From the blog Remember Anything
Most parents, teachers, education experts, and private and government agencies agree that early childhood education is an important component of the child’s ability to discover his self-identity, determine his ability to cope with more challenging learning and develop his life skills. However, when it comes to the methods, approaches and philosophies to be applied in early childhood education, opinions vary. With the Reggio Emilia philosophy, however, you will have no doubts as to its usefulness and effectiveness in early childhood education.
Brief History
The Reggio Emilia philosophy came from the Italian city of the same name and from the villages surrounding it. According to Wikipedia, it was the parents’ proactive response to fascism and the destruction wrought by World War II.
In time, the philosophy spread through the rest of the world mainly because of its sound approach to early childhood education. Nowadays, most American schools adopt the philosophy.
Principles of the Philosophy
Upon closer inspection, the Reggio Emilia philosophy develops on the writings of famous scientists and philosophers like John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, David Hawkins, Jerome Bruner, and Howard Gardner. Today, new innovations and interpretations are applied on the basic philosophy in light of new studies and interactions, but these principles are still adhered to:
* An emergent curriculum is adapted wherein the teachers build upon the interests of the children as the lesson progresses, called spiral progression, and team planning between all parties is necessary to achieve sustained learning.
* Children are treated with respect and responsibility such that their observations, ideas, theories, and hypotheses provide the direction teachers will take during the lessons.
* The power of documentation is used for both assessment purposes and advocacy concerns. Pictures, transcripts, and other representations of the children’s activities are carefully taken and studied to enable both teachers and parents to understand the children better and therefore to educate them better.
* Project work is based on the premise that learning by doing, discussion in groups, and intensive studies of ideas and interests are of great importance. This may start as either a planned or a chance event and may be for either a short-term or a long-term period.
* Great stress is placed on the environment as the “third teacher.” The physical layout suggests a learning environment where communication, interaction, and relationships are optimally fostered. Thus, there is ample and amiable space in Reggio Emilia schools.
* Parents are expected to become active partners in their children’s education. Their support can take many forms, but the basic premise is that the children’s welfare within the program is their responsibility, too.
Weaving through the above-mentioned basic principles is the so-called “hundred languages of children” that represent the many symbolic language components of the Reggio Emilia philosophy – the spoken and written word, dramatic play, drawing and sculpture. Through the hundred languages, children learn to work together to solve problems, learn new things and discover new knowledge.
The practitioners of the Reggio Emilia philosophy profess neither to be the best in the field nor advocate the approach as the ideal model for education. Instead, you have to view the philosophy as an experience wherein early childhood education centers on treating its recipients with respect and responsibility in a supportive environment where teachers and parents work in collaboration with the children. What more can you ask for in education?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Another Blog Stolen from Another Blog: Parental Conceptions of School Readiness
Featured Abstract: Parental Conceptions of School Readiness
Christina Satkowski -
February 12, 2009 - 11:20am
A recent study in Early Education and Development looks at what skills parents believe their children must have in order to be kindergarten-ready.
Research Findings: This study analyzed the school readiness beliefs of parents of 452 children from public pre-kindergarten and the relations of these beliefs to socio-economic status and children's readiness skills. Parents conceived readiness largely in terms of the ability to name objects, letters, or numbers, but few included inferential skills. Readiness beliefs were related not to socioeconomic status but to ethnicity. Readiness beliefs about the importance of independence, social competence, nominal knowledge, and inferential skills were related in expected ways to children's skills. Practice or Policy: Infrequent inclusion of inferential skills among parents' readiness beliefs may not bode well for children. Informational programs for parents about the critical role of higher order cognitive skills and ways to promote them are needed.
A growing number of states have developed their own standards for early learning and what constitutes "school readiness," but less is known about what parents -- children's first teachers and a key force in their early development -- consider necessary skills for their children to succeed in kindergarten. This survey by researchers from the University of North Carolina, UCLA, and the University of Virginia found that while many parents recognize the value of nominal knowledge (knowing numbers and ABCs), most parents did not cite inferential knowledge (such as the ability to go beyond facts to make comparisons and draw conclusions) as an important part of early childhood learning. When children are able to make inferences, they are gaining a critical skill in understanding words, ideas and narrative progression -- all critical parts of building early literacy skills.
The survey also found that parents from ethnic minority and poor families were more likely to display what the paper's authors call "authoritarian" beliefs relating to a child's ability to behave and follow directions, instead of focusing on the child's autonomous development and ability to get along with other children. The researchers measured children's competencies in related areas and found that children from "authoritarian" families were more likely to have problems with applied problem solving.
More evidence for this relationship between parents' beliefs and children's performance came through in another part of their research too: The study looked at children whose parents placed high importance on nominal knowledge and found those children to have a greater knowledge of letters, numbers, and colors than children from families who placed less importance on those skills.
This research suggests that when it comes to school readiness, children are more likely to gain skills that their parents value. The researchers conclude that as more parents start to emphasize higher-order cognitive skills, "children are more likely to achieve in the domains that policymakers consider important preparation for the academic demands of the kindergarten classroom for early reading skills."
Christina Satkowski -
February 12, 2009 - 11:20am
A recent study in Early Education and Development looks at what skills parents believe their children must have in order to be kindergarten-ready.
Research Findings: This study analyzed the school readiness beliefs of parents of 452 children from public pre-kindergarten and the relations of these beliefs to socio-economic status and children's readiness skills. Parents conceived readiness largely in terms of the ability to name objects, letters, or numbers, but few included inferential skills. Readiness beliefs were related not to socioeconomic status but to ethnicity. Readiness beliefs about the importance of independence, social competence, nominal knowledge, and inferential skills were related in expected ways to children's skills. Practice or Policy: Infrequent inclusion of inferential skills among parents' readiness beliefs may not bode well for children. Informational programs for parents about the critical role of higher order cognitive skills and ways to promote them are needed.
A growing number of states have developed their own standards for early learning and what constitutes "school readiness," but less is known about what parents -- children's first teachers and a key force in their early development -- consider necessary skills for their children to succeed in kindergarten. This survey by researchers from the University of North Carolina, UCLA, and the University of Virginia found that while many parents recognize the value of nominal knowledge (knowing numbers and ABCs), most parents did not cite inferential knowledge (such as the ability to go beyond facts to make comparisons and draw conclusions) as an important part of early childhood learning. When children are able to make inferences, they are gaining a critical skill in understanding words, ideas and narrative progression -- all critical parts of building early literacy skills.
The survey also found that parents from ethnic minority and poor families were more likely to display what the paper's authors call "authoritarian" beliefs relating to a child's ability to behave and follow directions, instead of focusing on the child's autonomous development and ability to get along with other children. The researchers measured children's competencies in related areas and found that children from "authoritarian" families were more likely to have problems with applied problem solving.
More evidence for this relationship between parents' beliefs and children's performance came through in another part of their research too: The study looked at children whose parents placed high importance on nominal knowledge and found those children to have a greater knowledge of letters, numbers, and colors than children from families who placed less importance on those skills.
This research suggests that when it comes to school readiness, children are more likely to gain skills that their parents value. The researchers conclude that as more parents start to emphasize higher-order cognitive skills, "children are more likely to achieve in the domains that policymakers consider important preparation for the academic demands of the kindergarten classroom for early reading skills."
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