Learning Opportunities

This session will provide administrators and educational team leaders with a greater understanding of the early years (pre-kindergarten and kindergarten) to help them:

1. Effectively make decisions for staffing and programming
2. Support teachers with planning for transition to kindergarten and grade one
3. Use resources to support teacher professional growth and supervision.

You will gain insights into the importance of teaching young children using a language rich, play-based pedagogy. We will look at how developmentally appropriate pedagogy impacts success in the early years and beyond. This session will unpack an educational definition of play-based learning and establish its relationship to how young children learn. We will explore 12 distinct forms of play and their relevance to a child’s early development. We will also examine components of a “play-based classroom” and compare it to those of a “content-based” classroom.

Essential documents that teachers and administrators need to be aware of regarding teaching young learners will also be highlighted. Leadership team members will examine their role in facilitating language rich, play-based classrooms. This will be accomplished by looking through a lens that helps with understanding the importance of four essential pathways for learning and teaching in the early years:

•         The Learning Environment - setting up a child-sensitive play-based classrooms
•         Design for Learning - planning and programing
•         Teacher and Learner Disposition - having an early childhood mindset
•         Assessment - gathering and communicating information about young learners

Finally, this session will examine ways administrators can facilitate conversations designed to support ongoing professional development with staff members. A “take-away” from this session is a tool designed to facilitate dialogue aimed at maximizing the potential of our young learners.

Target Audience

Pre Kindergarten - Grade 3 School-based Administrators

Also Recommended For

Instructional/ Learning Coaches