The Kindergarten Diaries

OISE graduate student, Kadria Simons, together with Globe and Mail education reporter, Kate Hammer and videographer, Anne-Marie Jackson, is following four students through Kindergarten in a series titled “The Kindergarten Diaries”

 

 

Under the supervision of professor Janette Pelletier, Kadria's year-long project aims to capture the experience of four young kindergarten students - Alfie, Millie, Prathmesh, and Mekhi - through the use of photography, finger-puppet interviews and drawings. The approach of the project has been to take an in-depth look at the experience of full-day Kindergarten from the perspective of the students themselves.

 

"Through my collaboration on this project, I have had the opportunity to draw on the work of Dr. Pelletier as well as integrate my own passion for both photography and education. When considering graduate school, I applied and was accepted to both an MFA in Documentary Media at Ryerson as well as the M.A. program in Child Study and Education at OISE. After reading about Dr. Pelletier's use of photography in her project Promoting Family Literacy in a Diverse Canadian Context, I was inspired to accept admission to OISE. By choosing the education option, I hoped to find an opportunity to combine both interests. I feel fortunate to have been given such an opportunity in the first year of the program and hope to integrate some of the experience into future research projects" says Kadria.

 

Kadria explained that one of the most exciting elements of the project has been the discovery of the child’s eye view on the kindergarten experience.

 

"Whether by demonstrating a grasp of perspective-taking through drawings or highlighting the importance of friendships and certain activities central to Kindergarten, the project’s participants are allowing us to gain insight into their experience. Specifically, the use of photos and drawings has allowed participants to freely express themselves through mediums appropriate to their developmental level."

 

Below are links to the features that have been released so far. They are currently planning for subsequent features to be released this winter and spring. We look forward to seeing Alfie, Millie, Prathmesh, and Mekhi and finding out how their perspectives on Kindergarten have evolved.