Welcome to the 2022 Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) Symposium.
The Symposium celebrates the final thesis projects of BECE students by sharing their research with the early childhood education community. Explore the seven broad themes below to learn more about a range of topics of interest to early childhood educators.
Educator & Burnout
Educator burnout is a topic of prime importance, since educators are the top influential factor contributing to happy and healthy children in their care. This research is especially relevant today given the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. These students’ presentations provide key resources and strategies on how to mitigate the risk of burnout.
Jessica Noriel is a 4th-year BECE student at Brock University. While achieving her goal to work on the school board as a primary school teacher following teachers’ college, Jessica is also a commercial dancer. Her goal is to create a positive learning environment for young students while incorporating her passion for art and dance in the classroom.
Resources
- Book: First Aid for Teacher Burnout by Jenny Grant Rankin
- Calm Meditation App (free for schools)
- Teaching with Mental Health in Mind (Facebook Group)
- The Educator’s Room
Brianna Walters is a 4th year Bachelor of Early Childhood Education student at Brock University. She has conducted a thesis that researches the topic of Early Childhood Educator Burnout Experiences. When she is not busy doing schoolwork she can be found curled up with a good book, out for a walk in nature or on her next travel adventure.
Resources
- Mental Health Commission of Canada: Being a Mindful Employee
- Using Self-Care to Prevent Compassion Leave Fatigue
- Burnout: The Secret of Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski
Family Engagement in Early Learning and Care
Family engagement in early education programs undeniably contributes to their child(ren)’s learning and development and parents’ connection to their children. These presentations offer vantage points to better understand the significance of family engagement in children’s lives.
Eden Patterson is a fourth-year student in the BECE program. In the future, she hopes to attend teacher’s college to become a kindergarten teacher. She is from a small town called Mount Brydges near London, Ontario. Her hobbies outside of school include watching sports, reading and cooking.
Resources
- Edutopia- New Teachers Working with Parents
- NAEYC- Five Rs for Promoting Positive Family Engagement
- Families and Educators Together: Building Great Relationships that Support Young Children by Derry Koralek, Karen Nemeth and Kelly Ramsay.
- Working with Families, seventh edition by Rena Shimoni and Joanne Baxter
Jiaxin Li is a 4th-year student in the Early Childhood Education program at Brock University. She had experience working with children in various age groups. She’s passionate about the early learning profession and enjoys and wishes to provide positive experiences for children. Ethical clearance approved from Brock’s Research Ethics Board (File #: 21-180 – DELLA PORTA)
Resources
Literacy and Programming at Home
Children develop literacy from interactions with many different people and things in their environments and contexts, including social and cultural, broadly speaking. These presentations show how home and digital environments can impact a child’s literacy development.
Hana Albqaeen is a fourth-year student in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education (BECE) program. She is excited to share with you what she learned from my research thesis “Exploring Early Years Among Immigrants: What are the Literacy Practices Among Middle Eastern families?”. Ethical clearance approved from Brock’s Research Ethics Board (File #: 21-182 – DELLA PORTA).
Resources
Mithusha Pathman is a fourth-year student in the ECE degree program at Brock University. Mithusha aspires to be a kindergarten teacher who works on in school board. This research focuses on the use of educational technology from home and how it impacts kindergarten children.
Resources
- Lenhoff, C. (2021). Using the iPad application IXL and its effects on fast assessment scores. NWCommons.
- Morrison, B. B., & DiSalvo, B. (2014). Khan academy gamifies computer science. Proceedings of the 45th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education.
- Palaiologou, I. (2016). Children under five and digital technologies: implications for early years pedagogy. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(1), 5–24.
- Thesappiriyan, S., & Chang, M. (2013). Digital Games, academia and our digital kids.
Classroom Practices: Care, Gender, Music, ESL, and Technology
In the early childhood and elementary school classrooms, multiple strategies contribute to successful educational practice. These studies attend to the ethic of care, gender stereotypical materials, music, English as a second language (ESL), and technology in a classroom setting. Findings reveal how important it is to continuously re-consider and re-create positive and effective materials and practices in education.
Taylor McGlynn is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program at Brock University. She is hoping to become a kindergarten teacher in the future. Taylor can often be found listening to music, spending time with her family and friends, or crafting. Ethical clearance approved from Brock’s Research Ethics Board (File #: 21-193 – DELLA PORTA)
Resources
- Galvis, N. (2019, October 16). The benefits of starting to use technology in Kindergarten. RobotLAB.
- Misshumblebee’s Blog. (2020, September 2). The benefits of technology in the kindergarten classroom. Misshumblebee’s Blog.
- Office of Educational Technology. (2018, May 8). Guiding principles for use of technology with early learners.
Alexis Tremblay is a fourth year student at Brock University, in the process of completing her Bachelors in Early Childhood Education. She has a passion for education and is on her way to becoming a kindergarten teacher. She hopes to empower children to take control of their learning.
Resources
- Children’s Books:
- Not All Princesses Dress in Pink by Jane Yolen
- Jacob’s New Dress by Sarah Hoffman
- Angus All Aglow by Heather Smith
- Mary Wears What She Wants by Keith Negley
- How To Break Down Gender Stereotypes in the Classroom
- Age-Appropriate Tips for Addressing Gender Stereotypes in the Classroom
- Let Toys Be Toys
Madison Ladd is a BECE student in her 4th year from Stoney Creek. Working with children is her greatest passion. She works at a Music Studio’s Preschool Program. Her other favorite things include traveling, going on walks, and spending time with family and friends. Above all, she is passionate about music since it has influenced her growth, and improved her mental health.
Resources
- Blaisus, J. (2021, September 21). Home for Nonprofit Music Therapy | Resounding Joy Inc. Resounding Joy.
- Kaleidoscoppe. (2022, February 17). Kaleidoscoppe – Indoor Play Center in Barrie: After School, Camps, Birthdays. Kaleidoscope Play Centre in Barrie, ON.
- Kemple, K. M. K., Batey, J. J. B., & Hartle, L. C. H. (2004). Music Play. Creating Centers for Musical Play and Exploration. Published.
- WolfBrown, D. W. W. & Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. (2020). Why Making Music Matters. Singing, Playing, Moving and Sharing in the Early Years, 1–32.
- Kindermusik Classes
- Manitoba Curriculum Framework of Outcomes, 1–81.
- Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social, and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3),269–289.
Aya Saber is a 4th-year Bachelor of Early Childhood Education student at Brock University. Aya is a passionate international educator who enjoys travelling, exploring different cultures, and being actively engaged with children in the learning process. Aya is eager & keen to explore the field of Early Childhood Education further as she aims to have a lasting impact on children’s lives by being an effective early childhood educator.
Resources
- UNESCO Early Childhood Care and Education
- High Quality, Inclusive Early Learning and Care: Tips for Educators
- Create a Caring, Equitable Community of Engaged Learners
- 5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Early Care and Education
- Why Care Matters
- The State of the World’s Children 2021
- Self-study: A Developing Research Approach for Professional Learning
Kaye is a registered E.C.E and a full-time student attending Brock University. She is a fourth-year student currently finishing her degree in Early Childhood Education. She enjoys learning and exploring. You would typically find Kaye learning new hobbies or singing and playing her guitar on her free days. You might also find her searching for good children’s books or reading to children. Currently, Kaye enjoys exploring children’s books that discusses emotions and celebrating life. Ethical clearance approved from Brock’s Research Ethics Board (File #: 21-178 – DELLA PORTA).
Resources
Outdoor Learning
Children’s connection to nature is a hallmark of well-being and holistic development. Risky play in the outdoors offers benefits for children’s confidence, resilience, executive functioning abilities and even risk-management skill. Two projects explored the themes of outdoor learning, cognitive development, and risky play.
Noor Aboutaha is currently finishing her 4th year in the Early Childhood Education (Honors) Program. Noor has a specific interest in outdoor education which sparked after spending 4 months at a forest childcare center through one of her placements. Noor can often be found with friends, outdoors exploring nature, and experimenting with different pedagogies.
Resources
- A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence From a National Study
- Outdoor learning and green time: How kids benefit from learning and playing in nature
- Outdoor Play and Child Development
- The Benefits of Outdoor Play for Children’s Development
- How Playgrounds can Impact Cognitive Development
Laura Trembulak is a 4th year graduating student in the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education program at Brock University. She has had an interest in the topic of risky play since college and has furthered her knowledge on the topic in her own study on playground features and how they influence risky play.
Resources
Overcoming Barriers
Beyond providing optimal learning environments in early learning programs, educators can contribute to overcoming barriers, such as at an individual, familial, or social level. These thesis presentations provide relevant information regarding such barriers, as well as resources on how to support children and their families who may face them.
Morgan Yates is a current 4th-year student for the BECE program at Brock University. She has a desire to assist children and their families through every situation, regardless of the difficulties that may present. Morgan can often be found outdoors with her 3 children, she enjoys exploring, investigating, and testing theories with her children on the complex foundations within the nature of her community.
Resources
Samantha Dickson is the current 4th-year ambassador of the BECE program at Brock University and is proud to announce she has made the third-year Dean’s Honour List. She worked as a Registered Early Childhood Educator for seven years prior to attending Brock University. She also aspires to become a Special Education Resource Teacher (SERT). Samantha can be found exploring the outdoors and new educational activities with her daughter.
Resources
Bara’a Elmi is currently finishing her 4th year in the Early Childhood Education (Honors) Program. Bara’a has a specific interest in further the conversation of how diversity and inclusion is celebrated in classroom. While Bara’a was researching she realized there was a lack of Black Educator’s perspective in literature when discussing diversity. She wanted to continue her research by creating a mapping review to analyze her finding. Bara’a’s aim for her thesis is to continue research on diversity and improve the ideology behind inclusive centres. Bara’a wants to create an environment where every child is seen, heard and represented.
Resources
- Cultural Diversity and Responsiveness in Early Childhood Education
- Ontario College of Teachers: Addressing Anti-Black Racism
- Ontario’s Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy
- Towards Race Equity in Education
- Advocates in Toronto Demand Equity in Education for Black students in Ontario
- Toronto District School Board: The Centre of Excellence for Black Student Achievement
Beatriz Pena Urrutia is a current 4th year student of BECE program at Brock University. She obtained her Early Childhood Education certificate at Mohawk College in 2017. She works for the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board as a Causal Designated Early Childhood Educator. Beatriz enjoys travelling, reading, learning new languages, and spending time with family and friends.
Resources
- Cooperative learning strategies
- Children’s bilingual multicultural picture books
- Multilingualism in Canadian schools: Myths, realities and possibilities.
- Bilingual and multilingual education
- Preparing teachers for multilingual classrooms
- Activities to support multilingualism at school
- Supporting English language learners in kindergarten
- Using bilingual books to enhance literacy around the world.
- Second language learning in a multilingual classroom: didactic interaction development.
- Census in brief: Linguistic diversity and multilingualism in Canadian homes
Ellie Becker is a fourth year Bachelor of Early Childhood Education Student at Brock University. Next year she will be attending a teacher education program at Lakehead University. It is her goal to work full time as an elementary school teacher. She am hopeful for the future and grateful for all that she has learned thus far.
Resources
Play and Early Learning
In the field of early childhood education, play and learning naturally go hand-in-hand. In fact, when one is engaged in play, it sets the mental stage for optimal learning. See these two thesis presentations for more information on how play can contribute to learning in early childhood programs and beyond.
Mikayla Theoret is a fourth year Bachelor of Early Childhood Education Student at Brock University. She conducted a yearlong research project on the importance of play-based learning after kindergarten, and critically examined the Ontario Curriculum document for further evidence. Mikayla can often be found supporting with students with special needs in reaching their full academic and personal potential.
Ashley Serravalle is a current graduate of Brock University’s Early Childhood Education degree program. In addition to this degree Ashley is also a graduate of Niagara College where she obtained a diploma in the program of Educational Assistant Special Needs Supports. Ashley can often be found exploring the outdoors with her husband and three young children.
Resources
- Defining Play-based Learning by Erica Danniels, MEd, Angela Pyle, PhD. OISE University of Toronto, Canada
- The Development of Brain Architecture by: Harvard University Center on the Developing child
- Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development (Simply Psychology)
- Social-Emotional Development in the Early Years by: Halton Early Years Mental Health Committee
- The Kindergarten Program