UBC prof designs longer kindergarten day program guide
Playing and inquiry are on the agenda for kindergarteners this September.
As full-day school is implemented in kindergarten classes across B.C. this fall, there won’t be anything new in the already jam-packed curriculum, but there will be more time to learn through play and to build on children’s curiosity about the world around them.
“Children learn to cooperate, to be nice, and to think of someone else’s point of view through playing,” says Marilyn Chapman, the lead researcher and author of the new guide for full-day kindergarten, and the director of the Institute for Early Childhood Education & Research in UBC’s Faculty of Education.
“With only a half-day of school, educators had a hard time fitting in everything that they know is important for kindergarten children’s learning. The new guide is designed to address both the prescribed curriculum and other important aspects, such as social-emotional learning and self-regulation.”
Instead of adding more things to the list of what children should learn in kindergarten, the extra time will leave room for more physical, social, emotional, creative, language and cognitive development. The new guide explains to educators how to use the extra time to achieve the development goals. It suggests how to plan a school day and how to incorporate the arts, physical activity, relationship building, language and nature into planning programs and activities.
Having more time to address the prescribed curriculum will also give teachers more time to explore other subjects the students are interested in. For example, if children hear about a volcano erupting, teachers will have the time and opportunity to build on the students’ curiosity, even if it is not part of the official science curriculum.
“I hope school is more playful, more fun, and more stimulating and interesting,” says Chapman.
The provincial government made the decision to implement full-day kindergarten for all children in 2009. In parts of B.C., all-day kindergarten is already available to certain groups — children with low incidence special needs, those whose first language is not English and Aboriginal students.
Across Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick already offer all-day kindergarten and other provinces, like Alberta and Quebec, offer some full-day programs. Up to half of B.C. children will start full-day kindergarten in September, and by 2011 all boards of education in the province will be required to offer it.
Research indicates that having children in full-day developmentally appropriate early learning programs, before Grade 1, is beneficial for children, parents and society.
The research shows full-day programs help develop social-emotional skills, positive self-esteem and language and literacy skills. Students also get individual attention and do better in later grades.
Parents benefit because childcare expenses are reduced, and they have more time to pursue their own goals, allowing for a better work-life balance. Chapman says children who get enriched educational experiences early in life also become better citizens, providing a huge economic benefit.
“There are lasting effects. These children are less likely to bully, abuse drugs or be put in jail, which are all very expensive for society.”
Putting together the new kindergarten program involved consulting a wide range of research on how children learn and brain development.
“The research supports providing opportunities for children to learn through their senses, by learning how to manipulate things, and extended dialogue” says Chapman “We’re giving them time to play so they learn real-life uses of literacy and numeracy.”
The idea is that teachers will be guiding the learning during playtime too. If a student is pretending to read a map, a teacher might point out that a blue area means there is a lake or ocean.
Playing is also important because it teaches children about self-regulation and about proper conduct, says Chapman.
In today’s society, children have less time to play; everything is more organized and regulated. Chapman says in the past children would play together to entertain themselves, and younger children would learn a lot from older children. But now, with more children growing up without siblings and with nannies and organized programs, they have fewer opportunities to learn how to initiate play and play on their own.
For more information about B.C.’s kindergarten program and the new program guide, please visit: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/early_learning/fdk.
