PLAY, PARTICIPATION, AND

POSSIBILITIES:

An Early Learning and Child

Care Curriculum Framework
for Alberta
TODAY
Why this Framework?
What are the fundamentals?
What does it look like?

Resource sharing
Small group activity
Wrap up
 A Little History

Play, Participation, and

Possibilities:
AN EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE
CURRICULUM FRAMEWORK FOR ALBERTA
AN EARLY LEARNING AND CHILD CARE CURRICULUM
FRAMEWORK IS DIFFERENT THAN TRADITIONAL
CURRICULUM.

This curriculum is focused on broad holistic goals rather than

specific outcomes for each subject area.
Early childhood educators use the goals in the framework to
describe and interpret childrens everyday experiences.
Curriculum content is integrated, emerging from childrens
fascination with their world.
WHY THIS FRAMEWORK
CURRICULUM:
PHILOSOPHY
Supports a strength based approach
Childrens life-long health, well-being, learning and
behavior are strongly connected to their early
childhood experience
Children thrive when they are nurtured in close,
consistent relationships and this framework values these
co-relationships
Children are unique leaners who construct and
represent knowledge using multimodal literacies for
exploration and expression. This framework encourages
the reciprocal relationship between child and co-
participator while learning and expression in many
different ways.
Some components of the
FRAMEWORK:
The image of the child: A Mighty
Learner and Citizen
A practice of Relationships: Your role
Responsive Environments: Time,
Space, Materials, and Participation
 A MIGHTY LEARNER
What does it mean to be a child?

How do we view children and childhood?

CURRENT AND HISTORIC THEORIES OF EARLY
LEARNING VIEW CHILDREN IN
PARTICULAR WAYS AND INFLUENCE OUR IMAGE OF
THE CHILD.

Developmental Perspective of Learning

Social-cultural Perspective of Learning
Post-foundational Perspective of Learning

The Image of the Child: A Mighty Learner and Citizen introduces

the theoretical foundation of the framework and reflects critically on
the multiple images of the child that are embedded in the multiple
perspectives of learning that inform our work.
VALUING PLAY
It is one of many multimodal literacies and an essential medium
through which children explore and participate with others and
in the world.
Childrens active, collaborative, complex, communicative,
playfulness within commonplace and imaginary events and
experiences is a meaning making process. (sometimes
overlooked or underestimating the value)
In early childhood communities, this means that we provide
children with many opportunities to co-construct their
knowledge.
MIGHTY LEARNER

If we acknowledge the resourcefulness of each child, regardless of

economic or other social circumstance, then that child has the
opportunity to see him/herself as a strong, resourceful, and capable
learner and citizen regardless of life circumstance.

This is might be a switch in perspective.

This image of the childa mighty learner and citizen calls on us to

continually re-examine our own practices, our interactions, and our
assumptions about children, childhood, learning, and play.
MIGHTY LEARNER PERSPECTIVE
Views the child as a mighty learner and citizenstrong, resourceful,
and capable.
This image affirms each childs right to be listened to, to be treated
with respect, and to participate in daily decisions that affect him or
her
From doing to a child, but rather participating with each child.
CONSTRUCTING AN IMAGE OF THE CHILD
AS A STRONG, RESOURCEFUL, CAPABLE
CHILDA MIGHTY LEARNER AND CITIZEN.
Think about when your answer to a childs question ended the
conversation.
Think about when childrens questions have provoked further thought
and exploration for the whole group.
Who listens to the theories of a child in your child care setting? Will the
childrens theories be heard as cute comments or potential possibilities
for learning?
Think about how theories can initiate further exploration and problem
solving with children.
As an educator, how do you view the busy child? Think about how a
busy child is responded to by peers and adults.
YOU CONSTRUCT AN IMAGE OF
CHILD AS A MIGHTY LEARNER
WHEN YOU NOTICE:

Playing
Seeking
Participating
Persisting
Caring
EXAMPLE OF THE SWITCHING OF
PERSPECTIVE

DIZZY PLAY

How do we value and respond to rowdy, physical,

dizzy play?
What is your comfort level and how does this affect the
allowances you make for the childrens rowdy, physical
play?
How do you ensure safety and allow for children to
experience exhilarating physical release?
Think about times when childrens joy has been
infectious, for example, sliding down hills, dancing
barefoot, or singing at the top of ones lungs.
CURRICULUM MEANING MAKING

Mighty Learner Dizzy Play

Connecting learning opportunity to making meaning

Changed perspective
Frustration went down and learning went up.
Pauline
A Practice of
Relationships:
YOUR ROLE
Co-learner
Engaging
Co-Seeker
Co-investigator
Confidence Builder
Co-Author
Co-Researcher
Co-Player
RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTS: TIME,
SPACE, MATERIALS, AND PARTICIPATION
Environments that encourage multimodal literacies
acknowledge that there are many ways to explore and
demonstrate knowledge and, for children, this is often through
play.
Creating responsive environments requires awareness that the
image of the childa mighty learner and citizenmust be
continually reflected on, as educators respond to childrens
interests and exploration through the design elements of time,
space, materials, and participation.
When educators closely observe childrens play, then can further
opportunities for children to create and test theories.
MIGHTY LEARNERS
RESPONSIVE INSPIRING ENVIRONMENTS: TIME,
SPACE, MATERIALS, AND PARTICIPATION
DOCUMENTING LEARNING
Individual Learning Logs
Photo learning Logs
Class learning Logs
IDEA EXCHANGE &
WRAP UP
What is one idea youve
come across that fits with this
philosophy?
OR
One way you might use this
philosophy?
 FOR MORE INFORMATION:

HTTP://CHILDCAREFRAMEWORK.COM/

QUESTIONS?