The Precambrian Shield
The surface terrain of approximately half of Canada is dominated by the exposed bedrock of ancient, Precambrian rocks. This Precambrian or Canadian Shield is characterized by thin, rocky soil that has historically made for difficult farming conditions. Within the temperate reaches of the Shield, however, are sweeping forests that become increasingly conifer-dominated as one travels north.
• All pupils are influenced by the home environment.
• Although there are variations in learning abilities, there are universal similarities among children.
• All children pass through the same development stages, as scholars like Piaget have long asserted.
• Interest levels tend to be about the same, but may differ in mixed groupings.
• All children need love, security, and understanding. • Most children worry about making mistakes.
Given the context of a classroom with an approximately 50-50 Indigenous-Non-Indigenous split, various cross-cul- tural factors also needed to be considered. This led to the creation of the following guiding principles:
• The children must be in an environment that allows them to communicate freely.
• The classroom environment must be relaxed and happy.
• There must be a non-competitive atmosphere, although friendly rivalries may develop naturally.
• Teacher sincerity and friendliness must be genuine; chil- dren quickly see through deception.
• A consistent high performance should be expected of each student, consistent with the pupil’s learning ability.
• The teaching style must be warm and friendly.
• Without being discernible, cultural groupings must be avoided.
• There should be no rush for answers, written or oral.
• Employ short one-on-one sessions. • Listen more, talk less. • Be ready to accept silence.
With all of these factors under consideration, two main goals emerged: • to provide the non-threatening relaxed atmosphere in which language development would flourish.
• to provide opportunities for discussion and sharing which would unobtrusively blend the cultures.
This exploration would be incomplete, however, without acknowledging the specific pitfalls of a Kindergarten class, namely that the classroom area can be constraining and that variety among activities can become too routine. Despite having stations such as a sandbox, bins of materials, a sci- ence station, a paint station, a kitchen area, a Lego station, and a library, as well as activities like discussion time, circle time, story creation, and music/action songs, the Kinder- garten room still seemed to be incomplete. Was there, then, another area…
…that could be utilized?
…that would appeal to all children? …that would stimulate language?
…that was familiar to both cultures? …that presented relaxed conditions?
It was from these final guiding questions that the over-arch- ing answer appeared: incorporating the external environ- ment — the school yard, the large fields, the treed areas, the ponds, and especially the immense rock outcrop to the north.
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