The Ultimate Block Party is pleased to have the support of this outstanding group of educators.
Dr. Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, is the Stanley and Deborah Lefkowitz Professor of Psychology, Temple University where she serves as director of the Infant Language Laboratory. She is the co-founder of CiRCLE (The Center for Re-Imagining Children’s Learning and Education). Her areas of study include cognitive and social approaches to early language development for children from birth to age three with particular emphasis on early grammatical learning, word acquisition and language comprehension. She also conducts research exploring the bridge between developmental theory and social/ educational policy with particular emphasis on infant cognition, preschool learning, and child care.
Dr. Rachel Langford is the director of the School of Early Childhood Education, Ryerson University. She has many years of experience working with different age groups (toddler, preschool, and school-age) in a variety of early childhood settings including parent cooperative, preschool, and child care. She worked for several years for the Vancouver School Board teaching kindergarten and grades 1 and 2 in a multi-age setting, and mentoring teachers as a primary program development associate. She has extensive experience supporting children with special needs in both integrated and specialized settings. Her areas of research include teachers’ work and history, the childcare movement, and professional preparation.
Dr. Roberta Michnick Golinkoff holds the H. Rodney Sharp Chair in the School of Education at the University of Delaware and is also a member of the Departments of Psychology and Linguistics. An author of 12 books and numerous professional articles, she founded and directs the Infant Language Project, which aims to understand how children tackle the amazing feat of learning language. She is also conducting research on the benefits of play.
Dr. Charles E. Pascal. As the special advisor on early learning to the Premier of Ontario, Dr. Pascal was tasked with recommending the best way to implement full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds. He has served as deputy minister of the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training, deputy minister of the Premier’s Council on Health, Well-being and Social Justice, and deputy minister of the Ministry of Community and Social Services. He is currently a professor of Human Development and Applied Psychology, OISE/University of Toronto . He is also senior advisor, Fondation Lucie et André Chagnon.
Dr. Stuart Shanker is Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at York University and the director of the Milton and Ethel Harris Research Initiative (MEHRI). Dr. Shanker is currently director of the Council for Human Development and past president of the Council of Early Child Development. He is also director of the Cuba-Mexico-Canada Research Initiative, an international, multi-disciplinary investigation into preventative mental health (funded by IDRC of Canada). His areas of research include early child development, developmental disorders, ape language, origins of language, language acquisition, abnormal language development, and autism.
Dr. Aimee Wolanski is chair of the Early Years Education Ontario Network (EYEON), a group of professionals who advocate for young children and work to bridge the gap between early years research and educational practice.
I agree completely with your comments, questions…..
If we all have different talents then why are we allowing that our children are put in a system of “one standard learning” thereby killing off their creativity, their fantasy, their enthusiasm ….and we make sure they all LEARN “to think inside the box”…..
and fit the same mold….
If play is so important for children’s learning, why does play-based learning cease when children turn 6 years old in Ontario? Why is the mainstream model of education for grade 1 on one of sitting at a desk for the majority of the day? Would children not be more holistically nurtured, and develop and learn more deeply if they were allowed to play outdoors, especially in nature-rich environments most of the day? Where walls and desks were the exception instead of grass and trees? This may not be practical for all children, but certainly schools could become more nature focused and play-based then they are currently.
It seems the arts are also promoted as highly important for early learning, but again, from grade 1 on it becomes a discrete subject, only visited occasionally while “math” and “reading/writing” are privileged as daily content. But besides writing, could children also be supported to explore their learnings and express concepts through multiple art-based mediums as we know that language can constrict and limit internal processes.
When my son was in grade 1, in 2003 and he was not behaving appropriately (too active and talking too much) he was made to stay in from recess. This of course aggravated the problem further. However, if he had a play-based, outdoor learning environment that promoted self-expression through the arts, I am sure he would have thrived. Could it be that we are labeling our children with ADHD, etc., when really it is the education system that is deviant and needs to adjust to better meet children’s needs? I believe so as I cannot imagine that for 5 year olds you promote play, but the minute they turn 6, play is reserved for recess (if you’re good).