An Ideal School for Preschoolers - Term Paper Example

?Introduction Through the use of appropriate educational philosophy and curriculum integrated with consistency and engagement, a school can help develop and support a passion for learning among young students. In an ideal school for preschoolers, children will be encouraged to carry out tasks and obtain learning from them. Teaching philosophies derived from known psychologists and philosophers, such as Jean Piaget, lay an emphasis on the learning process that children at preschool age experience (Mooney, 2000). For instance, if the child views the world as a large puzzle, then his/her new experiences will be regarded as pieces of such puzzle (Piaget, 1952). Therefore, activities and materials used in the school will be design to provide the preschool children with a wide range of experiences in all developmental stages. Consequently, these can facilitate their growth and give them numerous opportunities from which they can choose from to carry out preferred tasks. As such, these materials and methods in the school will reflect the philosophy of Piaget and incorporate the most appropriate materials of other educators in order to assist the learning process of children. Similarly important would be the children’s teacher, hence the presence of well qualified teaching staff members to positively contribute to the personal development and fulfillment of preschoolers as well as instill the values of care and love. The following sections will then look into the educational philosophy, curriculum, physical building and facilities, and the choice of teachers in the ideal school that aims to emphasize the developmental learning of preschoolers. Educational Philosophy The educational philosophy of the school would place an emphasis on interactions between adults and children as well as relationships in school and at home. The school will also incorporate developmentally appropriate practices that have been established by professional organizations that support early childhood education, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children. As developmentally appropriate practice entails, teachers must be knowledgeable regarding the different stages of a child’s development as well as their implications. Such knowledge consequently becomes the principle from which they share information, construct the content of the curriculum, evaluate what has to be implemented, evaluate what the children have learned, as well as determine how their curriculum will be adapted to meet the individual needs, interests, and strengths of children in preschool age (Bredekamp and Rosegrant, 1992). In addition, teachers should know the children they are teaching as well as their families to increase their awareness of the latter’s cultural and social settings. The school’s principles are centered on the recognition and responsiveness towards preschool children who are in the preoperational phase of development, as noted by Piaget. They recognize that objects do exist without touching them and can develop their own set of symbols, such as words and images, as representations of the real world. The school also recognizes that lessons will take place through assimilation, adaptation and accommodation. When children are introduced to new occurrences, they will try to understand these by associating them with the things that they have already known. Once they have obtained experience with such new phenomenon, their thoughts, feelings, and approaches may change to accommodate the attributes of this new phenomenon. Implications then point towards the need for children to be exposed to new experiences which can be associated with previous ones but, to some extent, should also bring about challenges for their way of thinking. Therefore, in order for this ideal school to maintain practices that are appropriate for children’s development, they must establish a secure, stimulating, and nurturing environment as well as develop a flexible curriculum, reflecting the themes and activities of teachers and children. These young individuals should practice the skills they have newly acquired and be provided with a chance to perform tasks at their individual capacity. On the whole, the educational philosophy focuses on the physical cognitive, emotional and social developmental needs of every student along with the individuals needs in relation to their families. The school believes that it is highly important to support the students’ ability in developing a sense of self as capable learners and as individuals who are taking part in a community. In addition, the presented philosophy for the ideal preschool should be presented in a clear written statement with which school’s short-term and long-term goals, policies, and documents must be coherent with the given philosophy. It will also be favorable if faculty members and parents are included when reviewing such procedures; moreover, there must be an effective process to present and explain the educational philosophy, such as in on-going events. Physical Building/Facilities The manner by which children learn is different from that of adults. Therefore, to achieve effectiveness, their environment should be designed to go with their interests, abilities, developmental needs, and styles for learning. In this ideal school, the classrooms will be comprised of a number of areas, including a reading center for students to have access to books as well as both indoor and outdoor play areas for them to handle a variety of equipment indoors and outdoors. Young children are known to be active learners, hence the benefits of interactions, hands-on play and self-discovery instead of merely passing on knowledge from the teacher to the children (Bodrova and Leong, 2006). These individuals have also been associated with natural curiosity which entails direct sensory experience as compared to abstract generalization. According to Chawla (2007), providing an informal learning environment where students have an opportunity to experience self-initiated play and discovery can result to these individuals taking interest in the activities provided in a more structured educational program. Specifically, the areas in the room will be clearly defined, such as those for reading, making art, and playing. Therefore, it is of great important to think reasonable about the needs and resources for every area. Key materials will be placed at the children’s height whereas the materials for the children and for the teacher must be separated. Moreover, all areas in the rooms should be made visible to the teacher and her teaching aides. On the whole, preschool classrooms will foster independence, support decision making, and motivate children to become involved. In this school, the physical structure of rooms must emphasize intellectual stimulation, curiosity, problem solving, physical activity, dramatic play, creative expression, communication of ideas, teamwork and sharing, as well as establishment of relationships. Choice of Teachers Pre-school teachers in this school should have appropriate credentials who have received the adequate training in early childhood education as well as child development. They will be expected to perform tasks with the entire school faculty in order to establish an environment at school wherein efficient learning occurs (Morrison, 2006). These preschool teachers must also realize that participation of parents in school activities is highly important; moreover, they should also be knowledgeable and capable with regards to classroom management techniques with which parents can be utilized to bring about the most favorable outcomes. Additionally, interactions between teaching staff and parents are centered on the notion that there is a strong relationship between students’ learning and their families. Teachers must then carry out creative instructional practices as well as professional development activities for themselves. In this school, ratios between teachers and children slightly differ. For nursery and kindergarten pupils, one teacher and one teaching aide are assigned to a class of a maximum of 15 children whereas one teacher will be assigned to each preparatory class that is comprised of a maximum of 15 children as well. All in all, the school will accept teachers who have understood and can apply the proper usage of instructional materials, activities, and strategies appropriate for the children’s development. They are expected to have verbal interactions with their students in a respectful and friendly manner (Bradley and Reinking, 2011). They will also refrain from using improper discipline measures and should, on the other hand, utilize beneficial techniques for guiding and directing children. Creativity in teaching is also taken into consideration (Cabel et al., 2011) as well as having positive working relations with other school staff members whereas the program plans of preschool teachers should reflect the school’s philosophy and objectives. Similarly important are the attitudes of teachers towards cultural differences and their effective provision of activities and strategies that are culturally appropriate (Perkins and Mebert, 2005). Curriculum The written curriculum for the ideal school provides descriptions of tasks and behaviors, specific goals and activities, along with reference to resources and materials which are associated with the preschool goals. These should also be drawn out from the school philosophy that is consistent with apt concepts as to how preschoolers learn. In particular, the school’s curriculum will be child-centered and places an emphasis on learning activities that are appropriate for their age, specifically in the following areas: cognitive skills; social behavior, skills and interaction; physical development, language development, as well as personal tasks and safety, Understanding of the arts should also be integrated into the daily activities as a fundamental component. Tasks for routine living will also be made an essential theme for everyday activities; furthermore, the assessment of every child’s development is continual and will be considered a specific element in the documentation of the curriculum. Specifically, the following sections delve into the various aspects of child development that are emphasized in the school curriculum. Personal and Social Development Educational experiences will ensure that the children will actively participate in activities that require both small and large groups, from reading together to creative movement. Managing transition from one activity to another, following rules in the classrooms and playgrounds, as well as following classroom schedules and routines are of paramount importance as well. The curriculum framework also aims to increase interaction and cooperative work among children, such as through dramatic play or completing projects. This can further result to an increase in caring and empathy for others with which they offer help in order to efficiently work together and accomplish tasks. Physical Development The school curriculum will ensure that these preschoolers will exhibit capabilities in a range of activities that entail coordinated movement that makes use of large muscles, such as dancing, jumping, climbing stairs, and creative movement. With the use of equipment, they can learn and develop their large muscle movements by throwing and kicking a ball, catching, as well as using swings and slide. To integrate a set of motor skills through an organized manner, such as through obstacle courses, is relevant in the school; physical activities that are to be carried out should be either selected by the child or initiated by the teacher. Other skills, such as the development of small-muscle control and strength, can be performed through fine-motor tasks; this includes the use of art materials, such as scissors and paintbrushes or building with blocks and other similar materials. Eye-hand coordination will be improved as well. Additionally, through appropriate activities, such as participation in preparing healthy meals, students will be able to recognize the importance of nutrition and which foods to eat. Personal hygiene, including the independent use of the toilet, washing of hands, and brushing of teeth, along with the development of self-help skills, such as putting on clothes and putting away materials, will be practiced as well. Cognitive Development Through educational activities that will be prepared, children will be given the opportunity to improve their skills in gathering and describing information from various objects through the use of their senses. Consequently, asking questions and commenting on experiences will be encouraged and students will be using different materials to collect information, such as photographs and videos. Moreover, by providing a wide range of educational opportunities, these young individuals can be able to make comparisons among objects and occurrences, thereby finding patterns and identifying similarities and differences. Taking on experiments with a partner or small groups can also encourage not only cognitive skills but those for sharing and taking turns as well. Task assignments can also help children count objects and establish the link between number and quantity. Understanding the sequencing of events, speaking clearly, using multiple-word phrases and sentences, demonstrating book awareness, and writing words can all be further obtained and improved when the school implements appropriate activities for the children’s learning and development. Conclusion Based on a set of beliefs coherent with the Piagetian philosophy, the school will incorporate a number of the most appropriate practices. First, teachers will be viewed as facilitators; therefore; they will arrange the environment and make the necessary preparations regarding the activities and experiences apt for the level of development among the children in class. Because these teachers should recognize that their students will learn through active involvement with the environment, they will present real materials that the children can sort and arrange. Concrete and detailed experiences should first be introduced and explained before presenting abstract concepts to obtain clarity in lessons. They will also realize the importance of parent involvement in understanding students and conducting activities that can address their needs and interests. The school will also encourage imaginative play because this can be deemed as a means of establishing a set of symbols to signify real occurrences as well as a means of learning using more than one point of view. Students will also be provided with opportunities to try out various forms of media in the classroom to make their own discoveries. In addition, teachers will not offer external rewards when children accomplish their tasks; nonetheless, they are allowed to make appropriate choices with regards to their activities, such as repetition of a given task. All in all, the ideal school aims to foster a wide range of skills and attributes that will be beneficial for the children and their families; these include curiosity, persistence to learn, creative expression, problems solving, listening, communication, appropriate interaction, conflict resolution, and physical coordination and strength. As such, the school practices aim to facilitate the progress and developmental learning of children of preschool age and ensure that their cognitive, physical, social, and creative skills are enhanced for long-term use. References Bodrova, E., and Leong, D.J. (2007). Tools of the mind. Columbus, OH: Merrill Prentice Hall. Bradley, B.A., and Reinking, D. (2011). A formative experiment to enhance teacher-child language interactions in a preschool classroom. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 11 (3), 362-401. Bredekamp, S., and Rosegrant, T. (1992). Reaching potentials: appropriate curriculum and assessment for young children. Washington, DC: NAEY. Cabell, S., Justice, L., Piasta, S., Curenton, S., Wiggins, A., Turnbull, K., and Petsche, Y. (2011). The impact of teacher responsivity education on preschoolers' language and literacy skills. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 20, 315-333. Chawla, L. (2007). Childhood experiences associated with care for the natural world: a theoretical framework for empirical results. Children, Youth and Environments, 17(4), 144-170. Mooney, C. (2000). Theories of childhood: an introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget & Vygotsky. St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press. Morrisson, G. (2006). Early childhood education today. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. Perkins, D., and Mebert, C. (2005). Efficacy of multicultural education for preschool children: a domain-specific approach. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 36 (4), 497-512. Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. New York: International Universities Press. Read More