Early Years

• The focus of inquiries emerges out of children's thinking, wonderings, and theories, as well as ideas that pique their interest

• The duration of inquiries is not predetermined, and is flexible

• Experiences, materials, thinking, and learning are co-constructed with the children

• Educators focus on the overall expectations as they co-construct learning

• Learning is personalized and differentiated

• There is a focus on providing opportunities for children to test their own theories and explore answers to their own questions and wonderings

• Children explore their own questions and ideas more deeply and directly, and so engage more readily in higher-level thinking (e.g., How does water move? Where do people read? Where do we find numbers?)

• The concepts of citizenship and social justice emerge out of an inquiry stance (e.g., How does my behaviour affect my friends and family and other people in my community?)

(Ontario Ministry of Education, 2016: The Kindergarten Program)