Voices From the Field: Full-day Kindergarten Teams in Ontario Share Their Wisdom

  • Monica McGlynn-Stewart George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario
  • Kimberly Bezaire George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v39i3.15233

Abstract

Canadian educators and policy makers are in the midst of implementing an innovative approach to education for 4- and 5-year olds. This study examined the perspectives of the teaching teams who are making this new full-day school-based model work: registered early childhood educators and Ontario certified teachers. These two groups have different professional backgrounds, status, salary, and professional development opportunities. Survey and interview results highlighted the complexity of the new teaching model and identified conditions that support interprofessional team building and effective team teaching in school settings. Themes arising from the data include the importance of relationship building, rethinking practice, sharing knowledge/specialization, and reestablishing roles. Implications and recommendations for teaching teams and system administrators are provided.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Author Biographies

Monica McGlynn-Stewart, George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario
Monica McGlynn-Stewart, PhD, is a former elementary teacher, consultant, and principal. She now works as a professor in the School of Early Childhood, George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario, where she teaches courses in curriculum, early childhood program delivery models, and research methods. She is currently researching beginning elementary teachers’ literacy practice and the teaching teams in the new full-day kindergarten program in Ontario. Email: mmcglynnstewart@georgebrown.ca
Kimberly Bezaire, George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario
Kimberly Bezaire, PhD, is a professor in the School of Early Childhood, George Brown College, Toronto, Ontario, teaching courses in play-based curriculum, child observation and documentation, and pedagogical leadership.  She is a regular contributor to professional learning in the Early Years sector, consulting and collaborating with childcare, lab school, and elementary school professionals.  Kimberly’s research background includes classroom-based research, and play-literacy in the early years.
Published
2014-09-11
How to Cite
McGlynn-Stewart, M., & Bezaire, K. (2014). Voices From the Field: Full-day Kindergarten Teams in Ontario Share Their Wisdom. Journal of Childhood Studies, 39(3), 15-23. https://doi.org/10.18357/jcs.v39i3.15233
Issue
Vol. 39 No. 3 (Fall 2014) Canadian Children
Section
Child Study

Copyright (c) 2014 Monica McGlynn-Stewart, Kimberly Bezaire

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Authors contributing to the Journal of Childhood Studies agree to release their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International license. This licence allows anyone to share their work (copy, distribute, transmit) and to adapt it for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate attribution is given, and that in the event of reuse or distribution, the terms of this license are made clear.

Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal right of first publication.

Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC