From September 2026 to February 2027, join early childhood educator, professor, and president of the Ontario Reggio Association Karyn Callaghan and Maria Cabal Garces from the EYPRC for this pedagogical study, part of the Pedagogy Community of Practice.
During our virtual and in-person, monthly gatherings we will be guided by the question: How can we make a view of the child as intelligent and complex thinkers evident all day, every day in every aspect of the programme’s culture?
Karyn Callaghan tells us that:
“Our pedagogy for early years document, How Does Learning Happen?, is founded on the view that children and educators are intelligent, complex thinkers. It is a big commitment to work to ensure that this view is evident all day, every day, in every aspect of the context – the culture – we create in our programs. We can collaborate to build a group that works to give visibility to this view day by day”.
So, during this series we will:
• unpack the experience of educators in Ontario who transformed their practice when they held themselves accountable to a view of children and themselves as capable of thinking complexly;
• co-construct understandings from what was documented in an EarlyON program that was founded on these beliefs;
• consider the difference between documenting and creating pedagogical documentation, and the gifts they offer to educators, children, and families.
Who is Karyn Callaghan?
After working with young children for several years as an early childhood educator, Karyn Callaghan became a professor in college and university ECE programs, and has had the privilege of learning with children, educators, families and artists for over four decades. She founded and coordinated the Artists at the Centre project in Hamilton Ontario that brought artists into early learning programs, and contributed to the development of the Ministry of Education’s pedagogy for early years document How Does Learning Happen?. She was a key contributor to the development of Hamilton’s Charter of Rights of Children and Youth. She is president of the Ontario Reggio Association, a board member of the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance, an editorial consultant for the journal Innovations in Early Education, and a representative in the Reggio Children International Network. Karyn enjoys being a public learner. She has been a keynote speaker at conferences across four continents and with Carol Anne Wien and artist Jason Avery is co-author of a book entitled “Documenting Children’s Meaning”, published by Davis Publications.
You can read Karyn’s article “Environment is a Teacher” published in Think, Feel Act, in 2013.
Series Format:
• Session 1 (September 17, 2026; 6:30 to 8:00PM – Virtual) – Introduction of the Study and First gathering with Karyn Callaghan.
• Session 2 (October 8, 2026; 6:30 to 8:00PM – In Person)– First study session. Participants bring their documentations and we use a protocol to study, reflect, and design responses for programme
• Session 3 (November 12, 2026; 6:30 to 8:00PM – Virtual)– Second gathering with Karyn Callaghan.
• Session 4 (December 10, 2026; 6:30 to 8:00PM – In Person) – Second study session.
• Session 5 (January 14, 2026; 6:30 to 8:00PM – Virtual) – Third and final gathering with Karyn Callaghan.
• Session 6 (February 11, 2026; 6:30 to 8:00PM – In Person) – Third and final study session.
A Zoom link will be sent to participants in advance for each virtual session. In-Person sessions will be held at the Meridian Room in Stone Road Mall, in Guelph.
Please Note: When you register for this study, you commit to attending all 6 sessions and to gather and share documentation from programme related to the topic of study. There won't be any make-up sessions planned, so be sure you can attend all sessions when you register.
***A minimum of 15 participants are needed for this event to run. Participants will be notified by email a week in advance if cancellation is necessary.
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