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OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, September 9, 2009 · 18 Oakville Academy for the Arts Preschool and Kindergarten Programs view children as "having many rights" "In our classrooms, we see teachers as researchers ­ engaged in investigating our students' understanding of the world and all within it ­ working in tandem with our young learners in the negotiation of decisions about how to explore their ideas in depth. Children inherently have the right to work in an educational environment that cultivates this type of reciprocal learning process." Kim Speer, Director of the Preschool and Kindergarten programs at the Oakville Academy for the Arts located near Trafalgar and Upper Middle Road, speaks passionately about the elements that come together to create this very special school. "The pedagogical approach to learning that guides us in our teaching and learning practices is known as constructivism. Within this framework, lies our vehicle for delivering learning programs that consistently exceed the academic outcomes as set by the Ontario Provincial Government project based emergent curriculum." Here, Speer explains, students are inspired by their own ideas and experiences to inquire about and investigate topics of interest. In collaboration with their classmates and teachers, they engage in study connecting all academic and curriculum domains. A recent project began when, Kim Speer, also the Kindergarten teacher, supplied the class with a "provocation" ­ a sur- prise design to provoke dialogue and ideas. "I overheard a student discussing rocket fuel ­ a term with which the remaining students were unfamiliar. The next day, I left an assortment of cardboard tubes and other recyclable materials, construction paper, space resource books from the local library, tape, markers, telephone wire, old calculator keypads and scissors on the studio art table waiting to be discovered. From this simple gesture, a project unfolded that incorporated abundant opportunities for literacy, numeracy, science, negotiation, compromise, planmaking and much more." The Kindergarten students became actively engaged in creating individual rocket ships as well as team-based space vehicles. During open-ended construction, the children could be overheard utilizing new vocabulary learned from their peers, Continued on page 19 Fall Programs Spaces available for September 2009! We have spaces in the following programs: Discovery Station Nursery School, 21/2 to 5 year · 2 mornings at 2828 Kingsway Drive · 2 or 3 afternoons at 461 North Service Road W (NSR-M) · 3 afternoons at 1500 Sixth Line Playtime · 18 to 30 months, Monday mornings at Sixth Line · Newborn to 18 months, Wednesday mornings at NSR-M · Newborn to 5 years, Friday afternoons at NSR-M Register Today! Call the Centre at (905)849-6366 for more information on how to register. We will accept registration forms on a first-come/first-served basis. 905-849-6366 461 North Service Rd W, Unit 17 Oakville, Ontario, L6M 2V5 w w w. o p - c c . c a Please call about our Introductory Course Specials! Come see our new facility! 905.825.8025