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UCC Admission Community Conversations | Episode 6 - Early Years · Upper Canada College Admission Community Conversation

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_04: Hi there and welcome to Upper Canada College's podcast.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_04: I'm your host, Riley Carter.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_04: I lead the Prep Admissions here at UCC.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_04: And today we're talking about one of my favorite topics here at UCC.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_04: Maybe I'm a little bit biased because I started my career here in the early years, but we're talking all things early years learning at UCC.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_04: And when we talk about early years today, we're talking about junior kindergarten through to year three.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_04: As many of you know and are starting to consider this big change in your child's life, starting school, it really is a huge milestone.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_04: And it brings with it really big questions, all about routines and making friends and fostering a lifelong love of learning.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_04: At UCC, our early years program is part of the IB primary years program.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_04: So we do adhere to the IB in addition to the Ontario curriculum.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_04: And our program is really around, it's really designed around inquiry, student agency, and real world connections.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_04: And the PYP is always encouraging boys to ask questions, ask really big, really hard questions and find the answers and explore the world around them.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_04: Today we are going to explore what that actually looks like in the classroom.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_04: And we're so privileged to have three experts in the early years joining us.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_04: So I'm going to pass it off to them to introduce themselves.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_04: So, Loretta, why don't you uh take it away here?
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Hi, my name is Loretta Fernandez-Smith.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: I have been an educator for 26 years.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: And just like Riley, I agree, the early years are a super important and super exciting place to be.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: And this is my very first year at UCC as the JK teacher.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you, Loretta.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_04: And for those of you listening, our first ever junior kindergarten class at UCC started this September, September 2026 here.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_04: So it's it's a really exciting time at the college.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_04: And I know Loretta is gonna tell you all about what it really looks like in that JK class and all the magic and joy that she's seeing each day.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_04: Um we also have joining us Anna Marshall.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_04: Anna, I'll let you introduce yourself.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_03: Hi, um, I'm Anna Marshall, and I'm currently the year one teacher or grade one teacher at UCC.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_03: And I would agree I'm also very biased and loving the early years and sort of the magic that exists there.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm super excited.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks, Anna.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_04: And we also have Joanna Martin joining us.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Joanna, I'll let you introduce yourself.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: Hi, everyone.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_02: I'm Joanna Martin.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_02: I work as the innovation and technology coach here at UCC.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_02: I specialize in the primary division.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_02: I've been in education for 18 years now and I've seen a lot of changes to technology over the years.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_02: So it's been pretty exciting to see how it's evolved in our younger years and just the power that can happen in the classroom when we utilize technology in the right ways.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_04: Thanks, Joanna.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_04: And Joanna, I I imagine you're super busy because technology really is top of mind these days for lots.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_04: So absolutely is so happy to have you joining us.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, so let's start, ladies, with with a with a big question.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, when you're starting to think about that transition into school, a lot of families are asking, like, what does learning in 2026 actually look like?
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_04: And what does it look like for a young child at UCC?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_04: So, Loretta, you teach JK, and many of our students are experiencing many first, first time in school and lots of firsts.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_04: So, can you walk us through a little bit of what is a typical day in junior kindergarten at UCC look like and feel like?
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, absolutely.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So, JK and SK are sort of separate from the rest of the school schedule, and that was very intentionally done so that we have a lot of flexibility and we structure it to the needs of the children.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we do have a pattern to the day, and built into that pattern is lots of outdoor time, especially in the mornings and in the afternoons, but also experiences with no of all our outdoor education programs so that we can get out and explore nature because we know that being outside develops a lot of skills and attitudes that are really important for lifelong learners.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Built into that pattern, that's very, very predictable are also big, big chunks of time where we have unstructured play and there's a less predictability, but we get to just explore and be with each other in the classroom.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: And a lot of that time when you walk in, it might look like groups of kids playing at different centers with dinosaurs or building blocks or in the home corner.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: And during those big unstructured times, we also have times where Ms.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Porto or myself might call groups of boys over to a table and we're offering them either an invitation or a provocation to explore, or we might have heard them say something that we will then bring to the larger group and continue with that question that they might be having.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: And during those invitations is also often the time that we're doing some more formal teaching.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: So even though you might walk in and it might look like children just playing, that formal teaching of skills and things that they need to know that meet all those curricular expectations are happening weaved in throughout that.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, so that's what learning looks like.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: And I think the other important thing about JK and the early years is not just what learning looks like, but what it feels like.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so, even when we have those unstructured times or we're doing formal sort of sit-down instruction on letters and sounds and numbers and values, there's always a lot of joy in that learning.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: We want children to be excited about learning, and so learning should and will always hopefully feel joyful.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: And even in those moments when there's a bit of struggle and it doesn't feel joyful, because we're gonna all have those moments, right?
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: When it doesn't all work out the way it does, we want that classroom and learning to feel safe and to for kids to know that they can take those risks, they can fail, and even in those moments where it doesn't necessarily feel as joyful as it should or as it could, there is joy at the end of it.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's joyful, safe, um, and and a lot of mix of play and formal instruction leaked into that.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_04: Wonderful.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you, Loretta.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um, obviously, we know you know technology is a part of our modern world today, but I think there's so much intent and thought about how we introduce technology in a school to even our youngest learners.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_04: And that requires such careful thought, not only with our younger learners, but technology integration requires careful thought throughout the college.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_04: Um, lots of parents are often curious about our approach to technology in the early years, as young as junior kindergarten.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_04: And Joanna, as our primary year's innovation and technology coach, and really, really the expert driving this work here.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_04: How do we approach technology integration in the early years?
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_04: What does that look like?
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I'll just kind of paint a bigger picture at UCC.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_02: We're in a bit of a unique spot here.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: We're quite lucky to have a large team for our IT and innovation department.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: We've got quite a bit of expertise in the department.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_02: We have someone with a master's in educational technology, we have a PhD who focuses on research.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_02: So all the decisions we make at UCC around technology are really steeped from what is best practice and what is current research show.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_02: So we're always evolving and changing our model.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_02: Um, to give you an example, we were a one-to-one device school, and we still are for years one onwards, but right now we've actually rethought what this looks like in our early years in JK and SK.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_02: So in the past, we did have one-to-one iPads.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_02: We've actually moved more to a shared approach.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we recognize that the youngest students, there's so much power in what we can do with devices, but it really needs to be a shared approach where the teacher is involved.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_02: So that might look like you walk in a classroom, there's centers happening, and maybe there's one or two iPads at a center.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_02: They're net they're never the centerpiece, they're just uh, you know, an additional tool to help with learning.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_02: So our big driver is really if we're using technology, it's it's a push to create rather than consume.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_02: So we're not creating passive consumers.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_02: Our students are really the creators of their learning.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we've also newly we have a newly built innovation lab, and that's purpose-built for our youngest learners.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: So we've really combined what technology looks like with hands-on learning and inquiry-based learning.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_02: So that might be our students coming up to our makerspace.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_02: It could be something high-tech where we have VR goggles or the devices are being used to document and record some of the learning, or it could be something lower tech where we're teaching about, you know, how to properly use scissors, um, how to engineer something, how to build.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: So we're really combining that play-based, that inquiry-based learning with tools around technology sprinkled in.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_02: Awesome.
• 8:39
  SPEAKER_04: And Joanna, I know often a commonly asked question, and you do such an eloquent job of explaining it, but people want to know like screen time.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_04: What's your screen time at school?
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_04: So talk to us a little bit about screen time versus screen time's become a hot topic for sure.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's not something we measure.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_02: So, what we really aim to do, we talk about screen purpose.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I think the unique thing here at UCC is we do have these roles that are designated to looking at latest research.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_02: So, myself and my department, we work one-on-one with teachers.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_02: That's where the coaching comes in.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_02: So, a teacher might come to us with some ideas or questions around, you know, how do how can we support certain learners?
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: And we know that technology has a lot of accessibility features.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_02: So we'll look at, okay, well, where does this fit?
• 9:20
  SPEAKER_02: What's the purpose?
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_02: Do we even need the device?
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_02: And there's times we say, you know what, we don't need technology for this lesson.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_02: And that's great.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, other times it fits in really well.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_02: So we don't necessarily measure minutes on screen time.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: It's what is the purpose?
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_02: What is this tool accomplishing?
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_02: Is it needed or not needed?
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_02: What can it add?
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'll get into some examples, specific examples later, but it can be quite the powerful tool for collaboration as well.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_02: So anytime you you do see our students on there, again, it's not the centerpiece.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_02: It's just one additional tool in the bigger toolkit of what they're focusing on and learning.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_04: And I love so much that you just shared that technology can also be used for collaboration because I think often we can have a mindset that it's a bit isolating, but used intentionally in a school, it can allow for that.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_04: And that's really beautiful.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_04: Okay, Anna, our year one teacher here.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and you know, you you are you you welcome kids out of their kindergarten program here into the year one classroom.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_04: And lots of changes are happening as they progress through our early years program.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_04: And so, um, what might look a little different in a year one classroom than kindergarten?
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I was actually talking about this last week over curriculum night with uh year one parents, but year one can often feel like a really big jump up or step up from kindergarten.
• 10:38
  SPEAKER_03: And so I my first note is always not to worry, um, and that we try to guide them through that process really gradually.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but some really main focuses in year one is always independence and responsibility.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we spend all year uh gaining independence and gaining responsibility, but especially in the first couple of weeks and months, that's a really uh big priority for us.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that can be really simple aspects of their routine.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: So grade year one is actually the first year they start taking homework home.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_03: Um so they'll get a weekly one-page homework, and it's their responsibility to bring back and forth similarly, their agenda they're taking home and bringing back.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_03: Small things like this, you know, don't sound major, um, but it's a really big piece of responsibility and a piece of pride actually for a lot of the students to bring back and forth.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_03: Um we also place a strong, null, uh, strong focus at the beginning of the year on getting to know yourself as a learner.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and that sort of languaging and learning continues all through the early years, um, but starting to understand how you learn best and where you learn best.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so there is flexible seating in the year one classroom.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_03: And um, we often talk about who will you sit next to to help you focus and where you will sit in a spot that helps you to learn best.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_03: And we place a big big priority on the idea that um every single learner is different.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_03: And so their priority is themselves and learning where that will, where they will thrive in the best position.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_03: Um, in a curriculum focus, year one looks very different, and onto year two and year three as well.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, they begin to work a lot more independently, whether that means on their own or collaborating with peers.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so we talk about what does it mean to have a discussion and what does it mean to disagree and how can we disagree respectfully?
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, how can we share our own ideas while still listening to others' ideas?
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: I think often in year one, we see we're really excited to share our own idea.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_03: And so we share it.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and then we can't remember what someone else has said in our group, right?
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_03: That's a really common one.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um and so sometimes I'll challenge the students uh to share an idea of someone else in their group, which challenges them to think and listen really intently on what their uh their partner was saying.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we talk about what questions we can ask to understand deeper uh what our partner is thinking.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_03: Uh so yeah, it's really independence and responsibility is our main uh difference and our main stepping stone into year one.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_03: And that really exists in many different places in the classroom.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_03: Wonderful.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_04: And I know also being in year one, and Anna and I taught in year one together, but coming out of kindergarten where there's fantastic play-based learning, um, the kids are often asking, and the parents are asking, well, they say that they're not playing as much anymore.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_04: So I know that's a big transition as well, um, out of the play-based learning into a little bit more um structure.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_04: So I know that's top of mind too.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that can feel intimidating at the beginning of the year.
• 13:22
  SPEAKER_03: Some of the students will say, Where are all the toys?
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um so that is a shift.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_03: But yes, of course they still have time for play.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um, as we know, UCC is an IB school.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and our primary year's program begins in junior kindergarten.
• 13:38
  SPEAKER_04: So our IB program here runs through junior kindergarten all the way to grade 12.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_04: And often, um, if you when you hear IB, sometimes parents picture something quite academic or perhaps designed for older students, and there's an aha moment when they learn our IB actually begins in junior kindergarten here.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_04: As I mentioned earlier, we still adhere to the Ontario curriculum, but we also adhere to the IB.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_04: And so um, Loretta, maybe you can tell us a little bit about what the IB actually looked like in a kindergarten classroom?
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great question, Riley.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because when we think of IB, we often think of test scores, right?
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how did how do we do?
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: UCC does great.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: The IB is academically rigorous, but the IB is more than just the academics.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: It was created not just for the academics, but also to create lifelong learners that are internationally minded and global citizens.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so when we take the IB all the way back to JK, when it all starts in the primary years program, also known as the PYP, we're looking at doing exactly that, putting academic foundations in place, but also creating lifelong learners that are global citizens that make a positive impact in the world.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so the PYP really believes in inquiry-driven learning.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_00: So questions following children's curiosity, um, play-centered learning, like we talked about.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_00: There's a lot of play in the early years, and so using the play and the questions that children ask through their play to uh learn the skills and the knowledge that we need.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_00: And they it also sees students as agents of their own learning, not just as little people who need to be filled with knowledge, but already capable agents of their learning who are competent, who bring knowledge and wisdom into the world.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so when we create those environments where we see children as capable learners and we put them out there and they're learning through play and sharing through play, we give them authentic hands-on experiences to gain that knowledge that they need for further academic skills.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: But we also start to nurture citizens that are showing up in the world who know that what they do matters and that their voice matters and their questions matter and that they can make an impact.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: And so we're really setting the foundation for the learner profiles, which are important in JK, but go all the way to grade 12, um, to be caring, knowledgeable, principled human beings, and also the ATL skills, such as um communication skills, social skills, research skills, thinking skills.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_00: So all of those things that continue all the way to 12th grade when your child graduates in the IB start in JK.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_00: So it might look slightly different, but all of those things are already setting the foundation to what happens later on.
• 16:29
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and so the other day we were cleaning up and we talked about what it means to be principled.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: And I heard one of the little boys say to another boy, we're being really principled right now, right?
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_00: We're cleaning up our own back.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I was like, yes, and right, and that's how it starts, right?
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: And that continues on to what does principle look like when you're older and you have more responsibilities and more privilege.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_04: And I mean, look, you're not even a month in and they're already saying they're principled, so I can only imagine what you're gonna accomplish this year.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_00: And if they're cleaning up after themselves, that's pretty principled and there you go.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_04: There you go.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_04: Um, often in the IB, we talk about this term transdisciplinary.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_04: And transdisciplinary by nature means, you know, an approach that integrates multiple academic disciplines.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_04: And something I love and feel that really brings the IB to life for people is talking about um a unit, a transdisciplinary unit of learning and really understanding what that looks like in a school context.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so Anna, as your one teacher, maybe um walk us through an example of what transdisciplinary learning can look like and what it does look like at UCC.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, absolutely.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Riley.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_03: Um, transdisciplinary um is exactly as it sounds, it just means across all disciplines.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_03: So I think there's a strong belief um at the college that uh the students' learning should cross across every specialist and every realm that they're working in, and that it should never be sort of siloed off uh different classes.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_03: It all works together as one and it's all one inquiry into a topic.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and so their learning in each uh unit of inquiry is guided by a central idea.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_03: So um a really nice one that I like to speak on is our structures unit in year one, uh, where the central idea is that communities have built structures to support our needs.
• 18:25
  SPEAKER_03: Um, this is a lovely transdisciplinary uh unit across the board.
• 18:31
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and sort of I'll give a couple examples of how this connects across the board.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so in math, this is also where we connect to our geometry unit.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_03: And so we're learning about shapes, developing our language and our understanding around shapes, which sort of helps to inform our inquiry thinking.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so for example, which shapes provide the most support?
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and where do we see those shapes in different structures around our community, but around communities around the world.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_03: Um, as well, I always love this um aspect, but in music, there they learn about different musical structures around the world, um, such as the Sydney Opera House and how the structure and the shape of the Sydney Opera House and other ones all across the world inform the function that that space is for.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_03: So that's a really fun one.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_03: And some of the students have been to these different places.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a really engaging piece for them.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_03: As well in art class, they inquire into 3D shapes, how to draw them and how to build them, um, which helps them in their final project, um, which I'm looking at Joanna on this one because we always have a really nice time connecting um design into their uh inquiry uh for their final project, where they design a structure that meets a need in their community.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um so they get to identify what that need is in their community, um, and they plan out beforehand with support of Joanna and I, uh how this structure that they are going to build will meet that need.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_03: And then we get to go into Innovation Lab and really uh have fun and enjoy ourselves and build that structure for themselves.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_03: And they get to take it home, which is a really special piece.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so that's just one unit that gets to really touch into many, many, many different parts uh to allow their learning to be really interconnected and transdisciplinary.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 20:06
  SPEAKER_04: And I think that repeated exposure through different subjects um really helps.
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_04: We always say like student buy-in to learning, to learning is so important.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_04: And I always know um the energy is big around the structures unit and the engagement, right?
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_04: Student buy-in is going to directly correlate to their engagement.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so it's so great to see that they just that depth that they can go into on a topic or a central idea.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_03: Um, that actually, oh, sorry.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_03: No, but you reminded me.
• 20:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and we also often in that unit we'll have um a lot of parents will come in or a couple parents will come in to speak because their career can be connected to structures in some different way.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so again, that kind of adds that student buy-in, where if their own parent or a parent they've seen before comes into the classroom and gets to share how their own life and their career connects to structures and connects to the central idea, it's really interesting for them.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: They're really engaged and it just continues that uh that learning further outside the classroom for them as well.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_04: And I know you've shown me in the past parents emailing me you on the weekend being like, so-and-so wanted me to send you a picture of this structure.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_04: It's such a strange shape, right?
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_04: So they're beginning to do that.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_04: Yes, identifying every structure around them.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_04: Absolutely.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_04: Which is lovely to see.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_04: Wonderful.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Joanne, I know um Anna talked briefly about technology support um with a transdisciplinary learning unit in year one, but maybe just talk to us about how technology can be incorporated into these units.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: I'll give some grade three as an example because it kind of scaffolds nicely with Anna's grade one example.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: So in grade three, there's a unit all around communities and the land use to build communities.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: So the students often are coming in, remembering this unit from grade one where they did get to build their structure, and they're starting to piece together oh, all these structures can come together and make up a community.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_02: So, one of the big projects we do, again, we're pushing that creation over consumption.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_02: So, students are doing um a range of things.
• 21:55
  SPEAKER_02: So they're coding, they're designing and engineering communities on their device with uh an Engineering software.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_02: They are building in the innovation lab, like Anna said.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_02: So that could be more of a hands-on approach with using different tools to cut cardboard, to 3D print.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_02: So we take all of these different elements and pull them into the project.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_02: So the grade three example specifically, they're looking at urban, suburban, and rural communities.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_02: And they actually become a mayor of their own community.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_02: So they get to choose what type of land they would like to use.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_02: They build using a software on their iPad, they build a virtual community where they have to, you know, if they're building a rural community, what does the land look like?
• 22:31
  SPEAKER_02: Who lives there?
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: What's needed to make this community a success?
• 22:35
  SPEAKER_02: So they're actually building a virtual world.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then we're coding some things in it.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_02: So we're pulling in some of those math concepts.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: We're also pulling in some literacy because they end up doing a screen recording where, as mayor, they're walking around their community giving a virtual tour, and they have to speak to how they used the land, what is the population of this community, who lives here, what is needed to make this community successful.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, and then we actually get to pull those communities into our virtual reality goggles.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_02: And this is where the collaboration piece comes in.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_02: So students have have an idea to go into each other's communities, walk around, and provide feedback.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_02: So as they're walking around getting these virtual tours, they're providing feedback to their peers.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: And the final product, we actually invite parents to come in, which is quite fun because parents get to put on the VR goggles and see their child's creation.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: So that's just one example where you know they're doing all of these different things in literacy and math and their unit of inquiry.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_02: And technology is just there as another tool to kind of support that.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: And it also builds engagement.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_02: Students are really excited to be able to build these.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, again, they went from maybe that hands-on building it out of cardboard to now being able to build a virtual version of that and code it.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_02: Um, another great example in year three, we do an entrepreneur unit.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: So students are studying what it means to run a business.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_02: So they are designing products.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: The whole goal is to design a well-being product and then sell it at a market day.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_02: So we do a market day here at school where we invite the other year levels to come in and do some shopping.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um very fun.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_02: It's very fun.
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_02: It's a big one here.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_02: And some of the technology pieces, we do surveying.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: So students are creating, it could be, you know, um a digital survey that gets emailed out to the other classes to collect data.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_02: They then pull that into their math class, they analyze that data to help inform what product am I going to make, what would be popular.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, we do digital bank accounts where they're earning money, they're saving money, they have to learn a little about investing, the spending, what's my budget to build this product?
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_02: And then they go up to the innovation lab and they decide am I going to make it something hands-on?
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_02: Am I going to 3D print?
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: What's the cost of each of these?
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: And they also have opportunities to do some advertising.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_02: So that might be, you know, a student might prefer to just use marker crayons and paper.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_02: That's great.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_02: They might decide to do a digital poster that can be printed, or they might take it a step further and use our green screen recording studio and actually make an advertisement that can be shown on the TVs around the school.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_02: So again, it's just the technology's there to support and really push the creativity that our students are just so eager to be part of.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_04: I want to go back and be a year three.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_04: This is amazing.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_04: Pretty fun.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_04: I know.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_04: I always fantastic.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_04: Those are such great, great examples.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_04: Um, as we talk about the IB, you know, something that I mean, we're all passionate about the IB and that the IB does so well is that there's such a focus on not only um what children are learning, but actually how they're learning to learn and how they're learning to be a learner.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_04: Um, and that begins right in JK with intentional teaching to junior kindergarten students about just like being a learner.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_04: And I know um Loretta is really right now in the phase of creating lifelong learners and teaching students for their first schooling experience how to be a learner.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_04: So, Loretta, what are some of those intentional strategies or skills that you're teaching right now?
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Raleigh, I want to start off by saying I think that when I went to school, school did a great job of teaching me how to not ask questions and be curious, you know?
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think, right?
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_00: And I think nowadays we've shifted that.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_00: We've recognized that we already have lifelong learners.
• 26:13
  SPEAKER_00: What we need to do is just keep encouraging them to ask those questions and ask not just the question, but how can we find the answer?
• 26:21
  SPEAKER_00: And then find multiple ways to look for that answer and find people to look for that answer with them, and then to do something with that answer.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: And so I think, you know, like when you when I went to school anyways, we learned a lot of knowledge, right?
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like, and that knowledge is still important.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_00: I'm still teaching children letters and sounds and numbers and values and adding and writing.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's not not important, but that's just the basis for other things that are even more important.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so we do have the skills that we're learning, communication skills, which might look like writing, but also speaking.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: Like Anna said, like, how do we have an argument and how do we do that in a respectful way?
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: So social skills, self-management skills, thinking skills, research skills, those are also important.
• 27:07
  SPEAKER_00: And they help us learn that knowledge and deliver that knowledge that we already have with others and grow that knowledge as we share with others.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I think underlying or overlaying all of that are really the dispositions and the attitudes.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: And to me, that's the most important thing as learners embark in their formal journey of learning.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_00: I've got three words that kind of guide me and have guided me for the last couple of years as an adult in my own personal life, not just in education, but I find that I bring them a lot into the classroom as well.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_00: And their curiosity, connection, and courage.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so, curiosity, just always keep asking questions.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: Like, yeah, when we continue to ask questions and we're curious about the world, we we open ourselves up, become a lot more open-minded, we don't have biases, we don't close things off.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_00: And so, just to always be curious, right?
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so when something happens, even if my first intention is like, why did you scribble all over that page?
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, hey, tell me more about what you just drew there, right?
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_00: Because there might be something going on there that's beautiful, and I've closed that door because I haven't been curious.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: So I want to model that and I want to encourage that in our youngest learners as well.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then connection, those social connections that we can make with each other, but also the connections we make among ideas.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: And like Anna was talking transdisciplinary unit, right?
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Like these kids are making connections.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: They've left your classroom, Anna, and they're still sending you pictures on the weekend.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like that's joyful learning.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's what we want.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: We want them to take that learning outside the classroom because knowledge, learning isn't just contained within four walls.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't just happen from eight o'clock till three o'clock.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: It happens all the time.
• 28:50
  SPEAKER_00: And we want children to start connecting their lives, their experiences to what they see outside in the real world.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then really the courage to um be curious, to make connections, to share those connections and curiosity and questions with each other and the wider world, and then to do something with the answers that you get, right?
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: The courage to make an impact.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's the attitude and the dispositions I want to not just give our learners, but continue to nurture in what they already bring into the classroom.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_03: Wonderful.
• 29:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I might I might even uh sorry, I might even jump in to say I wanted to add onto courage.
• 29:31
  SPEAKER_03: I love how you say courage, Loretta.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_03: Um, I think the PYP also highlights um curiosity can also lead to feeling really challenged and on, and sometimes feeling stuck in a curiosity and stuck in a challenge.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_03: Um I think what you said about attitude and what you said about courage, it encourages these students to feel challenged and to know that that's exciting and to know that that's a great thing and to work through that and to work through that with a friend, with support and how it might be, however it might be, or to work on it independently.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_03: I'm just thinking of my own student the other day, looked up at me and said, This is really hard.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_03: And he was excited.
• 30:03
  SPEAKER_03: He was like, there was wonder in his eyes.
• 30:05
  SPEAKER_03: He was excited.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_03: Because it wasn't, you know, this is really hard and I want to stop and I want to, I want someone to do this for me.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_03: It was, this is really hard.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_03: I'm really engaged.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_03: I really want to dig further into this.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_03: I think the PYP does such a good job of encouraging the challenge and sitting with the challenge and working through it and teasing it out, finding the right person who might be able to help you with it.
• 30:26
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so I like I just wanted to add that to what you were saying about attitude and courage.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_03: I really agree with that.
• 30:30
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: And that's so important, right?
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: Like we look for success, we look for the test score.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_00: Often we think about education as the end already.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_00: And it's not that, it's that journey and that importance of sitting with uncomfortableness, whether it'd be socially, academically, right, like intellectually.
• 30:49
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's yeah, I love that.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's that lesson, that lesson carries them right through their whole life.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_03: It's not just about the math, it's about, you know, everything moving forward.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Anna.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_04: Amazing.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_04: And, you know, with our early students, um, early year students, we're teaching them all these amazing skills.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_04: And we're actually, Joanna, really intentionally teaching them how to be a digital learner, right?
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_04: And um, sometimes that can come with, you know, unique emotional or self-regulation milestones.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_04: Um, but talk to us a little bit about sort of building um that regulation around technology, because I think that's a really important piece.
• 31:26
  SPEAKER_02: It is.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_02: And it doesn't apply just to our youngest learners.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_02: I would say it applies across the board.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_02: So something we've done here at UCC, we have a scope of digital citizenship lessons that start in JK and they go all the way up to grade 12.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_02: So every student, every teacher is involved in these.
• 31:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and there's a big emphasis on it, on the importance of safe and ethical use and also that emotional regulation piece.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there is research to show that for our younger learners, it can be challenging when it's time to put the device away.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_02: There can be some big reactions.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_02: So, to give you an example, in kindergarten, we have a lesson all around saying goodbye to the iPad.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_02: What does that look like?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_02: What does that feel like?
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_02: And so we get students to kind of explicitly go through how do you feel when it's time to get onto the iPad or whatever device or piece of technology you're using?
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_02: How does it feel when it's time to put it away?
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and why do we feel that way?
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_02: And we go over examples as adults as well, you know, social interactions when we're speaking with someone, how does it feel if they're on their phone and they're distracted?
• 32:23
  SPEAKER_02: So we trickle this into all of the grades.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: And of course, um, as we get into the older grades in primary, that might look more about more around uh discussions around AI.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_02: How does it feel to interact with AI?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we talk a lot about robotics and computers versus humans and making sure humans are the centerpiece.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, the human in the loop is the saying we keep talking about with um AI.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_02: So it's very much scaffolded, but certainly in the younger years, we do have consistent expectations and routines.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_02: Um, there's certain areas where students know we don't need a device here and we there's there's no purpose, so we're not going to use it.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: So it's about building those routines.
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_02: Teachers have clear expectations.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, if the teacher starts speaking again, if the lesson's resumed, what does that look like?
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, iPads upside down, students know it's time to put it away.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_02: So I think the students and teachers are doing a fantastic job with really understanding the purpose of technology when it's appropriate to use and when it's not appropriate to use.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_04: Awesome.
• 33:21
  SPEAKER_04: So it's so important, right?
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_04: And those are, as with everything, these are these are life skills.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_04: We are preparing our students for a world beyond these four walls.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_04: So exactly.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_04: We've talked a lot about uh, you know, the academic learning piece and sort of what it looks like.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_04: But of course, the earliers they aren't just about academic learning.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_04: And for a lot of young children, school is also a place where they're learning to be a part of a community and a contributing positive member of a community.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_04: And ultimately, our hope is that they're finding belonging in our community, they're finding that sense of self.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_04: And so, Loretta, you do such a wonderful job of this, making sure that our youngest of learners are already feeling a sense of belonging in our community.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_04: And so maybe walk us through an example of how this is taking place in your classroom.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that you know, that every voice matters, the play, the attitude that we start off with sets up the stage for what we create and the environment we create.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I think for us, like I think Anna mentioned this as well in first grade, but it starts in JK and it kind of continues on even when we're adults, right?
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: Like how do we how do we when we look at the world right now?
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's still happening.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_00: How do we be who we are and still make room for others to be who they are?
• 34:38
  SPEAKER_00: And how do we, you know, be our beautiful, colorful self and not get tangled up or mixed up in somebody else and still allow them to be their beautiful, colorful self?
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_00: So we did a little um invitation, and the question around the table was what happens when colors meet?
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: So what happens when colors meet on a page?
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_00: And we had watercolors out, we had chalk, we had oil pastels out, and the kids were drawing and they were like, Oh, well, colors, they can make beautiful pictures, they make rainbows, like beautiful things happened.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_00: But then we used too many watercolors on one side of the paper, right?
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then a hole.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: There was a hole.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so somebody said, Well, sometimes they make a hole.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then someone else added, um, when we started thinking about it, someone else added actually, sometimes when colors meet, they make a garbage picture because they just mushed all together and it isn't pretty and beautiful anymore.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_00: And so after we'd explored what happens when colors meet, I asked the kids, well, what happens when we meet?
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: Are we like the colors, right?
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: And so then they started thinking about that.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: And one of them said, Yeah, sometimes when we meet and we play rough or we're not kind, or sometimes when we just stay too long, we make holes in each other's hearts.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, That's not true.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, or sometimes like you know, when we don't play nicely, we make garbage pictures, and so now they've been using that as like, oh, we didn't, that was not a good picture when we met.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's really sweet how they transferred it.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, they also said when we meet, we make friends, you know, we have fun together, we make we make different things, we make new things happen.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so really in JK, the start of the year is finding that community, um, the privilege of being a part of this community, but also the responsibility that comes with it, our individual responsibility, our group responsibility.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna share one more thing.
• 36:35
  SPEAKER_00: We just recently read Todd Parr's Be Who You Are.
• 36:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we made some self-portraits in Todd Parr style.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: And I asked the kids today, like, what does it mean to be who you are?
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Or what makes you who you are?
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's a huge, huge concept, right?
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: Like who you are.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_00: And we've been thinking about that and talking about it through different parts this week.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: And also, as we talked about um Phyllis's story during Truth and Reconciliation Day.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: And so one of the boys actually referred back to our chat earlier this week, and he says, Because we don't want them to take our shirts away, and we don't want to take other people's shirts away.
• 37:17
  SPEAKER_00: And so that responsibility of like we get to be who we are, and what a privilege.
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_00: We also have to make sure that we let other people be who they are.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_00: And then somebody else said, People don't know who you are if you're not you, because if you aren't you, then you're lying.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, you're telling me more about that.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: Because he's like, then you're someone else, and you're copying them, and it's not really the truth.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I was like, that's so deep.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, we've got these four and three-year-olds really thinking deeply about what it means to be who you are.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, some of the kids said, I don't know who I am yet.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: And that's also true because right now we're being and we're also becoming, and in that journey, when we find ourselves, it's just to know that we have that permission to show up as who we are and that we create the space at the same time to allow others to be who they are.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_00: And so wonderful what's happening in JK right now, yeah, solving all the world's problems.
• 38:17
  SPEAKER_04: And it's amazing because someone might walk by and see them scribbling with colors, but for you be up to be able to tell us of how um when colors meet has really informed like your community agreements in your classroom and the way they're viewing their interactions with one another, is so powerful.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so thank you.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thanks.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_00: I think that was a whole journey for myself as well, because I used to often think, like, oh, we need to have classroom agreements.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_00: And then, you know, I already had the classroom agreements in my head of what I wanted the kids to do that year, right?
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_00: So I would kind of scribe it and tell them.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_00: And then I thought to myself, well, if I really believe, like the PYP says, that children are agents of their own learning, that they're competent and capable already, then shouldn't I really love that space for them to be who they are?
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so that, you know, so how can we explore that?
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_00: And what better way to do that than through play, right?
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: And we know that children ask a lot of questions through play.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: And so it's loving them, giving them the space to do that and being open-minded and curious enough and courageous enough, I think as an adult as well, courageous enough to step back and say, maybe I don't have the answer, and maybe this four-year-old has an answer that I haven't even thought of yet, you know?
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: And so I just I always am amazed by what children will say and how deep that is, and how much they're already thinking about what it means to be who you are and what belonging really looks like, and how different that is from um, you know, being like everyone else, right?
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: Like tell a lot, don't tell a lie, be who you are.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_00: Wonderful.
• 39:45
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you, Loretta.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um, we're gonna wrap this up.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_04: And so I thought super quick we would wrap this up with giving some um advice for families considering this next step and their child's um education journey.
• 39:58
  SPEAKER_04: So maybe just, you know, um one quick piece of advice.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_04: So uh maybe Loretta, I'll start with you.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_04: Thinking about a family who's, you know, their child is near starting their educational experience in junior kindergarten.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_04: Um what what's your advice to a family?
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think like when a child starts JK, it's not just the child starting JK, it's the whole family that's starting JK.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just your three or four-year-old that's coming in, it's also you.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: So be kind to yourselves, trust the process.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_00: You've got experts here.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, learning doesn't always look the same, and each child progresses at their own rate.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_00: And if you are here, then know that we are experts.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_00: We are watching the kids, we're making sure that they're progressing at their age, that they're developmentally making those milestones.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: And if not, we'll let you know.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_00: But don't, you know, my big thing is don't compare yourself as a parent to any other parent, and don't compare your child to another child.
• 40:59
  SPEAKER_00: They're they're progressing, there are their own agents, they're learning, and you're doing a great job.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_04: That's such good advice.
• 41:07
  SPEAKER_04: Um, Anna, maybe one piece of advice for our audience could be anything.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, um, I will echo Loretta in saying every child does develop in their own pace.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and as she said, we don't know who we are.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_03: We're figuring that out.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_03: And so that comes in different timelines for every student.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but I would also say uh take an active part in your child's learning and ask them questions.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_03: As Loretta mentioned, they have such interesting things to say.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_03: And sometimes off the bat, it doesn't make sense to us.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_03: So ask again.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_03: Um, and we we try to do a good job of including parents in that way and giving them the tools to ask those questions.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_03: Um, but that just enriches their learning even further to stay actively involved in what they're learning about.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_04: And Joanna, a piece of advice for our audience.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I think I'll come back to what I said at the beginning, just kind of shifting the conversation maybe away from screen time and more focusing on screen purpose, right?
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_02: So the goal is not really to add more technology, but it's to look at more meaningful experiences.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_02: So if we are using technology at home with our children, what does that look like?
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_02: What expectations do we have set for them and for ourselves as families?
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_02: And how can we maybe utilize it to really empower creation?
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_04: Um, thank you all so much.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_04: Um, such important messages for our families listening.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_04: And you know, the the early years are so much about building those skills for life, right?
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_04: It's just a stepping stone as they progress through their educational journey and helping children discover who they are as learners, confidence and building curiosity and independence and a and a genuine love of learning that will serve them well.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_04: Um, so I just want to say thank you again, Joanna, Loretta, and Anna, for joining us and giving us just a glimpse into the early years here at UCC.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_04: And to our listeners and prospective families, thank you so much for joining us.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_04: So bye for now.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.