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
The Quality Scan Tool (QST) was launched in 2018 in recognition of the need to support high quality child care in Bruce County. 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 encompasses 8 areas which align with Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years How Does Learning Happen? These areas are:
- Site Safety Supervision
- Relationships - Child to Child
- Relationships - Child to Educator
- Relationships - Educator to Educator
- Relationships - Educator to Supervisor
- Programming and Environment
- Programming Documentation
- Policies and Connection to Home.
Child Care programs partake in the QST annually in collaboration with Bruce County Children’s Services Team. Based on the QST outcomes, programs set goals to support their journey to high quality child care within Bruce County.
