Kindergarten Miracles and play based learning #kinderchat #bced #cpchat
I love getting a fresh opinion on something I have grown accustomed to. I got that opportunity recently due to a teacher visiting from Brazil. She is doing her Masters degree and has herself taught both Kindergarten and grade 1 in Brazil. She asked to visit our Kindergarten classes to see what we were doing as there is a strong push to expand and improve the Kindergarten programs in Brazil.
So she spent an entire day with one of our teachers. At the end of the day we got the chance to talk. She was ebullient. I recorded some of ther reflection:
- She remarked on how well behaved and cooperative the children were and how calm the teacher was.
- She loved the 'centres' the kids worked in and how dynamic the learning was in each centre.
- The Kindergarteners themselves were so independent. For example: 'Calendar' (an activity where the students talk about the days of the week and explore numbers and time) was led by a student. This student spoke clearly and with erudition to the whole class and used language with great facility to lead a guessing activity.
- The K's worked alone, in small groups, and large groups all with equal facility. Then their grade 7 buddy class came down to work with them. She loved the care that the grade 7's showed for their K buddies.
- She said they all had excellent phonemic awareness. There was no 'wasted' time in class. Transitions from one activity to another were rich. All the kids had something to do all the time.
- Then she gave an example of what she saw as excellent teaching and learning. The kids designed structures to keep snow in. They went out side and collected snow. Then they had a discussion about why snow melted and what the effects of clouds and rain would be on snow melting. She saw this as effective play-based-learning. It looked like a simple activity but it was not teacher led - the students grappled with the concepts and turned them around in their own heads. They were progressing to confidence and autonomy in their learning. A very powerful combination.
I am so impressed with the focus on play based learning. I see rich dividends in the later grades as students are self motivated and effective learners.
