Beginnings : Teaching and Learning in the Kindergarten

Margaret E. Kidd is a member of Toronto’s Child & Family Services
Review Board.

Drawing upon his own experiences with kindergarten children, Ron Benson
has assembled a collection of program ideas that will prove valuable to
both new and experienced kindergarten teachers. This psychologist and
experienced elementary-school teacher does not always seem aware of
developmental differences that vitally affect the teaching/learning
process. Of his dealings with a difficult boy, he reflects, “What
disturbed me most was that I couldn’t find his conscience!” Did he
expect a 5-year-old boy to have a developed conscience?

Benson begins with an anecdotal sketch of the beginning of the school
year, and then proceeds to analyze the teaching/learning components of
various classroom activities and to discuss how to deal with classroom
learning centres, responsive teaching, direct instruction, assessment
and evaluation, and volunteers. By far the best part of the book is the
concluding section. Here Benson carefully analyzes current issues,
reflects on changes he would now make to his kindergarten program, and
articulates his educational philosophy.