Running head: EARLY CHILDHOOD PAPER

EDUC 535 Early Childhood Education Reflective Paper

Julie C. Degner
University of Calgary

Early Childhood Reflective Thoughts of Education 535

Over the course of the past two months, my perception of Early Childhood Education has
transformed and grown in many ways. When I first came into this class, my knowledge of my

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specialization area was rather limited, especially considering the fact that the last class I had
taken on the subject had been two years earlier in my third year of the concurrent program at the
university. Although I knew that A key purpose of the primary grades is to help students
develop a solid base of literacy, numeracy and social skills that will provide a foundation for
later success, I did not understand how I was actually supposed to achieve this goal and give my
students the solid base of knowledge that they would require to go on with their education and
everyday lives (Alberta Education, 2007, p. 1). However, due to our examination of the
Government of Albertas Ministerial Order and our class discussions of the importance of play in
an early childhood classroom, my understanding of my specialization has completely changed in
a positive manner; I now know and understand the Early Childhood Education theories and
concepts that will be used in my future classroom to equip my students with the basic skills and
knowledge that they will need for the rest of their lives.
Before I entered this class, I was not even aware of the Ministerial Orders existence. As
far as I was concerned, the Government of Alberta had never issued any documents that paid
specific attention to education and laid out their fundamental goalto inspire all students to
achieve success and fulfillment (Government of Alberta, 2013, p. 1). By reading this document
and becoming aware of its contents, I now know of the specific governmental goals that I should
be aspiring to place in my own teaching methods on a daily basis so that my students will receive
a fulfilling education that will provide them with basic knowledge and skills. One of the specific
goals that struck me as being extremely important to incorporate into my future early childhood
classroom was the one that enabled all students to think critically: conceptualize, apply, analyze,
synthesize, and evaluate to construct knowledge (Government of Alberta, 2013, p. 2). Before
reading this statement, I never really considered critical thinking to be a big part of Early
Childhood Education. I always thought of it as a learning method that was too complex and

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difficult for young children. However, after reading the Ministerial Order, as well as discussing
the difference between answerable and non-answerable questions in class, I became inspired to
incorporate deeper thinking into my lesson plans for my students. For example, in my activity
planning, I tried to find and use resources that would challenge my kids on multiple levels of
both basic literacy and the critical thinking that would accompany it. I also tried to come up with
questions for my students that would not be answered by simply looking in a book or online. I
want my kids to be able to think carefully and in a critical manner; even at a young age, they
should be able to think for themselves and come up with new ideas that can be built upon by
others and discussed thoughtfully in class time. This skill will be extremely useful to them in
their future schooling years, as well as their everyday lives as they engage with society and
tackle complex problems on a daily basis. Another goal in the Ministerial Order that altered my
teaching methods and perception of Early Childhood Education was the one that stated how
students should be able to employ literacy and numeracy to construct and communicate
meaning (Government of Alberta, 2013, p. 2). As an English major, I have always been keenly
aware of the importance of literacy in an early childhood setting. Without having established the
basic skills of reading, writing, and communication at a very young age, students would struggle
greatly with the remainder of their schooling as well as with their daily lives. However, I never
really considered how important numeracy might also be to students. The above statement in the
Ministerial Order, as well as our class discussions on the importance of literacy and numeracy in
an early childhood setting, made me stop and think about how often everyone encounters
numbers in their everyday lives. Without a basic number sense, we would be completely lost on
extremely important life matters, such as finances and banking. Basic numeracy skills are also
extremely important to establish in the early years because of the complexity that mathematics

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take on in later years of school. Therefore, I plan on incorporating not only literacy, but also
numeracy in many aspects of my classroom. This can be accomplished through methods as
simple as getting the students to count certain objects aloud, or play games that force them to
apply their number sense to different scenarios.
Another class topic that transformed my thinking in Early Childhood Education was the
importance of play in the classroom. Although we had touched on this topic in my first
specialization class two years ago, we had not gone into the depth that we did as a class over
these past few weeks. Our large class discussions surrounding play helped me to more fully
realize that The most important skills one needs for success in life are developed through play
(Galileo Network, n.d.). There was one particular class discussion on play that focused on the use
of water tables in the classroom that I found to be extremely useful and thought-provoking. To
begin with, I should say that I have always shied away from the idea of having a water table in
my classroom. My previous experiences with such a station in the classroom setting had only
resulted in a big mess, and had forced me to dismiss the activity for future use. However, I had
never thought about how many different ways the kids can play with it in a meaningful manner
and develop their learning at the same time. As discussed in class, you can start out with simple
objects in the water, such as measuring cups or bowls. The next week that the table is out, you
can start putting in more complex items, such as turkey basters or funnels. By giving the children
different items, the students can become eager, capable learners and develop their
understanding of concepts surrounding volumes and liquids without even fully realizing it, which
will be essential knowledge for both later schooling and everyday life (Galileo Network, n.d.).
The incorporation of play in the classroom also develops kids critical thinking skills. The
Galileo Network reinforces this idea when they point out that It is through play that we learn
how to solve problems, interact with others and test our limits (n.d.). As discussed earlier,

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problem solving and critical thinking are essential skills that are required on a daily basis both
inside and outside of school. The imagination and creativity used in play will help my students to
solve various life scenarios and understand the complexity of certain problems that we must face
on a daily basis. Finally, our class discussions of play in the classroom also helped me to realize
all of the different kinds of play that exist. I had always thought of play as a term with only one
meaning. However, upon examining the National Institute for Play and their website, I became
far more aware of the different possibilities that exist within the realm of play in the classroom. I
hope to one day have activities and centers for my kids that will encourage body play and
movement, object play, social play, imaginative and pretend play, storytelling-narrative play, and
creative play (National Institute for Play, 2014). By using such varied forms of play, I hope to
have all of my students become engaged with their learning, develop their basic knowledge, as
well as interact with one another and establish social skills.
In conclusion, I think that the theories and concepts that are described above will be
extremely beneficial to me in both my upcoming practicum and my future career as a teacher. I
hope that all of my students will be excited about coming to my class, as well as engaged in their
learning so that they will be able to slowly develop the basic skills that they will need to one day
finish school, face their everyday lives, and establish a career that suits their personal strengths
and interests.
References
Alberta Education. (2007). Primary programs framework. Retrieved from
https://education.alberta.ca/media/656568/intro.pdf
Galileo Network. (n.d.). Early learning early grades. Retrieved from
http://www.galileonetwork.ca/earlylearning/?q=home
Government of Alberta. (2013). Ministerial Order. Retrieved from
https://education.alberta.ca/media/6951645/skmbt_c36413050707450.pdf
National Institute for Play. (2014). The science: Pattern for play. Retrieved from
http://www.nifplay.org/science/pattern-play/