Westcast at Brandon University has come and gone and the reports seem to be that it delivered. The entertainment, food, keynote speakers, and most importantly the sessions were all wonderful.
I was a presenter at Westcast and proud of it. I think that everyone seemed to bring their A game and they were all very professional and prepared so I was happy to be involved with such a good group of people. Again just as it is for children some of the greatest insight and learning took place from what I hear during the social events, dinners, and in the hallway discussions.
Our presentation was on bullying and so I wanted to just say that personally I was a little worried to present but everyone was so supportive and considerate that I felt fine going in to it quite quickly. It was unfortunate that due to time constraints we couldn't present our topic in full but I think my team did a great job condensing and highlighting the most important points. I did find that our audience was mostly senior stream and probably were looking for a lot of information on cyberbullying specifically, so I looked up some stats and information, as our time constraints did not allow us to get in to too much detail. I found a good site that details the legal ramifications of cyber bullying as this question came up in our presentation but also for my knowledge as well for when I teach.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/teaching_backgrounders/cyberbullying/cyberbullying_law2_h4.cfm
So, in short not only did Westcast teach a lot in the sessions provided I think that being both presenter and audience member allowed us to really walk away with a very enriching experience in our lives.
Congratulations everyone the success looks good on all of you!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
All Day Kindergarten
There is some talk about having an all day kindergarten program and I think that it would be a wonderful idea, if some guidelines were put into place and the goal was to enrich a child's day over a longer period of time but at the same time being aware that they are still so young and they need the classroom and the teachers to provide and environment of fun, active, and creative learning. Essentially, I think that the kindergarten class needs to have a real homey comfortable feel for kids at that age especially.
I worked at a "high risk" school and they had an all day kindergarten program I think essentially because the children in that community needed it. I asked the kindergarten teacher one day how she liked it and what she did with the full day. She replied that she thought it was a great idea and felt that the children, in her class at least needed the full day. She would cover the curriculum for the most part in the morning she said and then she would allow them to play in the afternoon. Now some people that aren't aware of the benefits of play may feel like this was a waste of time but those of us who see all the learning that goes on with that play know that this is very beneficial. It is like the children learn some skills in the morning and then they go out in to the world and practice and use some of those skills in the afternoon under the watchful eye of their teacher.
I personally like the idea of full day kindergarten. We know this is an important time of learning in a child's life and they can benefit immensely from all forms of learning. I also think that in todays' world that most parents work and so they need the full day if they have no alternate care set up. I think for this reason many parents would be for it. I know for me as a single parent it is hard enough figuring out what to do when my children have inservices and 2 early dismissals a month. Full day kindergarten would benefit both parents and children, but like I said the one main thing I think that we need to be aware of is that the children's day needs to really focus on what the children's emotional and social needs are as well as their cognitive needs
I worked at a "high risk" school and they had an all day kindergarten program I think essentially because the children in that community needed it. I asked the kindergarten teacher one day how she liked it and what she did with the full day. She replied that she thought it was a great idea and felt that the children, in her class at least needed the full day. She would cover the curriculum for the most part in the morning she said and then she would allow them to play in the afternoon. Now some people that aren't aware of the benefits of play may feel like this was a waste of time but those of us who see all the learning that goes on with that play know that this is very beneficial. It is like the children learn some skills in the morning and then they go out in to the world and practice and use some of those skills in the afternoon under the watchful eye of their teacher.
I personally like the idea of full day kindergarten. We know this is an important time of learning in a child's life and they can benefit immensely from all forms of learning. I also think that in todays' world that most parents work and so they need the full day if they have no alternate care set up. I think for this reason many parents would be for it. I know for me as a single parent it is hard enough figuring out what to do when my children have inservices and 2 early dismissals a month. Full day kindergarten would benefit both parents and children, but like I said the one main thing I think that we need to be aware of is that the children's day needs to really focus on what the children's emotional and social needs are as well as their cognitive needs
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