This revised Early Learning Framework is the culmination of a collaborative process that included early childhood educators, primary teachers, academics, Indigenous organizations, Elders, government, and other professionals. The first Early Learning Framework published in 2008 changed the landscape of early years practice in British Columbia. It…

Measurement is a mathematics skill students encounter often in their daily lives. The act of measuring involves the use of concrete, hands-on materials that students find engaging and appealing. According to Martinie (2004), the best way to teach measurement "is to find or create situations in which students need to measure and let them…

FirstSchool is a school reform approach to early schooling for children 3 to 8 years old. It was developed over the past five years through a collaborative partnership among families, schools, communities, and institutions of higher education. The approach responds to the needs of all young children--especially in African American or Latino…

Describes some dramatic changes in the author's reading instruction, an example of how reflection leads to action in a reflective learning community. Uses her observations to reflect on the reading processes of her young readers and the materials being used to support them as developing readers. (SG)

Presents a story of the collaboration of two educators who developed communities of learners in their own classroom contexts. Describes the experiences shared as they reflected, revised, and struggled to improve their own practice. Discusses their continual struggle with ways to fully engage all students in the community-building process. (SG)

Describes the value to the author of taking notes on students at work in her third-grade classroom. Uses the analogy of "Footprints In The Snow" (from her daily morning walk) as a way of thinking about the importance of note-taking in teacher research. (SR)

A view of construction from the window of a first-grade classroom was the catalyst for a multi-grade, multidisciplinary curriculum project at St. Patrick's Episcopal Day School in Washington, DC. This article provides background information on the school and the project, and details the students' work. The project description includes how the…

A Saint Louis school experimenting with applying multiple intelligences theory to curricula and instruction defines "genuine understanding" as using information in novel ways. By surveying area museums and designing user-friendly botanical exhibits for a community-based project, first graders developed a better understanding of their own…

Outlines one struggling second-grade reader's abilities and reading strategies, and initial instructional efforts with her. Discusses how the author determined a mismatch existed between her teaching, the teaching materials, and the child. Shows how a change of materials--to the use of decodable text accompanied by reflective, systematic,…

This study used qualitative methodology to explore the professional development and changes in their practical theories of two student teachers in Australia during their third year of an undergraduate program as they began actual classroom experience at the primary level. The study identified interrelated factors impinging on student professional…

This document, British Columbia's Early Learning Framework, is intended to guide and support early childhood educators, StrongStart BC facilitators, early years professionals, service providers, communities and governments in providing rich early learning experiences for children from birth to kindergarten. The document may also be of interest for…

This paper presents a description and analysis of the work of a group of primary grade teachers who decided to study their practices and engage their students in inquiry. Their school was in a lower socioeconomic area with a multiethnic student body. The political nature of their work is documented via two themes that emerged from their work. The…

Noting that the growing crisis in the quality of early childhood programs is fueled partly by the lack of well-trained, knowledgeable, reflective teachers, this book details teaching cases that reflect typical challenges in teaching to be used as a tool for professional development. The cases provide a basis for discussing teacher decisions and…