.

Current and Child-Centred Spaces

I think the most important consideration to have when setting up a space for children to learn is that everything is placed in the environment specific to the children who are in it. Not last year’s students or those from 15 years ago. The materials that are chosen directly correspond to the children who are learning from them. Similarly, documentation and set-up of the classroom represent the needs and interests of current students. I believe that each year is a new beginning and therefore, next year’s classroom will look completely different in that materials and purposes for activities will be chosen for those students.

These paintings are student pieces that have explanations attached to them (bottom right corner). They are low on the back of a shelf in the drama centre so children can view these pieces easily.

Writing samples posted with sticky tack on the walls near group meeting area; again – at children’s eye level and easy to locate.

Portfolios (or Documentation Binders)

At the beginning of the year, our team thought we would experiment with the idea of saving pieces of work that children had created in a portfolio. These portfolios are filled with art pieces, writing samples, photographs of children engaged in learning, artifacts, anecdotes, etc. and are a combination of educator and student chosen artifacts. Children often refer to their portfolio to see work that has been added and to share with others that come into our classroom. What a beautiful way to store the incredible learning that goes on in our environment.

Our portfolios are stored on a low shelf, accessible to each child at any time. We use sheet protectors to ensure artifacts are protected for future keeping. Binders are labelled with the child’s first name and a photograph of them during the first week of school inside.

Bulletin Boards

Bulletin boards speak to the projects that are occurring in a classroom. We have discussed the idea of an empty bulletin board and I feel that if a board is empty, that’s totally okay! It doesn’t mean that the educators in the room are “lazy” or that children simply aren’t learning anything. Rather, it suggests that the team is considerate with what they document and that the boards are not filled with information for the sake of having something posted. There are often many projects on the go in our classroom, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that those projects need to be overflowing on our boards. What is documented and displayed is carefully chosen and includes children and educator pieces.

Documentation of our planting process: photographs of children in different stages of process and children’s writing to explain underneath. Painting is from a student who predicted her beans would grow into a yellow flower. We also added a web to include what we know about plants.

Number Sense and Numeracy using beans! Black and white photographs can be so beautiful against a clean bulletin. When children write the words for the boards, the messages are clearly for them. I often use black cardstock to back photographs to make them stand out. On the shelf, you will notice literature and materials to further explore beans and seeds.

Organize and Label

Just like you would label your spices in your kitchen and fold your clothes to fit in drawers according to category, materials in the learning environment need to have a designated place of belonging and usually requires a label. I like to keep minimal materials on the shelves to avoid children feeling overwhelmed with choices. Labeling materials using words, pictures, symbols or numbers that are recognizable to children helps them find what they are looking for to make the best use of their time. Everything should have a place! Below you will notice labels, glass jars, and a “beautiful junk” bin (a storage place for recyclable materials children can use to create with).

Observation Tools

This year, I work in a classroom with two other educators and each of us contribute to an Evernote account to record our observations of children. Report cards stem from these observations that are carefully articulated through day-to-day conversations and engagement with our students. There are so many ways to observe children, but my favourite ways this year include the app Evernote and using observation sheets that include children’s names in a box or column with space to write notes. I use Notability to store personal documents, such as resources, tip sheets, important articles, etc. that I will continue to build over time. Here are links to check out if you are interested in exploring these ways of observation/documentation:

Observation Sheet

Evernote

Notability

To those of you who took the time after school on Monday to come to New Dundee Public School for this event, thank-you! It has been a pleasure to host such an event and I loved opening up our environments to share with each of you.

Resources

The Learning Environment (FDK Document)

Special thanks to members of our team for hosting this event:

Natasha Tsetsekas @N_Tsetsekas

Valerie Urquhart @Urquhart_Val

Nicole Roeder @roedernikki

Andrea Michelutti @micheluttia

Wendy Goulden @wendygoulden

Laura Hawker @laurahawker1