Tag: Early Childhood Education

Engaging children in successful problem solving skills

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To be successful in a global world, children will need to be effective problem solvers.

Parents and educators can help children develop problem solving skills by:

  • Asking children for their opinion on issues that affect them.
  • Encouraging turn taking.
  • Engaging children in individual reflections and group discussions.
  • Giving children time to respond and listening to what they have to say.
  • Discussing proposed actions and reaching a solution.
  • Trying out the solution and monitoring its success in solving the issue at hand.
  • Making the process of problem solving part of everyday communication.

A respect for what children can offer at all stages of their lives is the first step toward children’s success in life in a global world.

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Early childhood education and environmental education on climate change

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Climate changes increases heat and the frequency of fires, floods, storms, pollution, diseases, … It also make farming and growing food unpredictable. Most important, water can become scarce. Children growing up with those challenges could be part of the solution or the problem.

A report by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2015, proposed a climate agenda for children that would focus on:

  • Children’s needs for wellbeing,
  • Provision of strong education for children that would strengthen their resilience and problem solving capabilities,
  • Embedding environmental education and sustainability in the curriculum, and
  • Protection of children who are impacted by climate change.

References:

The Climate Reality Project. (2019, January 12). How is climate change affecting Australia? Retrieved from https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/how-climate-change-affecting-australia

United Nations Children’s Fund. Division of Data, Research and Policy. (2015, November). Unless we act now: The impact of climate change on children. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Unless_we_act_now_The_impact_of_climate_change_on_children.pdf

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Bonding

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holding handsBonding is an interpersonal relationship between the child and his/her caregiver(s). This could be any person close to the child as he/she seeks to fulfil own needs.

Bonding is an attachment built on affection and trust. The child makes assumptions about the friendliness and security of the unknown world based on the strength of this attachment.

An insecure attachment projects distrust in the world. So, it is important to be responsive to children and as they grow up, and to show them the way in the neighbourhood, the school, and their larger communities.

Once secure in their environments, children will internalise the feeling and will approach unknown situations with positive attitudes. This is highly needed as many systems change very rapidly around us and in the world. Children will learn how to take risks and how to be resilient.

For more information, check this resource by Wikipedia.

Nature vs. Nurture

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question marks imageWhich is more important in shaping who we are: genetics (nature) or the environment (nurture)?

To make the long story short, nature gives up the potential that we could reach. That potential has not been measured accurately with the current tests.

The environment can present barriers or incentives for us to reach our potential. How far we can go in a global world remains open to speculations. Why? Because we are the only ones who could decide how far we could go once put in different situations. A positive outlook and a friendly environment are enough to help unleash our potential.

For more information, check this resource by Bright Hub.

Managing children who are fussy eaters

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Children can get fussy about eating and parents can become frustrated on how to manage the situation. To alleviate the issue, parents are encouraged to:

  • Stick to fixed times for meals.
  • Offer healthy options.
  • Have the child decide how much to eat.
  • Avoid giving the child unhealthy food between meals.
  • Limit the child’s intake of water and juices immediately before scheduled meals.
  • Practise healthy eating and show enjoyment while eating.
  • Remove the food after 20 minutes and refrain from offering alternatives.
  • Avoid giving the issue too much attention.

Reference:

Australian Government. Department of Health and Ageing. (2009, 2013). Get Up & Grow. Healthy eating and physical activity for early childhood: Family book. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/phd-gug-child-familybook

Play and the acquisition of mathematical concepts

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Play in the classroom or at home provides opportunities for math explorations. Mathematical concepts that can be covered in the classroom are:

Number: A child could count a small group of children sitting at a table and give them one slice of apple each.

Patterns and algebra: A teacher could ask children to make up steps for a dance of their choice.

Measurements: Engaging in a cooking activity allows children to measure ingredients.

Space: Filling in sand in buckets of different sizes or putting away blocks extends children’s understanding of space.

Chance and data: Making predictions about the weather and giving reasons for the predictions.

In order for children to internalise the concepts, it is important for teachers and parents to encourage them to verbalise their understanding and to help them make meaning of the concept(s) instead of giving them the answers. Engaging in problem solving and reasoning helps children incorporate mathematical concepts naturally and successfully in their daily lives and in their schooling.

For further reading, refer to:

Yelland, N., Diezmann, C., & Butler, D. (2014). Early mathematical explorations. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

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Play and assessment in early childhood education: Is it a paradox?

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Play is a main medium where teachers can learn about the children. It provides an opportunity for teachers to observe and assess children systematically and frequently. Depending on how much time teachers have, they could observe by taking detailed notes as events are unfolding or by writing short summaries. Teachers can also collect samples or take pictures of children’s work to save in a portfolio.

The assessment through play is developmental and incremental in nature. Children achieve differently depending on the time, activity, and context. Play activities mirror children’s interactions with material, handling of new instructions, engagement with peers, problem solving abilities, implementation techniques, and task closure. Agency and creativity are also transparent through play.

For further reading, refer to:

Ebbeck, M. (2016). Assessing children’s learning through play. In M. Ebbeck & M. Waniganayake (Eds.), Play in early childhood education: Learning in diverse contexts (2nd ed., pp. 42-59). Victoria, Australia: Oxford University Press.

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Challenging barriers to inclusion in early childhood education

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Educators who want to implement inclusion practices in early childhood education are challenged by three main types of barriers: personal, attitudinal, and organisational.

Personal barriers revolve around the educators’ feelings of discomfort in interacting with diverse children. Teaching strategies could be inappropriate due to missing background knowledge. In addition, educators feel threatened by the demands of differentiated teaching and the additional time involved.

Educators holding attitudinal barriers feel that inclusion will negatively affect children without disabilities. They perceive children with disabilities or children from different races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds as a burden. This is often based on preconceived ideas about US and THEM with negative connotations associated with the OTHER.

Organisational barriers include lack of funding, resources, competent professionals, or commitment dedicated to inclusive practices.

Play is a developmentally appropriate medium to practise inclusion. It is a medium where all children can contribute when the activities are planned adequately.

Educators are advised to team up with families and other professionals in order to develop proficiency in practising inclusive education.

ALL children can succeed in a global world. To do so, they need to be given opportunities to build success starting in early childhood.

Reference:

National PSC Alliance. (n.d.). Inclusion fact sheet: Understanding inclusion. Retrieved from https://www.ecrh.edu.au/docs/default-source/resources/ipsp/understanding-inclusion.pdf?sfvrsn=6

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The “Doll Test” and teaching respect in early childhood

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Children learn to make judgments about who they are at a very young age. They have also developed ideas about different groups. The Doll Test examined children’s attitudes towards race and found that most children have practised and internalised racism.

The Doll Test is available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkpUyB2xgTM

An Italian version of the Doll Test experiment is available at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRZPw-9sJtQ

In one study around Difference, Diversity, and Human Dignity (the Three Ds), a team of researchers used story time to discuss children’s emerging understandings of skin color, race, ethnicity, disability, self-worth, poverty, and gender. They analysed 36 videotaped story sessions and found that children’ negative attitudes towards the Three Ds changed. Children became more inclusive in their language and behaviour as a result of discussing the stories.

Teaching for social justice is important in early childhood in order to help children develop to their full potential and to be active members in a global world.

Reference:

Hawkins, K. (2014). Teaching for social justice, social responsibility and social inclusion: A respectful pedagogy for twenty-first century early childhood education. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 22(5), 723-738. doi:10.1080/1350293X

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Children’s Play

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pexels-photo-262488

Different cultures view play through different lenses. Sometimes parents ask their children to stop playing and start studying. In early childhood, learning is embedded in play.

By not playing and exploring the environment, children are missing out on important benefits.

Through play, children improve their communication skills, enhance their social and emotional wellbeing, develop a faster memory, and try creative solutions.

Most important, they live healthier and happier.

For more information, refer to the Parenting for Brain website.

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