How Does Learning Happen?
How Does Learning Happen? is a professional learning resource which supports program development and pedagogy in a variety of early years settings. How Does Learning Happen? framework is based on four foundations Belonging, Expression, Engagement and Well-Being. These foundations guide children, educators and families as viewing themselves as competent, capable and curious individuals.
Belonging – a sense of connectedness to others through forming relationships. Individual’s experiences of being valued and contributing as part of a group, a community, and the natural world.
Expression – or communication (to be heard, as well as to listen) may take different forms. Through their bodies, increasingly complex communication. Opportunities to explore materials support creativity, problem solving and mathematical behaviours. Language-rich environments support growing communication skills, which are foundational for literacy.
Engagement – a state of being involved and focused. As children explore the world around them through inquiry and curiosity, they become fully engaged. Inquiry and curiosity develops skill such as problem solving, creative thinking and innovating which are essential for success in lifelong learning.
Well – Being – incorporates self-care, sense of self, and self - regulation skills and the importance of physical and mental health and wellness.
Inquiry Based Play
Children learn through interactive, creative, exploratory and inquiry-based play. This approach empowers children to learn about themselves, discover and make sense of the world around them. Through this learning, children become competent, capable and curious people. When adults observe and play alongside children in an interactive way, children are more creative and develop skills required for school and life-long learning.
Quality Scan Tool
According to Ontario’s renewed Early Years and Child Care Policy Framework (2017), Ontario’s vision is that “all children and families have access to a range of high-quality, inclusive and affordable early years and Child Care programs and services that are child- and family-centred and contribute to children’s learning, development and well-being”. In recognition of this vision, Bruce County launched The Quality Scan Tool (QST) in 2018 to support high quality child care in Bruce County. Licensed Child Care Programs in Ontario, which are regulated by The Child Care and Early Years Act 2014, are monitored annually to meet the provincial health and safety standards. However, licensing alone does not ensure high-quality child care. According to How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years (2014) studies show children who attend high-quality child care are happier, less anxious and more motivated to learn, providing a foundation for a brighter future. The QST facilitates Child Care Programs on their journey to increased quality.
