Prekindergarten March 15, 2012 Our Day How do our experiences impact our learning? Site Visit Why is data necessary? How do we use data to make improvements? How do I prepare for learning/intervention, when I have data collected? What are Essential Learning Experiences? How do I make this document meaningful? What resources do I need to support the Essential Learning Experiences? Site Visit How do our experiences impact our learning? 1. What in the environment promotes social interactions, investigations and discussions? 2. What materials and equipment did you see that stimulate childrens holistic development and curiosity? 3. What did you see that would demonstrate families being welcomed in the program? 4. What example did you see of childrens thoughts, words and work being honoured and visible in the program? 5. What experiential centre did you find most interesting? Why? 6. How do the indoor and outdoor spaces encourage exploration and learning? Seven principles of mastery teaching Start where your students are. Know where your students are going. Expect to get your students to their goal. Support your students along the way. Use feedback to help you and your students get better. Focus on quality rather than quantity. Never work harder than your students. How to plan rigorous instruction: Mastering the principles of great teaching, Robyn R. Jackson, 2011 Teachers blaze the path to knowledge generation when pairs, small groups and entire faculties intentionally and purposefully use data as a source for analyzing progress and proactively planning for improvement. - Wellman & Lipton, 2004 Data GiversData Users Shifting From 1. A teaching focus 2. Teaching as private practice 3. School improvement as an option 4. Accountability Shifting To 1. A learning focus 2. Teaching as a collaborative practice 3. School improvement as a requirement 4. Responsibility Four Driving Forces of School Change Learning occurs when we shift from professional certainty to conscious curiosity, from isolated individual to collaborative community member, and from passive technician to active researcher. The pursuit of meaningful questions arises from thoughtful data analysis, careful problem framing, and ongoing monitoring of gaps between goal achievement and current condition. Collaborative Inquiry Activating & Engaging Take a look at your data. What are your Successes? Challenges? Questions? First, share your successes at your table. Be ready to report on themes (not anecdotes). Next, share your challenges. Be ready to report themes (not anecdotes). Finally, share your questions. Share Next Steps: Reflect on your data and think about how you are going to use this data to move your children forward. Video Clip - Relationships: The Key to Teaching and Learning in the Early Years Consider the following while viewing the video clip: What high quality pedagogical practices to support language/literacy and social emotional development are portrayed? How does the educator move children forward in their development? Introduction Language & Emergent Literacy Social Emotional Development The experiences children have early in life and the environments in which they have them shape their developing brain architecture and strongly affect whether they grow up to be healthy, productive members of society. - Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010, p. 4, citing the Centre on the Developing Child, Harvard University, 2010. High Quality, Effective Early Childhood Programming... is determined by numerous, major international reports and studies to be characterized by: Age appropriate curricula Curriculum aims that are specified In Saskatchewan, however, a gap to achieving high quality Prekindergarten programming has been: a lack of clarity around curricula/learning goals leading to a varied implementation of Prekindergarten programming a lack of early childhood knowledge and skills among educators Essential Learning Experiences... have been developed in each of the four domains of learning to: support and guide Prekindergarten program development by means of a set of developmental milestones and experiences considered essential for learning in each domain provide clarity around what is developmentally appropriate, best practice to support the learning of three and four year old children in each of those domains Moving Toward High Quality PreK Programming A continuum of the developmental milestones in each domain A set of experiences considered essential for optimal development in each domain Improved clarity around the essentials of learning and development Moving Toward Enhanced Educator Knowledge and Practice Provide guidance around developmentally appropriate experiences for 3 and 4 year olds Engage educators in pedagogical practices to facilitate and scaffold learning Provide clarity around what is developmentally appropriate, best practice ELE document is also intended to provide... a framework for monitoring and supporting childrens developmental growth within each domain of learning (social-emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual) And to provide... a framework and focus for sharing information regarding childrens developmental growth with their families With the overall aim to develop high quality, effective Prekindergarten programming with a focus of learning program. High Quality Practices Play without adult support Child Initiated PlayFocused Learning Highly structured Adult support for an enabling environment, and responsive interaction Adult-guided, playful experiential activities Adult-directed, little or no play (Optimal Learning) (Limited Learning) Unstructured (Limited Learning) Balanced Approach of Pedagogical Practice in Developmentally Appropriate Early Childhood Settings High Quality Practices Young Learners Now Dispositions for learning Enthusiasm Enjoyment Curiosity Perseverance Social Skills Conflict Resolution Working with peers Self confidence Self Awareness Strong foundations for formal learning Problem Solving Creativity Holistic Learning Physical IntellectualSpiritual Social Emotional The domains of learning are: Social Emotional Physical Intellectual Spiritual Social EmotionalPhysicalSpiritualIntellectual Language and Emergent Literacy Developing Self Awareness Developing Self Worth Developing a Sense of Others Developing a Sense of Belonging Separating from family without distress Perspective Taking and Empathy Identifying and Regulating Emotions Interacting with Peers Resolving Conflicts Listening with Interest Incorporating Vocabulary Responding to Others Exploring New Words Inquiring/Express Ideas Clarity of Speech Engaging with Books Gaining Meaning from Visual/Text Materials Recounting stories Engaging in Word Play Exploring Visual Symbols Representing Ideas Exploring How Print Works Developing Literacy Skills Meaning Making Through Reading, Writing, Viewing and Representing Essential Learning Experience Continuum of Development (What does it look like?) Educator Role to Assess and Support Learning and Development A - Assess S - Support Engaging with stories and books From Occasionally exploring books or real life literacy artifacts Listening intermittently to a short story read by an adult To Spending self-selected time browsing through books alone, with peers, or with an adult. Listening attentively to a short read- aloud A Listen During story time, does the child chime in with repeated phrases, sound effects, or make comments related to the story? What vocabulary from a story/book is the child using in interactions with adults and peers? A Observe Does the child appear to be listening to the story even though engaged in another activity? Does the child show emotional response to stories through appropriate facial expressions? laughter? verbal expressions of surprise or concern such as oh-oh? Does the child have favourite books? What titles and topics are of most interest to the child? S Respond Share a childs pleasure or interest in particular books; join individual or small groups of children in the story area and read with them. Reread childrens favourite books. Select books that entice children to engage in deeper explorations with topics of interest. Ensure that the classroom literature collection includes a wide range of genre - both fiction and non-fiction. Intellectual Development: Language and Emergent Literacy p9 What do our children look and sound like when... They dont..... When they begin... When they actualize... When they develop beyond... i.e. Engage with stories and books. They dont...They begin...They actualize...They develop beyond... How do we become more familiar with the ELEs? Why unpack experiences? To fully understand what is required of students to develop in all of the domains To determine what teachers need to know to help students demonstrate their understanding of the experience. To invite teachers to design personal, powerful learning and assessment experiences that will engage students and help students develop and learn. To Clearly See the Learning/Developmental Destination! Triangulation UnderstandDoKnow Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings Ask yourself: What are we hoping students will come to understand by knowing, experience-based information and by being able to do certain tasks? Ask yourself: What question(s) can we ask to invite students to clarify their understanding? Unpacking the Essential Learning Experience Experience (circle the verb and underline the qualifiers) KNOWUNDERSTANDBE ABLE TO DO ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Budget If you had $6000 to spend on your PreK program, where would you spend your money? Books? Supplies? Furniture? Ipad Apps? Special Events? Nutrition? Other? Get the ball rolling for Review your PREKINDERGARTEN HANDBOOK