By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. When the physical environment acts as the third teacher it holds the potential to influence what and how children learn. Carter (2007) suggests that “if we are to embrace the idea of the environment as a significant educator in our early childhood programs, we must expand our thinking … We … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. In my long career in early childhood education, I have tried to embrace theory into practice. The theories of social constructivism are the foundation for my philosophy of teaching and learning. I believe as Lev Vygotsky said, “It is through others that we develop into ourselves”. Some may declare that … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Well over a year ago, I wrote a blog post entitled Quotes to Provoke Reggio-inspired Teaching and Learning that has been recently shared by my friends at StoryPark and it has received some renewed attention. In my brain’s current context, I am again thinking about quotes but this time, I am looking beyond … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. and Cindy Green, RECE. It has been almost two years since Cindy and I spent a wonderful few days collecting loose parts with intention to share at a conference with 400 Upper Canada Child Care educators but over twenty-five years since we first started our dialogue about loose parts. Loose … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. In my last blog post, I wrote about outdoor play and encouraged early learning teachers to look beyond their fenced in playground in the hopes that children may be given the gift of place. I referred to a quote that I read many years ago from Loris Malaguzzi that asks … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. When I first began teaching early childhood education about three decades ago, there were many discussions about the language that we use to name what we do. I remember that our conversations related to moving away from using the term, “activities”. At the time, early learning teachers were setting up activities … Continue reading
Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Of all the professional learning experiences that I have taken part in over the years, none have been as meaningful as those designed as collaborative and emergent experiences. On the top of my list is the Rhythm of Learning in Nature with the York Region Nature Collaborative which this summer takes … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I have often been asked where I get the topics for my blog posts. Usually it is what I am currently thinking about – something that I see as a trend in early childhood education pedagogy and curriculum. I have written about trends and buzz words before as I find … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. My good friend Debi Keyte Hartland who inspires me with her insight on pedagogical documentation recently wrote a blog post that spoke to the challenging times and the potential of documentation to make visible the values of a humane society. Perhaps it is a sign of the times that I too … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. As 2016 comes to a close I am reflecting back on the many workshops that I facilitated and the keynotes that I presented. It has been an incredibly busy but reassuring year to realize that early childhood educators are serious about professional learning and committed to changing practices. Moving away … Continue reading
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 