What is the impact of Emergent Curriculum on Oral Language development in Kindergarten and Grade 1 Classrooms?

Lakehead Public SchoolsInquiry Team

Co-Investigators

Lorelei LaForme Teacher, Valerie Woycheshin R.E.C.E., Maureen Cunningham Teacher, Diana

Madunic Teacher, Heather Exley Principal, Anne Kreutz Teacher, Marla Keene Teacher.

CD Howe Public School & Woodcrest Public School

Who We AreLakehead District School Board-We have Teacher and Early Childhood Educator Teams

working together– Schools Involved:

• CD Howe Public School, 155 students, grade JK-8– 19 students in Senior Kindergarten, 20 students in Grade 1

• Woodcrest Public School, 489 students, grades JK-8– 20 students in Senior Kindergarten, 20 students in Grade 1

– Our board uses assessment data including an Oral Language Assessment tool two times a year that measures receptive language

– We used the First Steps Oral Language Continuum, E.L.E.C.T. Continuum of Development and Oral Language Prompts within this inquiry project

Why it matters to us Our focus was to explore the use of emergent

curriculum and play based learning to support oral language development in Kindergarten and grade 1 classrooms. Emergent curriculum involves thinking and learning together. It is a vehicle to motivate and engage all students to further propel their learning. We wanted to investigate how oral language can be enhanced through a curriculum that emerges from a child’s interest and inquiries about their world. We wanted our students to love to come to school and this meant having them be engaged. We knew that we needed to bridge

the gap between kindergarten and grade 1 programs and we had to re-evaluate our current practices.

EMERGENT CURRICULUM Research Tell Us…• “Standardized curriculum can be taught in a way

that allows children to take ownership of their own ideas and work together with the teacher, and other children towards shared goals.” – Wien

• Throughout our inquiry we found that Emergent Curriculum is a different way of teaching and learning, whereby we value the child’s interests and let them inform instruction and guide the learning. It is not about “letting go.” It is about co-constructing the learning with students in rich well prepared environments.

“ Oral Language occurs in all areas. Children communicate their thoughts feelings, experiences and opinions, and learn to understand themselves.”- Play and Exploration, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education

Using our First Steps Oral Language Continuum and the E.L.E.C.T. Continuum of Development we found our students were:

-having more enriched conversations with peers -engaged in longer interactions-more willing to speak in front of peers-using new words in play-producing more self initiated writing-working, playing and learning more collaboratively with each other in the classroom

“Emergent curriculum works because it is based on the children’s own interests and is more meaningful to them because they share control over the content of their own learning.”- Wien

Throughout our inquiry we observed increased excitement, motivation and confidence in our children.

Starting our Journey…Understanding Emergent Curriculum• Teachers plan in

response to student’s interest and concerns

• Curriculum expands into genuine inquiry

• Students and teachers together become participatory co-learners

• Multiple ways of learning and creating

We visited a Reggio Emilia philosophy childcare centre to help us visualize the possibilities…

Our next step• Book study,

Emergent Curriculum in the Primary Classroom by Carol Anne Wien

• Team conferenced to plan and support each other.

Our Beginnings in Emergent Curriculum

“ Central to an effective early learning curriculum is an “emergent” approach that builds on a child’s curiosity, intrinsic interests, and self-discovery” – Dr. Diane Kashin RECE, ECE.C

We can make things from

garbage then we have less to

throw out! -Kohl Grade 1

We could make a school…we could make a

house. How about we make a school on top of the house and call it a

schoolhouse? –Aiden S.K.

We can build with shapes.

-Brayden S.K.

Mrs. Keene we need to make gingerbread

men to go with our houses. –Aiden Grade 1

I wonder if…How can we…

We planned in response to the children’s interests and ideas.

We set up intentionally planned learning environments to facilitate meaningful learning through purposeful play.

“Planned play is the leading source of development.” Vygotsky

“Motivation fuels learning” Wien

Look at me and Emmerson,we

made a mansion.

I’m using a circle and a triangle

for a dress.

“Emergent curriculum involves teachers and children designing something new.” Wien

• Real experience• Real problems• Invitations to draw

and redraw• Openness to many

graphic materials

I wish we could do this

everyday!

This is the best day

ever!

Play is a place where children process their learning.

I like painting!

Next we Listen, Observe and DocumentUsing the observations,

we placed our focus students on the First Steps Oral Language Continuum.

Using the Oral Language Four Foci Teaching Prompts from the Oral Language Project, we adjusted our instructional language to meet their expressive and receptive language

needs.

Talk is an integral part of the inquiry process.

“It’s a puppet from a juice box. Mrs Cunningham helped

me.”

“We need some more, we want to find out how long the hallway is and we want to count them.”

We discovered that…• We listened with intention and adjusted instructional language

to meet the expressive and receptive language needs of our students

• Our at-risk students were more engaged when given choice and began to participate orally with more confidence

• We could allow the students interests to shape learning which lead to increased participation and deeper learning

• Our post OLA scores for our targeted students showed larger incremental gains than non targeted students

• Increased participation transferred to increased engagement in reading and writing

• We required uninterrupted meeting time with same grade and cross grade partners in order to

share learning stories in open ways

What we will do next• Continue teacher inquiry and professional learning of

emergent curriculum in the areas of: – Teacher instructional language to support oral language

development– Preparing the learning environment as the third teacher– Resources – indoor and outdoor learning environments with

real experiences, real problems, open ended and authentic materials

– Documenting each child’s development and using this assessment to support further learning

– Sharing our learning story with other professional learning communities

– June 2010 –presentation to Early Learning Phase 1 school teams

– September 2010 – continue the project with breadth and depth as it expands to involve Junior Kindergarten to Grade 2

Further Inquiry• How can school structures support collaborative work

based on student inquiry?• How can the examination and moderation of student

work resulting from inquiry be part of our regular PLCs?• How do we bring children’s true inquiry and interest to

PLCs? • How do we document students learning with one adult

and 20 students in a regular classroom?• How do I ensure child initiated activities through play

become the way curriculum emerges in my day?• How can we learn more about use of documentation?

For example, using learning stories as an assessment and evaluation of student progress.

ResourcesCarol Anne Wien Emergent Curriculum in the Primary

Classroom 2008Carmel Crevola and Mark Vineis Let’s Talk About It!

2005Carmel Crevola Four Teaching Foci Prompts 2009Susan Fraser Authentic Childhood 2000First Steps Oral Language Developmental

Continuum1994First Steps Oral Language Resource Book 1994The Kindergarten Program Revised 2006Saskatchewan Ministry of Education April 2008 Play and

Exploration Early Learning Program GuideLNS Webcast Professional Learning Series, Kindergarten

Matters: Planned, Purposeful and Playful Talk

The brain lights up when children PLAY…