Thanks to CFAX, the Times Colonist and other media outlets for picking up on our news release regarding this blog. It seems as if there is growing interest in using this medium for community dialogue regarding public education in Saanich and across British Columbia. I would like to keep this dialogue alive and relevant, so would invite readers to post topics through the "comments" link. I and others will be happy to take the topic as a starting point for an airing and sharing of views on things that matter to you.
For example, I wonder if people would like to share views here on the province's feasibility study around extending from half-day to all-day kindergarten and creating early learning and care environments for 4-year olds and 3-year olds in our schools. Or perhaps environmental issues as they relate to education? Healthy schools and daily physical activity? Over to you . . .
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
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4 comments:
A forward thinking Superintendent.
Leave it to the Elder to fill the role!
The most important thing in child development is never being too far from their methods of communication and discovery.
I am very happy to see a memeber of the school board focusing on the future and making himself accessable from many different avenues.
Congradulations Dr.Elder, you are as always, a visionary in your approach.
Very refreshing to see!
I would love to see a cross-over for kindergarten classes, that start half-days and move up to full-days so that the grade 1 entry can be eased, that full-day issues for the child can be detected and addressed before grade 1 commences. My view of that would be starting at half-day at the beginning of the school year, and moving to full-day as the year progresses.
The early learning and care environments for 3 and 4 year olds sounds like a wonderful plan IF this is followed by a year of Kindergarten that is as long as, or longer (not shorter) than the previous year.
I would also like to see research done into the option of an additional year for Kindergarten when children are needing additional time to adjust to the cultural aspects of a full day in school. An example would be children who's parents are not from Canada, and who's home culture is different from the cultural expectations in Canadian society. The child requires time to adjust to the cultural expectations at home and the cultural expectations in the classroom environment. A child who is raised by parents who use high-context language, may have significant issues understanding and accepting the low-context language that is used in Canadian classrooms. The child will require additional time to accept and assimilate and integrate this different kind of interaction. Half day kindergarten classes currently do not provide that time, and the entrance to Grade 1 can be a harrowing experience. This puts the child and the parent (who also has a hard time understanding the expectations when they do not master low-context language) on the defensive from the get-go, and can compromise the child's eagerness to learn from the start.
Children need time to explore outside of institutional life. There's much to learn that schools don't teach. IF the choice is poor day care or quality school care, it's got my vote, but if the children have the opportunity to be 'free range' that's the best.
@organizersedge:
I agree with you very much. I am reminded of schools in a scandivian country, I believe Norway, where children learn first to be in nature and THEN they are slowly brought 'inside' from where they start to familiarize themselves with academics in a non-competitive way.
In many other European countries there are two KG years. Children who are ready can move ahead, while children who need that extra year get the extra year to play and explore.
In our schools I could see an earlier entry for KG be for the child to adjust to the bigger group, the more structured system, without the academics. That would leave them to be 'free range', to learn who they are in relation to a larger group and more structure, and it leaves time for them to play while the academic aspects get introduced in the second KG year.
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