By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. One of the benefits of embarking on a journey of self-directed professional learning is the unexpected consequences of stepping outside your comfort zone. Four years ago, I was pushed into a state of disequilibrium by a group of students who encouraged me to take a look inside the unfamiliar world … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. As I child I remember playing with my mother’s button collection, dipping my hand in, smooshing them about, dumping them on the floor of my bedroom and then playing for hours. Sometimes, I counted them, or sorted them, but I also remember creating elaborate stories with the buttons representing different … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Recently, I have been provoked to think and reflect about colour. I have always known that colour impacts learning and that there is a psychology behind colours. Having just moved into a new townhome that I waited two years for the builder to finish, I spent considerable time thinking about the colour … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. One of the aspects of my work in early childhood education that I am grateful for is the opportunity to visit programs for children, both indoors and outdoors, from infant and toddler spaces, to preschool and kindergarten classes, to classes for grades one, two and three, as well as before … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. Four years ago, I entered the realm of social media for the purposes of professional learning. It has been an amazing experience as I have expanded my knowledge, my network and I am in a constant state of cognitive dissonance which I embrace! Recently, a Facebook friend posted on the … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. There are many perspectives on philosophies and theories and how they should guide early learning practice. Program models and approaches have been been influenced by historical, contemporary, and postmodern views of children, families, and learning. The many program models and approaches in practice in the early learning world are complex in … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I have long been fascinated with the use of metaphors as a tool to support reflective practice. I find the idea of a wall to be particularly useful in reflecting on reflection. As a faculty advisor to ECE degree students in their final year of study, I find myself saying … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. I spent a number of my formative years as an early childhood educator working in a community based child care program. I worked collaboratively with the other teachers and the administration team. We had a culture of mutual respect and I felt valued as a member of the community. However, … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. With the start of another school year, early childhood programs, are once again faced with choices – to theme or not to theme? Themes are like worksheets, they represent a school model. I have written about worksheets in previous posts from both a mathematical lens and a literacy lens. I admitted … Continue reading
By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. The worksheet debate rages on! Even with research and alternatives that are play-based and hands-on, their use is still being defended. The fact is worksheets are not developmentally appropriate for preschool and kindergarten. I hadn’t expected the last blog post I wrote on worksheets to be shared more widely than any … Continue reading
