An effective Kindergarten program builds on the principles of early learning and pays particular attention to the environment and the roles of conversation and play in children's learning experiences. The teacher facilitates inquiry through the children's play and is continually reflecting to ensure opportunities are provided to support and encourage holistic learning and deeper understanding. The teacher also has an effective process for observation, documentation, and interpretation.

A teacher planning for an effective Kindergarten program must be knowledgeable about what children should know, understand, and be able to do (the outcomes) by the end of the Kindergarten year. In planning for learning, the teacher must take into account the developmental level of each child in order to support achievement of the learning outcomes. Consideration must be given to the evidence that needs to be gathered to determine if the curriculum outcomes have been achieved.

The principles of early learning are generalizations, adapted from research, of how children learn. It is important that teachers consider the principles of competency, holistic development and learning, relationships, and the influence of environments when implementing a Kindergarten program.

Children are viewed as capable, competent thinkers who have multiple ways of knowing, doing, and understanding. Each child has different strengths, interests, and ways of learning. Children come to school competent, inventive, and full of ideas that can be expressed in many ways. Together, children and adults co-learn and explore the interests of the children as they work towards achieving the outcomes.

When development and learning are viewed as holistic, children find identity, meaning, and purpose in life. Children are offered opportunities that support the

Effective educators develop relationships that respect the dignity, worth, and uniqueness of each child. Relationships are opportunities for young children to create a sense of self, identity, and belonging while learning about the world around them.

Environments are carefully designed to be aesthetically pleasing and inspire children to wonder, ask questions, and be curious. By reflecting on and responding to their environments, children construct their own understanding of the world. Environments that promote the holistic nature of children's learning encourage independence, responsibility, and participation.

For more information related to the principles of early learning, refer to Children First: A Resource for Kindergarten (2009).

The distinguishing features of environment, conversation, and play provide the foundation for children's learning. It is through these features that relationships among peers and with the educator can be established and strengthened.

In an effective Kindergarten classroom, a flexible, dynamic environment stimulates inquiry, facilitates play, and inspires curiosity. As children interact with their environment, they come to understand the world in which they live and learn. A well-planned environment can enrich and expand children's experiences, and support their growth and development.

Through meaningful conversations, respect and relationships are affirmed. As educators provide experiences that increase children's understandings through authentic questions about their play, offer ideas that extend their play, and encourage children to be self- directed learners, children learn to trust in their own ability to make decisions and to investigate new projects. When educators respect and acknowledge the knowledge, skills, and interests children bring to their play and learning, children are able to develop as confident learners.

Play provides children with opportunities to construct knowledge as they create and test theories, practise their skills, and make sense of the world around them. Working together, children learn to use their language and social skills as they co-operate, negotiate, persist in tasks, and collaborate to sustain their play. Children who are engaged in play use their imagination, express their thoughts and feelings, develop large and fine motor skills, solve real problems, and use flexible and divergent thinking skills while developing language, literacy skills, and concepts.

For more information related to the distinguishing features of an early childhood education program, refer to Children First: A Resource for Kindergarten (2009).

Children begin exploring and creating from the moment they are born. As children explore, they better understand what they are exploring and seek opportunities to share this way of knowing and understanding. During this sharing, children build a sense of belonging and contributing. These are their personal experiences. To continue to provide children with this holistic learning experience, the effective educator will observe, assess, and plan daily experiences for children through the lens of exploring and creating, understanding and sharing, as well as belonging and contributing.

While the reflective lens assists educators in observing, assessing, and planning in a more holistic way, it is important that both educators and children learn within meaningful contexts that relate to their lives, communities, and the world. Educators and children need to identify big ideas and questions for deeper understanding central to the children's interests and the learning outcomes for Kindergarten.

Questions for deeper understanding are used to initiate and guide planning and give children direction for developing deep understandings about a topic. It is essential to develop questions that are evoked by children's interests and have potential for rich and deep learning. The process of asking questions can help children to grasp the important ideas that are situated at the core of a particular curricular focus or context. These broad questions will lead to more specific questions that can provide a framework, purpose, and direction for the learning activities in an inquiry, and help children connect what they are learning to their experiences and life beyond school.

Effective questions for deeper understanding in Kindergarten are the key to initiating and guiding children's investigations, critical thinking skills, problem solving, and reflection on their own learning. Effective questioning is essential for teaching and learning and should be an integral part of planning in Kindergarten. Questioning should also be used to encourage children to reflect on their own learning.

For more information related to the reflective lens, refer to Children First: A Resource for Kindergarten (2009).

Teachers in effective Kindergarten classrooms regularly observe, document, and interpret. Through this process, teachers gather information to guide scaffolding and to plan inquiries. This process provides a record of the children's learning and can be used for evaluation purposes.

Observation of children is important in order to plan, guide, and assess. It is critical to "watch" children to determine their intellectual, socio-emotional, physical, and spiritual knowledge and behaviours. Through play, children show what they know, understand, and are able to do. The information gained from these observations indicates development and scaffolding opportunities for educators. Observation makes educators more aware of children's thinking and informs educators how to support and extend the learning that is taking place. Observation provides a foundation for understanding what children are learning and what might be added to the environment to support further investigations.

Documentation is the process of displaying evidence of the children's learning. It involves organizing and displaying the information collected during observations, enabling the educator to explain the children's words, creations, constructions, and ways of sharing ideas. Documentation can be used to place children's learning in context, to affirm children's competence, and to guide future planning. When displayed, it also communicates children's experiences to members of the school community. Documentation can also be used to encourage both the children and teacher to develop reflective practices.

Interpretation involves pondering and drawing conclusions based on recorded evidence of children's learning in the context of early childhood education theory. Interpretations with respect to children's understandings, abilities, relationships, and self-concept can be made regarding each of the four dimensions (intellectual, physical, socio-emotional, and spiritual). As educators analyze the evidence, they develop theories about the children, teaching, and learning. It is from these interpretations that the educator will create further opportunities for children to develop, explore, test their theories, and effectively communicate to other children, parents, and the community.

For more information related to observation, documentation, and interpretation, refer to Children First: A Resource for Kindergarten (2009).

Knowing that children, as active learners, solve real problems through their play, it is important for educators to be aware of the process of inquiry learning and how it can be a natural and important part of play. Inquiries can take place in a variety of environments, including those in the school setting and within the community.

Inquiry learning provides children with opportunities to test theories and build knowledge, abilities, and inquiring habits of mind that lead to deeper understanding of the world and human experience. Thoughtful questioning by the educator and a well-designed environment can lead children to further inquiry. Building on children's inherent sense of curiosity and wonder while drawing on their diverse backgrounds, interests, and experiences provides children with meaningful learning opportunities.

The inquiry process provides opportunities for children to become active participants in a collaborative search for meaning and understanding. Children who are engaged in inquiry:

• construct knowledge and deep understanding rather than passively receive information
• are directly involved in the discovery of new knowledge
• encounter differing perspectives and ideas
• transfer new knowledge and skills to new circumstances
• take ownership and responsibility for their ongoing learning.

(Adapted from Kuhlthau, Maniotes, & Caspari, 2007)

Effective Kindergarten programs can help children become engaged, confident learners who achieve the outcomes through the distinguishing features of environment, conversation, and play. Table 1 on the following page uses the three distinguishing features to give examples of what an effective Kindergarten program is and is not.

An effective Kindergarten program brings each subject area discipline to life. Although, what children should know, understand, and be able to do by the end of Kindergarten is specified in each of the subject area outcomes, the teacher needs to have a deeper understanding of how to plan a program based on what is important in each subject area discipline. This happens through continual reflection on `why these specific outcomes?', and coming to know the philosophical underpinnings of each discipline.

Just as the characteristics of an effective Kindergarten program are provided in the Kindergarten curriculum, each subject area, in Grades 1-9, has also provided characteristics of developing a school program based on their discipline. Arts Education provides students with opportunities to explore and express their ideas through the arts and to investigate the work of local, national, and international artists. English language arts speaks to the focus on language; the importance of exploring a range of texts that address identity, community, and social responsibility; and the opportunity to create and share ideas in a variety of visual, multimedia, oral, and written forms. Health education focuses on engaging students in learning and promoting the health of self and others. Mathematics emphasizes the importance of developing a deep conceptual understanding of mathematics and the continuum of understanding from concrete to abstract. In science, students explore the natural and constructed worlds in an empirical manner. Social studies speaks to controversial issues and multiculturalism. Physical education focuses on achieving physical literacy.

All subject area disciplines expect that children will learn through meaningful contexts and creative and critical learning strategies. Engagement, student voice, inquiry, and deep understanding are common to designing programs in every discipline. When teachers understand the philosophy of each discipline, they are better able to plan and facilitate children's experiences.