Early childhood education refers to the educational processes that are involved in preparing children between the ages of 3-7 years old for elementary school. According to Farquhar & White (2014) early childhood education is characterized by the various philosophies that are applied as part of the teaching methods and approaches for children. Thus, the nature of philosophies used in teaching in early childhood education varies depending on the learning outcomes. The philosophies of early childhood education focus on enhancing the student’s cognitive learning such as reading, writing and arithmetic formulas (Chartier & Geneix, 2006). In early childhood education, kindergarten education is considered as the foundation of a student’s learning process; thus, pedagogy is an important aspect. Kindergarten teachers must have an in-depth understanding of the philosophes of pedagogy in order to implement teaching approaches that enhance to the student’s developmental milestones in; curriculum, application of instructional methods, extra-curriculum activities and their abilities to meet the early education standards.
Philosophies for Pedagogical Methods in the Classroom and Curriculum
Philosophical approaches in teaching refer to the underlying set of connected beliefs that influence how teachers apply their teaching methods and students are taught. The philosophies in early childhood education define the role of the teacher in impacting the students with knowledge and meet the philosophical needs of the students. The philosophies vary since they are influenced by pedagogical concerns, whereas others are informed by political, social and cultural factors. However, teachers often generate their individual philosophies, which are informed by their teaching experiences, observations or context. The pedagogical philosophies that are discussed in this section include: Montessori Method, Reggio Emilia Approach and HighScope Approach.
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Montessori Method
The Montessori Method is an educational teaching approach that informs teachers to foster learning in children by encouraging them to learn using their own pace. Thus, this method encourages the teachers to have a different perspective of the students and classroom education compared to the typical teacher-student relationship. According to Marshall (2017), the Montessori Method central aim is to foster respect and motivate the students to recognizing and appreciating their individual differences. Therefore, instead of mainly focusing on the academic education of the children, the teachers are encouraged to create a nurturing environment for the children to learn about social and emotional skills. The Montessori Method supports early childhood education as it contributes to the development of the student.
In kindergarten, the Montessori Method is integrated in the teaching process by creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment as opposed to one that promotes academic competitiveness. Thus, in the classroom children are exposed to fun and engaging learning activities that foster their creativity. For instance, in the classroom playtime sessions are transformed into learning opportunities that enhance the student’s cognitive, social and receptive skills. By applying the Montessori Method into the kindergarten curriculum teachers can create programs that combine various teaching approaches and instructional designs.
Furthermore, through the Montessori Method, children are empowered to ask questions and determine their own educational course. Thus, the children do not shy away from expressing their thoughts, feelings and ideas while in the classroom. By creating an environment that nurtures the child’s confidence and creativity a teacher supports the Montessori philosophy. The Montessori Method exhibits that early childhood teachers must recognize that the developmental stages of each child in the classroom is unique and requires different teaching strategies.
The Reggio Emilia Approach
This approach is dedicated in creating an innovative and inspiring environment that provides a child with the opportunity to develop their abilities to study. In early childhood education, the Reggio Emilia Approach concentrates on nurturing children that are strong, capable and resilient (Kelemen, 2013). Thus, the approach encourages children to explore the innate curiosity to further understand the world around them and their position in it. As a result, children acquire skills that enable them to construct their own learning by using their interests to understand and know more about other people and their environment. This teaching approach describes children as communicators and the teacher should be keen to listen to them.
In kindergarten, the Reggio Emilia Approach is integrated in learning as the environment is used as a teaching resource. Kelemen (2013) affirms that the study materials in this approach are designed according to the experiences, interests and speech of the children. The learning resources are used to improve collaboration, communication and exploration in students. For instance, during an art session, children are provided with authentic materials and tools and are encouraged to be creative. Additionally, the approach emphasizes the need for children to socialize and participate in teamwork. This way, students advance their cognitive skills by interacting with their classmates. The approach is applied in curriculum to ensure that students can compare, criticize, negotiate, hypothesize and provide solutions to problems. Through teamwork and collaboration, the students can achieve these standards of the curriculum. The learning setting of this approach encourages students to document their thoughts and ideas.
HighScope Approach
This approach central objective is to identify and develop a child’s strengths, interests and abilities. The main principle of the HighScope approach is that children have the ability to develop their own learning by interacting with people, resources and implementing their ideas (French, 2012). Thus, the HighScope Approach encourages teachers to stimulate the children’s learning interests, by creating environments that motivate them to explore learning resources and engage in meaningful interactions with their peers and adults.
Through the HighScope Approach, the teachers focus on supporting children make decisions, develop their academic skills, acquire emotional and social skills, and become part of their classroom community. HighScope Approach creates the foundation for curriculum implementation in kindergarten. This is because the approach is use to create a foundation for young children to acquire knowledge by participating in fun playful activities and interactions within their immediate environment. Thus, the approach provides the teachers with teaching methods that support evidence-based curriculum.
In the classroom teachers can utilize the HighScope Approach by creating flexible learning programs that meet the learning needs of each child in their classroom. However, teachers must develop a consistent framework that supports balanced learning experiences and opportunities for the children daily (French, 2012). Therefore, having a plan-do-review sequence in the daily routine allows the teacher to have a consistent framework, which provides the children with the change to make decisions on whether they are willing to implement their idea, and reflect upon the activities with the help of their peers or adults.
Summary of Concepts in Academic areas
Math: Counting
In this academic area the concept that will be taught to the children is counting. In kindergarten children are introduced to numbers and begin nurturing the experience with numbers. Therefore for this learning activity, the children are encouraged to familiarize themselves with numbers through counting, number names and recognizing written numerals. As a result, the children are provided with different objects which they are encouraged to use in order to learn how to count and understand how subsequent numbers correspond with each other. In counting the children learn how to compare varying sets of objects and use the correct language. Therefore to facilitate learning, the children will be encouraged to: interact with different objects through touch and count out loud; move and group objects; count a set of objects and say or write the subsequent number; and use words such as more than, less than same as to compare numbers.
Reading: Sounds and Word Recognition
This learning concept involves the direct teaching of words and sounds. Children are taught how to differentiate between different words and sounds to achieve understanding. To ensure that students understand concepts, the learning resources that are used for this concept include stories with large and bright pictures. The stories must have a theme such as the weather, animals or games. For this learning activity the teacher can read the story out loud as the children listen and respond based on what they have heard and understood.
For the second learning activity, the children are provided with flash cards and encouraged to observe them. Consequently the children are encouraged to describe the image or sound that they see on the flashcard. Children can use their creativity and link the sounds or pictures to other objects within their immediate surroundings.
Science: Physical Science
This involves the study of the physical world. For this concept children can be taken out for nature walks and experiment with different materials and objects as they attempt to learn about the relationship between matter and energy. As a result, children discover the different properties of materials and objects as they experiment with force and motion. Additionally, children learn that different materials have varying properties and are described based on their shapes, color, texture or weight.
Secondly, the children are provided with different objects and are encouraged to experiment with them and determine whether they sink or float. Children are expected to use appropriate vocabulary to describe the objects. During the learning activity, the children are encouraged to collaborate with their peers and work in pairs. Additionally, children are encouraged to seek assistance from the teacher.
Fine Arts: Coloring
This learning concept allows the children to explore their creativity. Therefore children are encouraged to express their ideas and thoughts through art. Children are provided with a set of colors and drawn pictures which they are expected to color. The children are free to use any colors for the purpose of expressing themselves.
For the second learning activity, the children are provided with crayons and encouraged to draw a picture of their choice. Each child can draw anything that interests them. Through this learning activity, the children express their thoughts and ideas about the world around them. After the activity, each child is encouraged to talk about their pictures.
Conclusion
The theories and philosophies in early childhood education enable the teachers to implement learning approaches that supports a child’s philosophical needs. Thus, it is important for kindergarten teachers to familiarize themselves with the different philosophies and understand how they can apply knowledge from the different approaches in the classroom and curriculum. This is because the different philosophies in early childhood education enhance the student’s developmental milestones in; curriculum, application of instructional methods, extra-curriculum activities and their abilities to meet the early education standards. Thus, it is crucial for the teacher to identify and implement the appropriate learning and teaching approaches that align with the concepts that are taught in the classroom.
References
Farquhar, S. & White, E. (2014). Philosophy and Pedagogy of Early Childhood. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 46:8, 821-832, DOI: 10.1080/00131857.2013.783964
French, G. (2012). The HighScope Approach to Early Learning. The high scope approach to early learning. In Early childhood education and care: an introduction for students in Ireland by Maire Mhic Mahuna and Mark Taylor (Eds). Gill and McMillan, Dublin.
Kelemen, G. (2013).The Reggio Emilia Method, a Modern Approach of Preschool Education. Journal Plus Education; Vol 9, No 1. Retrieved from: https://www.uav.ro/jour/index.php/jpe/article/view/57
Marshall, C. (2017). Montessori education: a review of the evidence base. NPJ science of learning , 2 , 11. doi:10.1038/s41539-017-0012-7
