By: Diane Kashin, Ed.D, RECE. In my long career in early childhood education, I have tried to embrace theory into practice. The theories of social constructivism are the foundation for my philosophy of teaching and learning. I believe as Lev Vygotsky said, “It is through others that we develop into ourselves”. Some may declare that they learn better by themselves, in isolation from others. For early learning teachers, I feel that this is not recommended practice. I hope that all educators can find others to learn from and with. I am very excited for the third annual Rhythm of Learning in Nature with the York Region Nature Collaborative. Thirty educators will come together from near and far to learn together in nature. There are no presenters or speakers. We are experts in our own contexts with passions to share and inspire. Our week together starts on August 7th. Follow along with us by using #Rhythm2017 on Twitter and Facebook. Here are some photos from #Rhythm2016.
We are excited this year to have a few guests join us including the Pop Up Adventure Play folks while on their Canadian tour, Andrew McMartin from the P.I.N.E. Project and Drew Williams from StoryPark. Take a look at the video that Cindy Green and I did with Drew. Check out the blog, Reflective Co-Constructed Practice: This is How Learning Happens! that goes with the video. You will see how we try to bring the theory to practice of how learning happens.
Technology Rich Inquiry Based Research 