On Display Archive

Welcome to the "On Display" Archive Index!

Each week (specifically on Fridays) I will be posting about the superb work that is going on out in the wonderful world of  early childhood and education.  The spotlight will be on distinguished educators, authors, bloggers, tweeters, administrators, artists, and innovators who are passionate about the well-being and learning of young children. I will also display professional resources, apps, intriguing learning materials, and anything else that I feel is worthy of your attention!

I'm looking forward to using this page to archive all of our "On Display" Friday features. Please visit the individual posts, which will highlight the incredible work in more detail.

I hope that this page can serve as a quick organizational tool for you. These posts can also be located under "On Display" section of our category list.

Thank you for continuing to take interest in our work,

Joanne Marie Babalis




On Display Archive Index
(Please click on the title!)


On Display: Julie Ham Friday, December 14th, 2012

Julie is the Designated Early Childhood Educator that I am so fortunate to work with each day.  She has been working with young children for over twenty years.
Read her insights about the inquiry project that she has been working on with our students, the differentiated mini lessons that she supports, and her advice for new Full-Day Early Learning-Kindergarten program teams.


On Display: Documentation Apps I love! Friday, December 21st, 2012 


This Friday I featured my top fifteen documentation apps, as the apps that I use most often.  I showcased apps for taking photos, photography effects, writing up documentation, and sharing it through social media.

Please feel free to add to this growing list!  I look forward to our continued virtual learning.


On Display: Acorn School Friday, December 28th, 2012

This Friday I wanted to feature Acorn School in Richmond Hill and spotlight their commitment to the Reggio Emilia-Inspired Approach. I visited Acorn School a few years ago for the first time, and they brought this approach to life for me!  Take a look at what they value and their advice for inquiry-based learning.

On Display: Passion, Politics, and Painting Friday, January 4th, 2013. 


"HE PAINTED FOR THE PEOPLE. SHE PAINTED TO SURVIVE." -Quoted from AGO's Frida and Diego Exhibit banners

Read Maria Merecoulias' reflections on our visit to the AGO's Frida and Diego Exhibit.


On Display: Heather Jelley and Problem-Solving in Kindergarten Friday, January 11th, 2013.

What does problem solving in Kindergarten look like?  What does it sound like?  
Heather Jelley, a kindergarten teacher from the York District School Board shares with us her mathematical knowledge and an example of a math problem from her class.

On Display: Natural Curiosity Friday, January 18th, 2013

Read more about "Natural Curiosity: A Resource for Teachers Building Children's Understanding of the World through Environmental Inquiry." 

"The inquiry-based approach is not a rigid methodology or set of procedures.  Rather, it entails an overall mindset, one that pervades school and classroom life to foster a culture of collaborative learning and idea improvement" (pg. 7).


On Display: An Interview with Diane Kashin Friday, January 25th, 2013


Diane Kashin teaches the Bachelor of Child Development (BCD) degree program at Seneca College and has co-authored the book Play and Learning in Early Childhood Education, among other accolades which you will discover in this Friday feature.

Read this inspiring interview to learn more!

On Display: A Teacher Candidate's Perspective on PBL Friday, February 1st, 2013

Anne Marie Landolfi is a Teacher Candidate from University of Toronto's OISE program. We were very fortunate to host her placement within our classroom.  

This blog post showcases her work with our Winter Sports project and her perspective as a Teacher Candidate.


On Display: Richland Academy Friday, February 8th, 2013

What stood out for me during my visit to Richland Academy, were their planning process for inquiry-based learning, ethics of excellence, and how they created a culture of critique with their students.  The documentation around the school was also extremely impressive!

Read more about their school within this week's "On Display" Friday Feature.



On Display: Havergal College Friday, February 15th, 2013


Today's "On Display" post features an interview with my dear colleagues from Havergal College.

Learn more about their school and Reggio Emilia-inspired practices.




On Display: Reading for the love of it 2013 Friday, February 23rd, 2013


Read my impressions from the "Reading for the love of it 2013" conference.  Learn with me from my encounter with Miriam Trehearne about writing in Kindergarten and Kathy Cassidy about connecting our students with digital technology.

If you have not attended this conference, I highly recommend it!


On Display: Pinterest, Planning, and Play Friday, March 1st, 2013 


Have you ever used Pinterest for education?

Pinterest is a social media app with visuals about virtually anything!  Learn how I have been using it for planning.

On Display: CIRR National Reading Recovery and Early Literacy Conference Friday, March 8th, 2013

Learn more about our presentation on "Authentic Literacy Instruction."  At this conference, I shared the learning from our Pet Rabbit Inquiry.  This "On Display" post features my presentation slides and video clips.  All information connects with the topic of real-life authentic literacy. 

On Display: No way.  The Hundred is there. Friday, March 15th, 2013

This poem written by Loris Malaguzzi from Reggio Emilia, Italy, continues to inspire me each and every time that I read it.  This "On Display" feature also has a link to a YouTube clip created with images of children who narrate the poem.

On Display: Canada Blooms Show Friday, March 22nd, 2013

The purpose of my visit to The Canada Blooms Show was to see an outdoor learning area created by Bienenstock Natural Playgrounds.  Bienenstock is a company that our school is working with to transform our outdoor Kindergarten schoolyard.  I thought that this "On Display" post would be a nice opportunity for me to share the inspiring spaces that they create.


On Display: Co-Constructing Contexts for Meaningful Engagement Friday, March 29th, 2013 


Learn more about my Conference Presentation entitled "Children's Treasures: Toys and Tinkering as Powerful Entries for Curriculum and Research."  I have shared the powerpoint presentation on YouTube with myself narrating and setting the context.  There are also two interviews with students in our Lego Ninjago Village and Fairy Land.

On Display: Marander Montessori School Friday, April 5th, 2013 

Please join me as I visit Marander Montessori School.  I have documented my visit using photographs and have also had an interview with the principal of the school, Margaret Lee.


On Display: Lella Gandini and Documentation Friday, April 12th, 2013

I attended the Ontario Reggio Association's "Transformation: The Role of the Teacher in Pedagogical Documentation" at The Bishop Strachan School.  The guest of honour was Lella Gandini, who is well known as the Liaison for the Dissemination of the Reggio Emilia Approach.  Learn more about her presentation on documentation.


On Display: Marisa Benakis' Reflections on Dr. Lilian Katz's Keynote Address Friday, April 19th, 2013

Learn more about the "Co-Constructing Contexts for Meaningful Engagement Conference."  The Keynote Address made by Dr. Lilian Katz is thoughtfully reflected upon and written by Marisa Benakis. 

On Display: Farzana Ali An ECE Student from Seneca College Friday, April 26th, 2013

Farzana Ali collaborated with me on our Snowflake Inquiry.  Learn more about her snowflake provocations and experiences from this post.


On Display: Bond Lake's Natural Learning Environment Friday, May 3rd, 2013


"There is a garden in every childhood,
an enchanted place where colours are brighter,
the air softer,
and the morning more fragrant than ever again."
-Elizabeth Lawrence



On Display: Evergreen Brick Works Chimney Court and Nature Kindergarten Friday, May 10th, 2013

Learn more about the Nature Kindergarten pilot project in Victoria British Columbia from Dr. Enid Elliot.  

See images of the outdoor learning area "Chimney Court," which is part of the Evergreen Brick Works.

On Display: The Power of Inquiry Friday, May 17th, 2013

Read about my experiences at The Power of Inquiry Spring Institute By and For Educators at OISE.

On Display: Ellen Brown Builds Canadian Connections with her New Blog Friday, May 24th, 2013


Learn more about a wonderful new blog that builds and strengthens Canadian connections between educators who study pedagogical documentation.



On Display: Ontario Early Years Policy Framework Friday, May 31st, 2013



Download the new Early Years Policy Framework from the Ontario Ministry of Education and consider joining in on a professional dialogue around the key messaging.  


On Display: Bond Lake P.S.'s Wonder Journey Friday, June 7th, 2013 

Follow Bond Lake P.S.'s wonder journey through our book study "A Place for Wonder: Reading and Writing Nonfiction in the Primary Grades."  See how this resource and its ideas became embedded throughout the Kindergarten to Grade 4 classrooms!

On Display: Open House Event 2013 Friday, June 14th, 2013

On Thursday, June 6th, 2013, Julie Ham and I welcomed educators from across the province to our Open House Event.  During their visit, they were able to read documentation within the classroom and hear a short presentation about inquiry-based learning.  Within this post, you will find various photographs from the event.  Thank you to everyone who attended! 

On Display: Instagram for Inquiry Friday, June 21st, 2013

Learn how we use the app known as Instagram to capture the pivotal learning moments from our inquiries and share them within our daily inquiry meetings.  

On Display: Summer Reads Friday, June 28th, 2013

I created a list of resources that you might consider reading over the summer.  They range from Reggio-inspired, inquiry-based learning, environment as third teacher, play-based learning, and literacy.

Please consider adding to this growing list of recommended reads!



On Display: A Place called Reggio Emilia Friday, July 5th, 2013


A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of participating in a study group in Reggio Emilia, Italy.  Within this post I have included various photographs from the town of Reggio Emilia, and a few quotes that resonated with me during my stay there.

On Display: Shara-Lynn Fraser and Amy Di Cristofaro Co-Create their Learning Space with the Support of their Students Friday, July 12th, 2013

Read an interview about the environment as third teacher and how a teaching team co-created their learning space alongside their students.

On Display: Jocelyn Schmidt and Heidi Theis' Inspiring Cloud Inquiry Friday, July 19th, 2013

Jocelyn and Heidi are teaching partners in a FDK classroom at Lorna Jackson Public School.  Read an interview that I had with them about inquiry-based learning and more specifically their Cloud Inquiry.  

On Display: Fellow Blogger and FDK educator, Sergio Pascucci Friday, July 26th, 2013

Sergio Pascucci is a Full-Day Kindergarten teacher for the Peel District School Board.  It is a real honour to spotlight his thinking on our blog.  I hope that you enjoy our interview together and the beautiful photographs that he has generously shared from his classroom.


On Display: Building Blocks for Kindergarten (BBFK) Friday, August 2nd, 2013

Read one of York Region District School Board's Regional Teacher's insights around the Building Blocks for Kindergarten Program.

On Display: Great Beginnings Conference 2013 Friday, August 9th, 2013

The York Region District School Board hosts an annual conference entitled "Great Beginnings" for teachers new to a grade.  This powerpoint outlines the experience of one Full-Day Kindergarten section.



On Display: New Ministry Monograph about IBL Friday, August 16th, 2013

Read about a new Ministry Monograph, as well as some of my personal favourites that can be accessed online!



On Display: Going Beyond the "Generic" : Visual Arts in the FDEL-K Program Friday, August 23rd, 2013

"Creativity takes courage" 
                      -Matisse 
Various images are shared in connection to Visual Arts with references from the Full-Day Early Learning Kindergarten Program in Ontario.

On Display: Invitations for Learning: Following a 19 month old's natural curiosity within our carefully designed classroom environment Friday, August 30th, 2013

See how our classroom invitations during our August setup ignited a 19 month old's natural curiosity!

On Display: Maureen Cicinelli's Classroom Design Friday, September 6th, 2013

Take a look at the inspiring classroom that Maureen Cicinelli has designed for her Full-Day Kindergarten students.  I wish that I could have been a student in her class...  How lucky they all are!




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@joannebabalis