People say babies only cry, sleep and poop. But if you intentionally observe them you notice they are really busy. They discover the world and they are immersed in a very intense social study. They watch the light coming through the blinds. They delight looking at the leafs in the tree moved by the wind. They learn by example, it is proven. Our brains are powered by mirror neurons.
"A mirror neuron is a neuron that fires both when an animal acts and when the animal observes the same action performed by another. Thus, the neuron "mirrors" the behavior of the other, as though the observer."
They watch us make faces. They listen to us talking to strangers and they watch us using out phones and computers...all day. I've heard many people say children are born tech savvy in this generation. My theory is they are born in a world with tech-savvy parents and adults, that is why they are so skilled at it.
If you want your kids to spend more time off the screen start yourself. It's easier said than done.
"Whether a child is 8 months old or 2 or 7, we need to teach children how to process things, make transitions, comfort themselves, deal with feelings and shift gears. We are becoming more and more reliant on computers, whether it’s a game or book, to function for kids in that way. "
Here is the full article about screen time recently published in the Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2014/08/06/parents-are-the-ones-who-need-limits-on-screen-time/
Showing posts with label Social/Political Influences for teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social/Political Influences for teaching. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Basic Skills: Pushed down curriculum in preschools vs. pushed up curriculum in business schools
For several years, early childhood experts have been promoting developmentally appropriate practices in response to the “escalated” or “pushed-down” curriculum. What is the pushed-down curriculum? In short, Preschool classes and kindergartens have begun to look more like traditional 1st grade classes were young children are expected to sit quietly while they listen a whole-class instruction filling in worksheets. Even though it is not developmentally appropriate, some parents favor this change with the idea to give their children a "head start" in life based on the belief that faster is better, at least academically speaking. “We worship speed,” says Jim Uphoff, a professor of education at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. “That's an integral part of our beliefs.”
But, what are the consequences of this nonsense race? The consequences are that the skills that were once taught in preschool, or the early years of life, are now being "pushed-up" to business school curriculums or executive training with the labels of leadership, strategy, negotiation and innovation. Lets see some examples from the latest issues of the Harvard Business Review; a magazine known as the "source of the best new ideas for people creating, leading, and transforming business":
The article Leadership is a conversation (June 2012) states "Smart leaders today, we have found, engage with employees in a way that resembles an ordinary person-to-person conversation more than it does a series of commands from on high. Furthermore, they initiate practices and foster cultural norms that instill a conversational sensibility throughout their organizations." This model is a complete opposite of what is modeled for children in the educational setting. Traditional teachers give to children "a series of commands from on high" and rearly foster conversations that go beyond having the right answer. Maybe that's why the art of conversation is now one of the most important topics in business schools and executive coaching programs. Go figure.
Also in June, the article Let your Ideas go was published. The premise is that an idea can only evolve being held with an open hand, that's how ideas grow bigger. The key is "openness, [which] changes everything when used. Openness is a stance — to share with, to collaborate, to distribute power to many. Openness is powerful, even catalytic. On a personal level, it not only allows us to share, but to co-create with speed. On an organizational level, it allows for more than collaboration, it enables communities. At a societal level, it is more than distributing power, and allowing for the shift from what is to what will be. It also allow for shared responsibility." Does the educational competitive model, focused on academics and having the right answer first, supports openness? Not really. So, How do we teach and practice openness? By being open to others' ideas and by sharing ours. By listening to children's ideas and co-creating instead of competing with them. By showing the value and the possibilities of letting ideas go. Openness is an attitude and attitudes are developed over time. From my point of view, better start young.
Finally at the end of July, the article How leaders become self aware was published finding that "there is one quality that trumps all, evident in virtually every great entrepreneur, manager, and leader. That quality is self-awareness. The best thing leaders can [do] to improve their effectiveness is to become more aware of what motivates them and their decision-making." How can you know what motivates you when the expectations growing up are good grades on every subject in order to move to the next grade? Most of the goals or challenges during childhood are extrinsically motivated rather than intrinsically. Decisions are made by adults and informed to children expecting blindness obidience. It is not surprising that the majority of high school graduates have no idea which profession to pursue in a world they hardly know. It is sad that self-awarness has become a rare quality that we start reading about and developing later in life.
Today's world is fast paced and often called the social era demanding more than ever the art of conversation, openness and self-awareness. Today, they might be a luxury. In the next decade, they will be basic skills needed from early on. In the past, information was power. Nowadays information is available for anyone. Critical thinking and consciousness will lead the way in the next century, if not this one. Isn't it time for the educational system and our teaching/parenting practices to catch up? I think so. Let’s stop pushing curriculums up and down and act today. No matter what world you live in, preschool or the boardroom, let's focus on what's important.
The article Leadership is a conversation (June 2012) states "Smart leaders today, we have found, engage with employees in a way that resembles an ordinary person-to-person conversation more than it does a series of commands from on high. Furthermore, they initiate practices and foster cultural norms that instill a conversational sensibility throughout their organizations." This model is a complete opposite of what is modeled for children in the educational setting. Traditional teachers give to children "a series of commands from on high" and rearly foster conversations that go beyond having the right answer. Maybe that's why the art of conversation is now one of the most important topics in business schools and executive coaching programs. Go figure.
Also in June, the article Let your Ideas go was published. The premise is that an idea can only evolve being held with an open hand, that's how ideas grow bigger. The key is "openness, [which] changes everything when used. Openness is a stance — to share with, to collaborate, to distribute power to many. Openness is powerful, even catalytic. On a personal level, it not only allows us to share, but to co-create with speed. On an organizational level, it allows for more than collaboration, it enables communities. At a societal level, it is more than distributing power, and allowing for the shift from what is to what will be. It also allow for shared responsibility." Does the educational competitive model, focused on academics and having the right answer first, supports openness? Not really. So, How do we teach and practice openness? By being open to others' ideas and by sharing ours. By listening to children's ideas and co-creating instead of competing with them. By showing the value and the possibilities of letting ideas go. Openness is an attitude and attitudes are developed over time. From my point of view, better start young.
Finally at the end of July, the article How leaders become self aware was published finding that "there is one quality that trumps all, evident in virtually every great entrepreneur, manager, and leader. That quality is self-awareness. The best thing leaders can [do] to improve their effectiveness is to become more aware of what motivates them and their decision-making." How can you know what motivates you when the expectations growing up are good grades on every subject in order to move to the next grade? Most of the goals or challenges during childhood are extrinsically motivated rather than intrinsically. Decisions are made by adults and informed to children expecting blindness obidience. It is not surprising that the majority of high school graduates have no idea which profession to pursue in a world they hardly know. It is sad that self-awarness has become a rare quality that we start reading about and developing later in life.
Today's world is fast paced and often called the social era demanding more than ever the art of conversation, openness and self-awareness. Today, they might be a luxury. In the next decade, they will be basic skills needed from early on. In the past, information was power. Nowadays information is available for anyone. Critical thinking and consciousness will lead the way in the next century, if not this one. Isn't it time for the educational system and our teaching/parenting practices to catch up? I think so. Let’s stop pushing curriculums up and down and act today. No matter what world you live in, preschool or the boardroom, let's focus on what's important.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Education as an active/living process
"Each one of us who works in education has learned in the field that many things can be gathered from the cultural patrimony, many from theories and experiences, many from literature, the arts, economics, and science and technology. But many things are also born intuition, taste, ethics and value choices, of reason and opportunities that in part we control and in part are suggested by our own craft in living.
Nevertheless within this constellation of things, balancing between stable and unstable theories and practices, necessary, possible and even accidental; and between oscillations, disequilibria and even adversities of social policies, there remains a space and freedom to use our own intelligence, passion and creativity. "
Loris Malaguzzi, 1995
Nevertheless within this constellation of things, balancing between stable and unstable theories and practices, necessary, possible and even accidental; and between oscillations, disequilibria and even adversities of social policies, there remains a space and freedom to use our own intelligence, passion and creativity. "
Loris Malaguzzi, 1995
Monday, November 23, 2009
Internal vs. External Motivations
"There's a common misconception that a person's skill is their talent. Skills, however, are not talents. Talents, on the other hand, require skills. People can have skills and knowledge in areas where their talents do not lie. If they have a job that requires their skills but not their talents, organizations will never tap into their passion or voice. They'll go through the motions, but this will only make them appear to need external supervision and motivation.
If you can hire people whose passion intersects with the job, they won't require any supervision at all. They will manage themselves better than anyone could ever manage them. Their fire comes from within, not from without. Their motivation is internal, not external."
Stephen Covey (1932 - )
If you can hire people whose passion intersects with the job, they won't require any supervision at all. They will manage themselves better than anyone could ever manage them. Their fire comes from within, not from without. Their motivation is internal, not external."
Stephen Covey (1932 - )
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Fear of the wolves in the Wilderness
The Wilderness of Childhood
"The traveler soon learns that the only way to come to know a city, to form a mental map of it, however provisional, and begin to find his or her own way around it is to visit it alone, preferably on foot, and then become as lost as one possibly can. I have been to Chicago maybe a half-dozen times in my life, on book tours, and yet I still don't know my North Shore from my North Side, because every time I've visited, I have been picked up and driven around, and taken to see the sights by someone far more versed than I in the city's wonders and hazards. State Street, Halsted Street, the Loop—to me it's all a vast jumbled lot of stage sets and backdrops passing by the window of a car. The is is the kind of door-to-door, all-encompassing escort service that we adults have contrived to provide for our children."
"There are reasons for all of this. The helmeting and monitoring, the corralling of children into certified zones of safety, is in part the product of the Consumer Reports mentality, the generally increased consciousness, in America, of safety and danger. To this one might add the growing demands of insurance actuarials and the national pastime of torts. But the primary reason for this curtailing of adventure, this closing off of Wilderness, is the increased anxiety we all feel over the abduction of children by strangers; we fear the wolves in the Wilderness. This is not a rational fear; in 1999, for example, according to the Justice Department, the number of abductions by strangers in the United States was 115. Such crimes have always occurred at about the same rate; being a child is exactly no more and no less dangerous than it ever was. What has changed is that the horror is so much better known. At times it seems as if parents are being deliberately encouraged to fear for their children's lives, though only a cynic would suggest there was money to be made in doing so."
"If children are not permitted—not taught—to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world of adventure, of stories, of literature itself?"
Author: Michael Chabon
"The traveler soon learns that the only way to come to know a city, to form a mental map of it, however provisional, and begin to find his or her own way around it is to visit it alone, preferably on foot, and then become as lost as one possibly can. I have been to Chicago maybe a half-dozen times in my life, on book tours, and yet I still don't know my North Shore from my North Side, because every time I've visited, I have been picked up and driven around, and taken to see the sights by someone far more versed than I in the city's wonders and hazards. State Street, Halsted Street, the Loop—to me it's all a vast jumbled lot of stage sets and backdrops passing by the window of a car. The is is the kind of door-to-door, all-encompassing escort service that we adults have contrived to provide for our children."
"There are reasons for all of this. The helmeting and monitoring, the corralling of children into certified zones of safety, is in part the product of the Consumer Reports mentality, the generally increased consciousness, in America, of safety and danger. To this one might add the growing demands of insurance actuarials and the national pastime of torts. But the primary reason for this curtailing of adventure, this closing off of Wilderness, is the increased anxiety we all feel over the abduction of children by strangers; we fear the wolves in the Wilderness. This is not a rational fear; in 1999, for example, according to the Justice Department, the number of abductions by strangers in the United States was 115. Such crimes have always occurred at about the same rate; being a child is exactly no more and no less dangerous than it ever was. What has changed is that the horror is so much better known. At times it seems as if parents are being deliberately encouraged to fear for their children's lives, though only a cynic would suggest there was money to be made in doing so."
"If children are not permitted—not taught—to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world of adventure, of stories, of literature itself?"
Author: Michael Chabon
Monday, November 16, 2009
What is the purpose of schooling?
"We are told constantly that the purpose of schooling is to prepare our children to compete in a global economy. There is rarely any mention of a broader vision of education that includes a focus of the whole person. The emphasis is primary economic. "Education" in many cases has become a series of tests and hurdles rather than focusing on learning."
Source: Education and the Soul. Toward a spiritual curriculum. John P. Miller
Source: Education and the Soul. Toward a spiritual curriculum. John P. Miller
Thoughts about Education by Ken Robinson
Ken+Robinson+says+schools+kill+creativity+%7C+Video+on+TED.com
"If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with an original idea."
"If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with an original idea."
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Is the lack of self-expression outlets affecting child behaviors in today's society?
Teachers and parents have a critical role in helping children express their inner selves and feelings. My belief is that most of the time misbehavior is just the effect of the lack of tools for managing feelings emotions and the inexplicable events of life that cannot be predicted or do not follow a pattern.
“Children with expertise in many creative endeavors have the self confidence that comes from having an outlet for self-expression.”(Page 526). It is distressing to see art and music programs disappearing from the curriculum in public schools due to budget cuts. I wonder if this has an impact in the rise of conversations on issues of misbehavior and stress in young children.
Source: Beginnings and Beyond. Gordon, Browne.
“Children with expertise in many creative endeavors have the self confidence that comes from having an outlet for self-expression.”(Page 526). It is distressing to see art and music programs disappearing from the curriculum in public schools due to budget cuts. I wonder if this has an impact in the rise of conversations on issues of misbehavior and stress in young children.
Source: Beginnings and Beyond. Gordon, Browne.
Partnership between Parents and Teachers
It is challenging to create a strong partnership between parents and teachers in today’s society. Coming from the business world I understand the time and financial pressures that parents face. Child-care costs are on the rise and many jobs do not allow a flexible schedule, which is a shame. I personally feel that results based organizations are more effective than organizations that work 9 to 5. Flexible Work Schedules are being used more and more and this will allow parents to be more involved in their children education. Technology is also helping in this transition allowing people to not be restricted to a physical space in order to work.
I think parents want to be involved in their children education; we just have to create effective and meaningful opportunities for parents to participate so they feel it is worth it to take the time to be involved.
I think parents want to be involved in their children education; we just have to create effective and meaningful opportunities for parents to participate so they feel it is worth it to take the time to be involved.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
A Class Divided: The power of learning through experience
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/view.html
This is one of the most requested programs in FRONTLINE's history. It is about an Iowa schoolteacher who, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968, gave her third-grade students a first-hand experience in the meaning of discrimination. This is the story of what she taught the children, and the impact that lesson had on their lives.
A Class Divided series are an amazing example of the power of learning through experience. Even though the children had talked about the concept on discrimination before the lesson, it only made sense when it was relevant to them, when they felt what it was like to be discriminated against and where was a personal experience attached to it. I think this is the case with every piece of knowledge we acquire during our life. The difference between an activity or a lesson and an experience is how much we internalize the concept during the process.
We can memorize concepts and facts but knowledge only comes from experience as it allow us test our theories and decide what is worth keeping making every concept in our head meaningful.
I was also impressed by the power of emotions. When our emotional state is troubled, it affects our thinking and intellectual skills. When the children were asked why their scores where lower the day they were discriminated against they said “We kept thinking about the collars”.
We are often scared to expose young children to tough learning situations in which we deal with delicate subjects. I believe that the reason we are so fearful is because it will put us in an uncomfortable situations facing the unexpected in a non controllable environment. However, every human being will face sturdy situations during their life and if we don’t deal with them they will be processed based on assumptions instead of accurate guidance. The important lesson is not to avoid these situations but learn to use them as learning opportunities and the importance to reflect on the activity to make learning visible. Jane Elliot is an amazing fearless teacher. When she asked her students: Is the learning worth the agony? They all said YES! It remained me of this quote:
“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” John Haywood
This video is also a great tool to evaluate our thoughts and how attuned they are with our actions. Another quote: “If the map doesn’t agree with the ground, the map is wrong.” Gordon Livingston. :)
This is one of the most requested programs in FRONTLINE's history. It is about an Iowa schoolteacher who, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in 1968, gave her third-grade students a first-hand experience in the meaning of discrimination. This is the story of what she taught the children, and the impact that lesson had on their lives.
A Class Divided series are an amazing example of the power of learning through experience. Even though the children had talked about the concept on discrimination before the lesson, it only made sense when it was relevant to them, when they felt what it was like to be discriminated against and where was a personal experience attached to it. I think this is the case with every piece of knowledge we acquire during our life. The difference between an activity or a lesson and an experience is how much we internalize the concept during the process.
We can memorize concepts and facts but knowledge only comes from experience as it allow us test our theories and decide what is worth keeping making every concept in our head meaningful.
I was also impressed by the power of emotions. When our emotional state is troubled, it affects our thinking and intellectual skills. When the children were asked why their scores where lower the day they were discriminated against they said “We kept thinking about the collars”.
We are often scared to expose young children to tough learning situations in which we deal with delicate subjects. I believe that the reason we are so fearful is because it will put us in an uncomfortable situations facing the unexpected in a non controllable environment. However, every human being will face sturdy situations during their life and if we don’t deal with them they will be processed based on assumptions instead of accurate guidance. The important lesson is not to avoid these situations but learn to use them as learning opportunities and the importance to reflect on the activity to make learning visible. Jane Elliot is an amazing fearless teacher. When she asked her students: Is the learning worth the agony? They all said YES! It remained me of this quote:
“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” John Haywood
This video is also a great tool to evaluate our thoughts and how attuned they are with our actions. Another quote: “If the map doesn’t agree with the ground, the map is wrong.” Gordon Livingston. :)
Friday, May 22, 2009
The social and political contexts of teaching
The socio-political factors which influence teaching have changed through history. “Every time period has social and political events that influenced the reaction of people…, which influenced how children where raised and educated” (Page 6). However, I found very interesting the fact that many of our programs today have the same structure and subjects taught by Greeks and Romans centuries ago.
Teaching was influenced by socio-political factors in the ancient times by the fact that children where considered adults by age seven had a great impact on the schooling practices at the time. (Page 9)
It is interesting how practices like homeschooling were the norm and where seen as the best method to teach in 400 A.D but today only “850,000 students are homeschooled” (Page 71) out of millions around the world who attend school settings.
Gender and social economic status segregated education for many years. It is important to notice that the term “education” has a high academic component to it. Middle class and women in the early years in fact received education in the form of apprenticeships for different trades, which interestedly enough is now incorporated in the progressive education movements and theories developed by Dewey, Smith Hill, Eliot, Vygotsky; which support the idea of learning by doing (free play in the early years).
During World War II, women played a key role in the work force while the husbands where abroad fighting the war. At this point it was OK for them to enter the work force because of the political environment and because of the lack of skilled workers available in the country, especially for manufacturing in war related industries (Page 27). This political factor forced the companies to take responsibility for children in order to increase productivity and reduce absences in the work force. The Kaiser Child Care Centers (1943-1945) created a great program that supported the whole child in its physical, emotional and cognitive needs as well as the parents. (Pages 28, 85-87). However in this setting, the leading force of the educational setting was the company. It is interesting that at the end of World War II, the Reggio Emilia approach was created based on the idea that the involvement of the parents was important and they needed to have a greater say in the school decision making (Page 313).
In regards to the social forces, I believe the fact that many families do not stay in the same geographical area have a great impact in the way parents raise their kids. Technological factors have helped bridging the physical gap making easier for families to stay together. However, for many families the first resource for information for new parents (mother or other family members) is not available. The knowledge that was passed through generations in the past is not happening in many cases and the mothers are now turning to the community in order to look for new sources of information. I think this has had a great impact in the fact that cultural differences and diversity are now taken into account and integrated in the educational setting. The involvement of father’s is another thing to consider, especially at the early years, a period in which they were not involved before.
Nowadays we can see how socio-political issues such as immigration and cultural diversity have an impact on today’s educational reform.
How is curriculum developed? By whom? How does elementary curriculum impact preschool curriculum?
The way the curriculum is developed varies per school and method or philosophy. In a traditional setting the curriculum is created by the teacher based on topics that the teacher consider important or relevant for the children in order to function in our society or to be ready to enter kindergarten and perform based on the standards of elementary education.
In schools that support the emergent curriculum and the Reggio Emilia approach (Page 313), the curriculum is created based on observations of the child trying to create a child centered curriculum based on the interest of the children as a group. Considering that each community has social, political, economic conditions; this approach makes more sense to me even though it presents greater challenges when you try to regulate or standardize programs to evaluate quality (Chapter 2). The question that comes to mind then is: Which curriculum and standards do we have to evaluate, elementary or Early Childhood Eduaction?
In regards to the process of how curriculum is developed in the US, the No Child Left Behind Public Act of 2001 is a United States federal law that was originally proposed by President George W. Bush in 2001. This law is based on a stardard-based education reform.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. NCLB is built on four principles: accountability for results, more choices for parents, greater local control and flexibility, and an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research.
I think scientific research is not always right if you don’t measure the key variables. One famous case is the New Coke Research study that after investing 4 million dollars in research supported the change of the Coca-Cola formula based on taste preference but fail to take into account the emotional attachment to taste. I hope that this is not the case with the NCLB Act.
Coming from and Engineering and Marketing background, I can see how these programs show improvement in what is measured and it is probably accurate and shows positive results. On the other hand, data is can be easily manipulated to prove your hypothesis, that is why it is highly criticized by many educators.
The act seeks to narrow class and racial gaps in school performance by creating common expectations for all. But can you have common expectations? Does the scientific research in which best practices and standards cover all classes and racial groups in order to develop this types of standards? The intentions of the act from my point of view are excellent but when put into practice we are talking about a system with too many uncontrollable variables to implement a one fits all practices.
In the words of Bill Ayers:
"Standardized tests can't measure initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking, curiosity, effort, irony, judgment, commitment, nuance, good will, ethical reflection, or a host of other valuable dispositions and attributes. What they can measure and count are isolated skills, specific facts and function, content knowledge, the least interesting and least significant aspects of learning."
A primary criticism asserts that the act could reduce effective instruction and student learning because it may cause states to lower achievement goals and motivate teachers to "teach to the test", since each state set up its achievement goals. The emphasizes in reading, writing, mathematics and science “leaves behind” many core competences that enrich the child as a whole and that are more difficult to standardize. A positive side is that monitoring schools allow interventions to happen early and assess issues on the basic core competencies evaluated in the program.
Personally, I think these tests controlling the curriculum have not made children and families happier and more successful in life. Maybe they have help families to function in the society we live in, which is not a bad thing, but happier?….I am not sure. Is there is a research study about the subject?. I think it has added a lot of stress in parents, teachers, and ultimately children. It teaches kids to learn based on external motivations (Pass a test) and does not promote the development of internal motivations.
I think the legislation for elementary schools has had an impact on early childhood programs. I think parents are big influences. School readiness is a major concern for parents and standards and statistics play a mayor on parent’s perceptions. Preschool administrators and the teachers are constantly pressured on this matter. I think teachers do their best in order to find a balance but priorities need to be evaluated constantly in order to avoid creating a curriculum that is too narrow and do not promote the development of the whole child.
In what ways do differences of gender, culture, physical and emotional and cognitive abilities impact teachers and children in early childhood programs?
The differences impact in so many ways the early childhood education programs:
- Language: The language that we use to guide children in their learning process, as well as the language that we use to communicate with parents.
- Curriculum: In order to engage children in their learning process all of these differences must be taken into account.
- School Environment: The materials available for children as well as the social dynamic between peers and teachers.
- Parent Education: The needs of each child are different as well as the needs from the parents. Parent’s backgrounds and expectations should always be considered during Parent Conferences and Parent Seminars. Teacher Training: The teacher needs to develop skills and knowledge in multiple areas including cultural practices.
Source:
Gordon, Browne. Beginnings and Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education
Teaching was influenced by socio-political factors in the ancient times by the fact that children where considered adults by age seven had a great impact on the schooling practices at the time. (Page 9)
It is interesting how practices like homeschooling were the norm and where seen as the best method to teach in 400 A.D but today only “850,000 students are homeschooled” (Page 71) out of millions around the world who attend school settings.
Gender and social economic status segregated education for many years. It is important to notice that the term “education” has a high academic component to it. Middle class and women in the early years in fact received education in the form of apprenticeships for different trades, which interestedly enough is now incorporated in the progressive education movements and theories developed by Dewey, Smith Hill, Eliot, Vygotsky; which support the idea of learning by doing (free play in the early years).
During World War II, women played a key role in the work force while the husbands where abroad fighting the war. At this point it was OK for them to enter the work force because of the political environment and because of the lack of skilled workers available in the country, especially for manufacturing in war related industries (Page 27). This political factor forced the companies to take responsibility for children in order to increase productivity and reduce absences in the work force. The Kaiser Child Care Centers (1943-1945) created a great program that supported the whole child in its physical, emotional and cognitive needs as well as the parents. (Pages 28, 85-87). However in this setting, the leading force of the educational setting was the company. It is interesting that at the end of World War II, the Reggio Emilia approach was created based on the idea that the involvement of the parents was important and they needed to have a greater say in the school decision making (Page 313).
In regards to the social forces, I believe the fact that many families do not stay in the same geographical area have a great impact in the way parents raise their kids. Technological factors have helped bridging the physical gap making easier for families to stay together. However, for many families the first resource for information for new parents (mother or other family members) is not available. The knowledge that was passed through generations in the past is not happening in many cases and the mothers are now turning to the community in order to look for new sources of information. I think this has had a great impact in the fact that cultural differences and diversity are now taken into account and integrated in the educational setting. The involvement of father’s is another thing to consider, especially at the early years, a period in which they were not involved before.
Nowadays we can see how socio-political issues such as immigration and cultural diversity have an impact on today’s educational reform.
How is curriculum developed? By whom? How does elementary curriculum impact preschool curriculum?
The way the curriculum is developed varies per school and method or philosophy. In a traditional setting the curriculum is created by the teacher based on topics that the teacher consider important or relevant for the children in order to function in our society or to be ready to enter kindergarten and perform based on the standards of elementary education.
In schools that support the emergent curriculum and the Reggio Emilia approach (Page 313), the curriculum is created based on observations of the child trying to create a child centered curriculum based on the interest of the children as a group. Considering that each community has social, political, economic conditions; this approach makes more sense to me even though it presents greater challenges when you try to regulate or standardize programs to evaluate quality (Chapter 2). The question that comes to mind then is: Which curriculum and standards do we have to evaluate, elementary or Early Childhood Eduaction?
In regards to the process of how curriculum is developed in the US, the No Child Left Behind Public Act of 2001 is a United States federal law that was originally proposed by President George W. Bush in 2001. This law is based on a stardard-based education reform.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. NCLB is built on four principles: accountability for results, more choices for parents, greater local control and flexibility, and an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research.
I think scientific research is not always right if you don’t measure the key variables. One famous case is the New Coke Research study that after investing 4 million dollars in research supported the change of the Coca-Cola formula based on taste preference but fail to take into account the emotional attachment to taste. I hope that this is not the case with the NCLB Act.
Coming from and Engineering and Marketing background, I can see how these programs show improvement in what is measured and it is probably accurate and shows positive results. On the other hand, data is can be easily manipulated to prove your hypothesis, that is why it is highly criticized by many educators.
The act seeks to narrow class and racial gaps in school performance by creating common expectations for all. But can you have common expectations? Does the scientific research in which best practices and standards cover all classes and racial groups in order to develop this types of standards? The intentions of the act from my point of view are excellent but when put into practice we are talking about a system with too many uncontrollable variables to implement a one fits all practices.
In the words of Bill Ayers:
"Standardized tests can't measure initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking, curiosity, effort, irony, judgment, commitment, nuance, good will, ethical reflection, or a host of other valuable dispositions and attributes. What they can measure and count are isolated skills, specific facts and function, content knowledge, the least interesting and least significant aspects of learning."
A primary criticism asserts that the act could reduce effective instruction and student learning because it may cause states to lower achievement goals and motivate teachers to "teach to the test", since each state set up its achievement goals. The emphasizes in reading, writing, mathematics and science “leaves behind” many core competences that enrich the child as a whole and that are more difficult to standardize. A positive side is that monitoring schools allow interventions to happen early and assess issues on the basic core competencies evaluated in the program.
Personally, I think these tests controlling the curriculum have not made children and families happier and more successful in life. Maybe they have help families to function in the society we live in, which is not a bad thing, but happier?….I am not sure. Is there is a research study about the subject?. I think it has added a lot of stress in parents, teachers, and ultimately children. It teaches kids to learn based on external motivations (Pass a test) and does not promote the development of internal motivations.
I think the legislation for elementary schools has had an impact on early childhood programs. I think parents are big influences. School readiness is a major concern for parents and standards and statistics play a mayor on parent’s perceptions. Preschool administrators and the teachers are constantly pressured on this matter. I think teachers do their best in order to find a balance but priorities need to be evaluated constantly in order to avoid creating a curriculum that is too narrow and do not promote the development of the whole child.
In what ways do differences of gender, culture, physical and emotional and cognitive abilities impact teachers and children in early childhood programs?
The differences impact in so many ways the early childhood education programs:
- Language: The language that we use to guide children in their learning process, as well as the language that we use to communicate with parents.
- Curriculum: In order to engage children in their learning process all of these differences must be taken into account.
- School Environment: The materials available for children as well as the social dynamic between peers and teachers.
- Parent Education: The needs of each child are different as well as the needs from the parents. Parent’s backgrounds and expectations should always be considered during Parent Conferences and Parent Seminars. Teacher Training: The teacher needs to develop skills and knowledge in multiple areas including cultural practices.
Source:
Gordon, Browne. Beginnings and Beyond: Foundations in Early Childhood Education
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