Preschools maximize potential learning<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Executive Principal, High\/Scope Indonesia School,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The other day, I happened to be talking to a couple of friends
\nwho have two small children, the oldest of which is now attending
\npreschool.<\/p>\n
It was quite surprising how flippant and even dismissive they
\nwere regarding their child's attendance of a small
\npreschool-playgroup, which was being run from a large converted
\nhouse conveniently located in their neighborhood.<\/p>\n
Effectively, they seemed quite unconcerned about whether or
\nnot their daughter was having an educationally valuable
\nexperience, within this playgroup.<\/p>\n
It seemed as though they were only mildly interested in
\nfinding out what their child was doing at playgroup. Of course,
\ntheir own very busy lives had a part to play. Both of them are
\nimportant figures within their respective companies, they have
\nlittle time to review their child's activities, or even attend
\nthe preschool.<\/p>\n
The father said, with very open honesty, that as long as the
\nchild was safe, and did not get hurt clambering over the various
\nclimbing frames available in the small playground, then "we (the
\nparents) feel comfortable that she is being kept busy, happy and
\nsafe throughout the day, while we are busy."<\/p>\n
It is not difficult to see, then, that for this couple, the
\nnotion of a playgroup-preschool environment is little more than a
\nconvenient babysitting and time-filling facility for busy parents
\nwith young children. They, by their own admission, have given
\nlittle thought to the educational value of what is happening at
\nthe preschool. It was, therefore, with some surprise and concern
\nthat they listened to, really quite basic thoughts, about the
\neducational value and worth of carefully considering preschool
\nactivities, and how significant preschool life can be to a
\nchild's development.<\/p>\n
It is true, that even with a quite basic appreciation of early
\nlearning one can come to a quite critical recognition of the
\nvalue of care when thinking of preschools. For example, the early
\neducation experiences that a child has can be hugely influential
\nin the patterning of a child's ability to think, which can have
\nlong term implications for thinking skills right through into
\nadulthood.<\/p>\n
A significant, and by now quite large, library of research has
\nbeen built up, which indicates the importance of early childhood
\neducational experiences to the development of a person's ability
\nto enter into higher levels of thinking.<\/p>\n
A number of research projects have proposed indicators that
\nshow a link between early educational encounters and later
\nabilities; or rather shortcomings in ability, where a child has
\nnot had good early learning experiences, which highlight the
\ncritical nature of careful thought being applied to early
\nchildhood education. For example, it has been proposed that a
\nchild that is allowed to remain confused and even discouraged in
\nan early childhood education environment -- particularly when it
\ncomes to thoughts of a mathematical nature -- is likely to grow
\nup to be someone who is anxious and lacking in confidence when it
\ncomes to dealing with numerical data and coping with other forms
\nof abstract thought.<\/p>\n
It seems that educational experiences in early childhood can
\nbe profoundly determining factors for future abilities,
\ndevelopment and intellectual growth. Patterns formed early on in
\nlife are likely to be the templates of future intellectual and
\npsychological performance. It has been shown that a small child
\nthat has encountered difficulties in dealing with numerical data
\ngrows up to have an overt dislike for both mathematics, and
\nindeed technical subjects of all kinds.<\/p>\n
This highlights the critical need for a preschool learning
\nenvironment that is both well-designed -- to provide the right
\nkind of experiences for the child -- and capably managed, in
\norder to achieve a comfortable and appealing learning
\nenvironment.<\/p>\n
Such positive early learning experiences include a supportive
\nprogram of learning, in which the child is exposed to things that
\ncan stimulate intelligent and thoughtful behavior. A quite simple
\nexample has been used to illustrate how seemingly small,
\ninsignificant and even obvious things can be highly formative and
\nproductive for a small child.<\/p>\n
Many people will be familiar with the notion of reading story
\nbooks to small children, but, perhaps, fewer people will realize
\nthat with just a little extra thought the reading of a story book
\ncan become a highly stimulating and developmentally beneficial
\nactivity.<\/p>\n
A child of three or four years of age can 'read along' with
\nthe story. Although the child cannot yet really read, by having
\nthe child look at the printed words on the page while the story
\nis being read the child will begin to realize that there is a
\nlink between those printed words and the words that he\/she is
\nhearing from the reader.<\/p>\n
This can form a highly beneficial pre-reading skill that will
\nmake it easier for the child to truly start reading. There are
\nalso a variety of other pre-reading activities that a child may
\nbe exposed to at preschool that can prove beneficial. For
\nexample, the staff at a preschool can involve the children in
\nreading by entering into a discussion of the story, through which
\nthey are encouraged to think about the plot, characters -- likes
\nand dislikes -- and sequencing of the story. Remembering
\nsomething that happened in a story can engage a child's mind in
\nreading. Also, songs involving sequences engage, as do nursery
\nrhymes.<\/p>\n
Obviously, the above are just some examples of how little
\nchildren may be stimulated and encouraged to take pleasure in,
\n(what might otherwise in our modern world be considered a rather
\nmundane activity, such as), reading. It is probably true to state
\nthat an activity, such as reading, is particularly challenging
\nfor children today, given the extent of televised entertainment.
\nHowever, this only adds to the critical nature of a good
\npreschool learning environment.<\/p>\n
It is too easy to think of preschools as time-fillers or
\nplaces at which little children will merely play. Preschools can,
\nand probably should, provide a place of learning that will help
\nchildren succeed in their school lives and beyond. The kind of
\nstimulation and thinking practice that can be formulated at this
\nearly stage is not something that should be underestimated.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/preschools-maximize-potential-learning-1447899208",
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