Page Content
In Alberta, a majority of children will begin their formal schooling in a kindergarten setting. Most kindergartens are half day but some full-day kindergartens are also available. It should be noted, however, that mandatory schooling for children in Alberta begins when they are six, entering Grade 1. Kindergarten in Alberta, surprising as it may be, is not mandatory. In this paper, I refer to early learning as kindergarten for children who range in age from four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half.
Early learning should form the base of our education system and accordingly appropriate resources should be allocated to building a strong foundation for the future success of young children.
Early in my career, I taught kindergarten and grades 1 to 3 in a variety of settings. Now, as I work with preservice teachers, I continue to spend time volunteering in preschool classrooms and observing the children. Throughout all of this I have thought about, and continue to think about, issues in education that impact our next generation of adults.
During a recent visit to a kindergarten classroom, I watched a very experienced teacher read the short story How Full is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath and Mary Recmayer. Following the story, the teacher posed a question to the children: “What do you do to fill someone’s bucket; to make them happy or do a special deed for someone?” Many hands went up. Most children responded with typical answers that included helping their mom set the table, give their baby sister a toy to play with, get ready by themselves.
However, my attention was caught by a little girl who was off to one side, totally unfocused and disengaged from the story, and her behaviour was extremely distracting. Not only was she fidgeting during the time the story was read, but every so often she would call out in a loud voice about something not at all related to the discussion. Finally, the teaching assistant took her out of the class for a walk.
My attention was also drawn to another child who raised his hand and answered in an angry tone, “I wouldn’t do anything for my brother!” The teacher, nonplussed by this response, rephrased the question to probe further. However, the child was adamant that he would not do anything for his brother! It then became evident that his big brother had walked him to class, given him a hug goodbye and in response, the little brother in kindergarten hit him in the back. This child continued his angry stance and finally the teacher moved on but summed it up by suggesting to the child to think about ways that he could fill his brother’s bucket.
These observations illustrated some of the diverse needs of children in a classroom setting and the challenges teachers face to ensure all students receive attention and support.
As the children listened to the story they were learning to focus, extend their attention spans, consider different perspectives, listen to their classmates, take turns, share ideas, socialize and build on concepts. They also learned values by understanding what it means to help other people and do good deeds. It was evident during this brief observation that several children required additional support.
Kindergarten is an optimal time to identify children who may be struggling with social issues, anxiety, stress and, of course, academic issues. Early intervention can help children with learning needs and improve their future learning. The earlier that issues are identified, the better the outcome will be.
The importance of early learning cannot be overstated, as this is the critical time for children to build on their knowledge and be exposed to many experiences that will positively impact their brain development, cognitive, physical, emotional, social and cultural development. These are the formative years. That is the importance of early learning.
Planning for early learning includes planning rich, meaningful learning experiences through a play-based environment. We know that play impacts and promotes brain development and, according to Stuart Brown (2009), “play, which is more prevalent during the periods of most rapid brain development after birth (childhood), seems to continue the process of neural evolution, taking it even one step farther. Play also promotes the creation of new connections that didn’t exist before, new connections between neurons and between disparate brain centers.”
Inculcating values at a young age is so important to children, and kindergarten provides a steep learning curve for children who are ready to absorb important moral concepts and understandings when provided with appropriate role models. Children in kindergarten are learning from each other through observations, conversations and socialization. The wise teacher in kindergarten sets the tone and stage for children to learn to share, interact in an appropriate manner and build character through many activities and discussions that are fostered. Equally important is the literacy and mathematical development that occurs in kindergarten, including oral and written communication, comprehension and critical thinking.
Fraser Mustard, who has done extensive research in early childhood and the development of the brain, strongly supports early learning experiences for all children. In his article, “Early Childhood Development and the Brain—The Base for Health, Learning and Behaviour Throughout Life” (2003), he cites the High/Scope study that states: “At ages 18 to 20, the children given the preschool program showed better school performance, better employment and fewer behaviour problems such as teenage pregnancies and criminal activities.” Mustard also noted Case’s work in mathematics that preschool is a critical time and “Case (1999) has speculated that if this sensitive period of development is missed, it may be difficult for the individual to do complex mathematics later in life.”
We know that we want to increase the number of students who graduate from high school, yet the support at the secondary level is only one part of the solution. The focus of government, school jurisdictions, community and parents should be to provide support in a variety of ways in the early years to build the foundation for learning to then increase the number of students completing high school.
Identifying and addressing the needs of the early learner can be most successful if we have in place teachers who are educated in early childhood and are well versed in child development. We need to ensure that universities provincewide offer programs in early childhood education and that schools and school jurisdictions employ educators specializing in early learning to work with our early years’ students.
To make the early years count, it is imperative to have qualified early childhood educators in the classroom who are able to plan appropriate learning experiences and assess the individual needs of the children, who often arrive with many diverse abilities. Educators need to create meaningful and complex learning environments that engage children in holistic, interdisciplinary and integrative approaches to learning.
Children are our future. To ensure that future is bright, we have a responsibility to provide them with quality early learning opportunities—with resources, teachers, parents and community working together. This our challenge.
References
Brown, S. 2009. Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. New York: Avery.
Case, R., S. Griffin and W.M. Kelly. 1999. “Socioeconomic Gradients in Mathematical Ability and Their Responsiveness to Intervention During Early Childhood.” In Developmental Health and the Wealth of Nations, ed. D. Keating and C. Hertzman, 125–49. New York: Guilford Press.
Mustard, F. 2003. “Early Childhood Development and the Brain—The Base for Health, Learning and Behaviour Throughout Life.” Early Childhood Education 1, no. 3: 4–19.
Rath, T. and M. Recmayer. 2009. How Full is Your Bucket? New York: Gallup Press.
Cynthia Prasow is the director of student experiences in the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary.
