Running head: REFLECTION

Reflection:
Part One
Sylvia Siemaszko
Sheridan College

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2
ECEC in Canada and Ontario: Structure, Practice and Philosophy

What I know of and believe regarding education in general and early childhood education and
care specifically is governed by my personal experiences thus far. I was raised in a household of four, with
my parents and a younger brother, in a devout Roman Catholic family. My parents approach to education
was based on guidelines set out by the Ontario provincial government and our religion. I was never placed
in child care, and was instead cared for by caregivers at home. At age four, I was enrolled in kindergarten
at an elementary school and began my formal education, in a traditional system based on the curriculum
determined by the provincial government. As a young child, before I began school, I learned from my
parents, my caregivers, the people around me, my church and its priests, and popular culture (i.e.
television, Disney animated films, and music on the radio). I spoke Polish before I learned English; I learned
Polish first because that was what my parents spoke at home. I remember my mother reading me books
every day and every night. I remember my father taking me to parks and camping, and talking about
nature and the environment. I remember a caregiver teaching me how to swing at the park. On Sundays
at mass, I would join the other children and go to Sunday school while the priest read the liturgy to the
rest of the congregation.
When I started kindergarten, I adjusted quickly. I was excited to go to school like all the older
children. My junior and senior kindergarten teachers had very different styles of teaching. My junior
kindergarten teacher focused on play-based learning; I remember playing at the sand and water tables
frequently, looking through books, and exploring art through different mediums. My senior kindergarten
teacher was intimidating; I remember sitting at a desk, writing on worksheets, and counting numbers. She
once had all of the students sit at the carpet and count together, to one thousand. I am pleased with the
education I received in my early years; I absorbed information from everywhere and everyone, and I had
no difficulty adjusting to different methods of teaching, but I know that at a younger age I enjoyed the
play-based learning more than the traditional teacher-directed method.

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What I want to discover now is the theories and research behind the advocacy of play-based
learning. Since I never experienced early childhood care and education outside of the provincial school
system, I was unaware of what such an environment is like until I started volunteering and working at a
local child care centre. The centre is play-based and I got an opportunity to work with all age groups. I
learned through hands-on experience what the goals of this curriculum approach are; the aim is to let
children explore and experiment in a safe environment, stocked with a wealth of rich materials. This
exploration is a young childs learning process; memorization and worksheets are not relevant to young
children because they process information differently than adults do (Dietze & Kashin, 2012, p. 4-5, 32).
Although I learned this organically, I have no background in the academic study and research of education.
This is my next goal. I want to study how family affects education, how diversity is accommodated, how
development occurs, how curriculum is determined, and how pedagogy is implemented. In my classes we
have already started to explore these topics, and while some of my questions have been answered, I now
have many more.
I also want to understand the other types and methods used in the education field in Ontario,
Canada, and the world. I have one set of experiences, but I want to ensure that I have knowledge about
other approaches in education in order to guarantee that I have a foundation for understanding different
childrens experiences and histories. Knowledge and understanding are a vital part of what makes an
educator effective. In the end, the most important thing I want to know is how to apply the pedagogy and
principles for practice. I have read the legislation, principles, and philosophy; now I want to know how to
make sense of it practically and apply it in the classroom.
I have challenged my knowledge by actively exploring new materials in my courses. In our class
we had group discussions around the question, Coming into the program, what did you find different
from your previous knowledge and/or assumptions? My answer is that I was surprised to find that for me
its not about up-ending assumptions about child care in Canada and Ontario, but rather about filling-in-

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the-blanks. I have not actively thought about the theory before, the theory behind why something is done
the way it is. When I started working at a child care centre I did what was asked of me, acting according
to their standards, rules, practices, and norms. Since starting my classes, I have learned more and more
about the why behind such practices. Im now beginning to understand why play-based curriculum is an
effective approach to early childhood education, why it is important to soothe a child when they cry, how
temperaments affect childrens behaviour, and more. I now know a little about the theories, the studies,
and the research behind various practices. I also know how much thought goes into decisions such as
which curriculum model to follow and how to design the classroom environment. My peers spoke similarly
about gaps in their knowledge that are now being filled in.
I have challenged my beliefs by confronting different approaches to children, child care, and
education. This is evident by what I learned through watching the film, Babies. This film follows four
different infants born in different countries around the world (Chabat & Balms, 2010). I had assumed
that there is a universal understanding and agreement that infants are fragile, that they need to be
watched over constantly, that they need one-to-one interaction and care, and that they need to be
protected and shielded from certain things until they grow older. This is not the case, as demonstrated by
the film. It showed a woman in Opuwo, Namibia, breastfeeding two infants simultaneously, while a third
sat by her side and cried (Chabat & Balms, 2010). I was surprised by the fact that she was breastfeeding
two infants at the same time, and that she was also talking to someone else, and not paying close attention
to them (Chabat & Balms, 2010). Seeing this interaction challenged my belief in the concept of one-toone interaction and care, as this woman was caring for several infants simultaneously, and was not giving
them her full attention. In Bayanchandmani, Mongolia, a newborn was very tightly swaddled immediately
after birth, with the nurse tying multiple strings around the infant and the bundle of cloths (Chabat &
Balms, 2010). This challenged my belief that all infants should be treated carefully because they are
fragile. Also in Mongolia, the infant was often left alone lying on a blanket and a string was tied around

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the infants wrist to ensure that he or she didnt roll away (Chabat & Balms, 2010). I was shocked by this
practice, since I have always heard that an infant should never be left alone where they can roll away,
leading to possible injury. In Tokyo, Japan, a mother held her child, and didnt shield it from her pet cat
when the cat came close and nuzzled the newborn (Chabat & Balms, 2010). This challenged my belief
that infants should be protected and shielded; a cat is unpredictable, and I would not let an animal near
a newborn infant. Watching this film gave me the opportunity to confront many different perspectives on
children and child care, and it led me to accept that there will always be different approaches, and that
that is all right.
I have further challenged myself by examining educational pedagogy in Ontario. In exploring How
Does Learning Happen? I learned that there are four foundations upon which early years pedagogy in
Ontario is based on (The Ministry of Education, 2014, p. 7). They are: belonging, well-being, engagement,
and expression (The Ministry of Education, 2014, p. 7-8). I believe that these four areas are
comprehensive, but a key factor for my understanding is the component central to these four foundations
relationships between children, families, and educators (The Ministry of Education, 2014, p. 6). Since
starting the ECE program at Sheridan I have come to understand the importance of collaboration between
families and educators. Previously, I had not considered partnerships with parents to be a large
component of an educators work. When I think back to elementary school, I remember biannual parentteacher meetings that were a rote action more than they were a thoughtful discussion. I have learned
that one of the principles of practice in this field is: Partnerships with families and communities are
essential (The Ministry of Education, 2014, p. 10). I now understand that early childhood educators must
have a strong partnership with parents and families in order to effectively support childrens education
and their mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical health.
I further explored the other five principles for practice in the field of ECE, and challenged myself
by exploring Principle Six: Knowledgeable, responsive, and reflective educators are essential (The

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Ministry of Education, 2014, p. 10). I did not originally perceive reflection to be such a vital component of
an educators ability to remain effective. I was so focused upon the knowledge and training an educator
needs in order to respond appropriately, that I missed the reflective nature of an educators work entirely.
Karyn Callaghan says: When were involved in reflective practice, were questioning our certainties. So
the things that could end up becoming rote or just sort of a scripted response, were disrupting that,
intentionally, and again involving ourselves in a constant inquiry into what we believe and why and does
it fit in this situation (The Ministry of Education, 2015). I know now I need to continue questioning
everything and to reflect upon what I am doing and whether it is appropriate. This will enable me to
remain effective as an educator because I will never stop learning and will be able to adjust my methods
and the classroom environment to best suit the children I am caring for at that particular time.
In conclusion, I have identified several areas where I can improve, either in action or in acquiring
more knowledge, and I intend to begin by learning more about the why behind practices. Understanding
a decision is important for me so that I know the value an approach has and why I need to implement a
particular practice. I want to be able to explain why a specific method is the correct way to do something,
so that I have a frame of reference for my practice in the field of early childhood education. I intend to
get into the habit of using appropriate ECE language, using terms such as children instead of kids and
educators instead of teachers. I will also use language to verbally acknowledge childrens feelings and
set expectations. I will pay close attention to the language that the educators at my field placement at the
Sheridan Lab School use, and use their words and actions as examples of an effective way to approach a
child and a particular situation. Also, since I have learned that child-initiated play is essential for childrens
learning, I will ensure that I do not take the lead unnecessarily, that I follow the childs lead in deciding
upon an activity to do, and pay close attention to his or her interests. I have learned a great deal about
the field of early childhood education in just four short weeks, and I look forward to acquiring more
knowledge and experience.

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7
References

Chabat, A., & Balms, T. (2010). Babies. France: StudioCanal.

Dietze, B., & Kashin, D. (2012). Playing and learning in early childhood education. Toronto: Pearson
Canada.
The Ministry of Education. (2014). How does learning happen? Ontarios pedagogy for early years.
Retrieved from https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/HowLearningHappens.pdf
The Ministry of Education. (2015). Principle 6: What the experts say. Retrieved from http://www.edu.
gov.on.ca/childcare/oelf/principles/principle6/index.html