Greater Essex County Teacher Deanna Pecaski Wins
ETFO Writer’s Award
How a bird feeder inspired self-initiated learning in
Kindergarten students.
August 12, 2014
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) has presented Greater Essex County
teacher Deanna Pecaski McLennan with its 2014 Writer’s Award - Women’s Program for her
published work on stimulating the imaginations of our youngest students.
The award is presented to an active ETFO female member or a group of female members to
recognize published or unpublished works. Deanna’s article, Bird Feeding: Giving Flight to the
Imaginations of 4-and 5-Year-Olds appeared in Young Children and the book Developmentally
appropriate practice: Focus on Kindergarteners published by the U.S. National Association for
the Education of Young Children.
A teacher in the full-day early learning program at Amherstburg Public School, Deanna recounts
how the placement of a bird feeder outside her Kindergarten classroom inspired child-led inquiry,
discussion and research. Her own interest in bird-watching unwittingly sparked the imaginations
of her students, many of whom live in cooperative, subsidized housing or apartment buildings
with no access to yards or trees.
The arrival of a variety of birds week after week fascinated students, who increasingly incorporated
their observations into language activities, creative writing, the arts, mathematics and science.
They self-initiated discussions, research and investigations of the birds’ habits which led to
meaningful, collaborative learning, which is core to the play-based philosophy of Ontario’s
Kindergarten curriculum.
Deanna, who holds a Ph.D in educational studies from University of Windsor, has published
numerous scholarly articles on early years learning. She was the 2013 recipient of the ETFO
Writer’s Award.
“Not only does Deanna continue to innovate in her instructional practice; she models that practice
to other educators by publishing her findings in leading professional development publications,”
said ETFO President Sam Hammond. “An engaging and thoughtful writer, she inspires educators to
transform their learning environments to help students be the best that they can be.”
The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers and education
professionals across the province and is the largest teacher federation in Canada.
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