Sunny South Day Care

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Early Learning Early Grades: http://www.galileonetwork.ca/earlylearning/?q=home


Ask any child what they like to do best, and the answer is unanimous – they want to play.

Through play, children become eager, capable learners. They know how to navigate their way through tough problems and social roadblocks, pursuing their own ideas to a successful conclusion.

The most important skills one needs for success in life are developed through play. Language and social skills, concentration, memory and adaptability in the face of change also contribute to a child's executive functioning. Research has shown positive executive functioning skills are the foundation upon which academic concepts can be successfully learned. Readiness for school, therefore, means much more than IQ or knowing letters and numbers.

Within this site, you’ll witness many examples of what goes on in effective play-based learning environments. Here, play is not a frivolous endeavor that takes away from the instruction of academics, rather it is the work of children as they learn. The researchers and professional mentors from Galileo Educational Network put great thought and intention into guiding the experiences of children; extending learning and helping them make meaning of their world.
In this video, Galileo Founder and Director Dr. Sharon Friesen says our ability to get it right for our children means a much better society for us all.


Designing the Environment: 

http://galileonetwork.ca/earlylearning/?q=content/designing-environment


Classroom materials and learning tasks; the background of each child and the influence of the wider community - this is a child’s educational environment, and it sets the stage for a lifetime of growth.       

                                 

Many children benefit from learner, knowledge, and assessment-centered environments, but these elements must work together as a whole in order to be effective. In How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (National Academy Press, 2000), authors Bransford, Brown and Cocking explain:

Teachers in learner-centered classrooms pay close attention to the knowledge, skills, attitudes and interests of each child so that they may build upon them. Learner-centered teachers design classroom activities that are challenging enough to engage all students, while at the same time ensuring there is enough scaffolding built in so that no one gets discouraged and gives up.