Teaching young learners demand that a teacher chooses the best teaching approach that would offer them a holistic learning 1 . For example, early childhood educators should make their learners grow emotionally, physically, mentally and psychologically health. For instance, the learner should know how best to relate with others and work together to achieve their learning goals. Due to this, integrative teaching and learning philosophy leans much towards the progressivism educational ideals and is best in early childhood education (Forbes 100). For example, in the school I teach, early childhood education is taken to be a tool that enhances a child’s environmental adaptation and growth. For instance, a teacher takes and plays a big role in making a child see the importance of other people in society. Therefore, this paper discusses integrative educational approach in early childhood education from a practical perspective as an international early childhood teacher in Hong Kong.
Person-Centered Integrative Approach
Person-Centered Approach to early childhood education prove to be with a lot of advantages to the education sector. For instance, the approach focus more on what teachers and learners do, where they interact, how they interact and the goals and objectives of their interaction. Therefore, it is not only the presence of schools, teachers and learners that guarantees proper education but also the nature of their relations 2 . The approach’s targets is on improving proper access, early identification of educational problems, adequate solution of educational challenges and problems, giving holistic and helpful educational responses and improving educational outcomes.
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Therefore, education sector should encourage a proper flow of information that help young learners experience a holistic growth and development. For example, teachers, child health nurses and parents help each other in ensuring that the children get relevant educational experiences. Additionally, it pays a lot of emphasis on taking educational institutions closer to the children. For instance, the school I work in is strongly committed to taking educational services to people around the world. Moreover, the approach is critical in reiterating holistic educational encounters a child ought to meet. For instance, both the curricular, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities should be used expertly to influence the learner’s view of education. Through this, integrated approach to learning does not under estimate any idea that can help boost learners’ educational experiences and outcomes.
Due to the above, integrated approach to teaching and learning influences big the way teachers are educated 3 . For instance, it seeks to enhance a more practical and benefitting view of education among teachers. For example, teachers should see education as a helpful encounter that can shape the destiny of an individual. Consequently, the individual teacher can endeavor to make a positive impact among his or her learners. For instance, they can encourage a more cohesive approach to teaching. Through this, they can share information pertaining to the content, modes of delivery and the follow-up activities to be undertaken to benefit the learner. Moreover, there is emphasis on teaching teachers the need to exercise control over what learners do. For instance, teachers should allow those things that help learners develop into positive thinking, independent and hard working individuals. Therefore, teachers should be well educated and creative to identify and choose only the learning experiences that enhance growth of a learner.
Furthermore, teachers cannot only depend on what they only know or deem right. Instead, they should continue amassing relevant knowledge and skills on how their learners’ experiences can be made better. Therefore, a teacher should see the young learner as an anxious individual who learns through experiences they encounter 4 . Through this, a teacher can create meaningful classroom experiences that provide the learners the opportunity to learn and develop 5 . For instance, by making learners participate together in and outside classroom, a teacher encourages development of a child’s interpersonal skills. Consequently, integrative educational approach enhances and promotes teacher interaction with information from different sources. Through this information, the young child is assured of proper educational access, quality and relevance.
Person-Centered Approach and My Teaching
Teaching Contents
I always endeavor to put into practice all educational ideas of the person-centered integrative educational approach. Therefore, the leading objective is to see the young learners I handle learn how to appreciate their environment, relationships with others, character development and the need to be independent. To achieve this, I ensure learners engage among each other in learning through realistic experiences. First, I make learners know the things around them. For instance, they should know the people, the animals, the plants and many other things that form their surroundings (Forbes 74). Therefore, I help them name and even draw some of them. Through this, a learner is made to settle and be part of the environment they live and study in. Secondly, I give learners encouragements to relate well with their peers and those around them. To achieve this, I endeavor to make my relations with other teachers and learners positive and fruitful to learning. Consequently, I lean more towards a more collective approach to teaching. For instance, I encourage discussions and brainstorming on how the learners can be helped realize a healthy growth and development.
Thirdly, as a teacher, I help learners who lag behind in adapting to the environment cope up. For example, those who find it hard to play with others receive my help to see the importance of doing so. Consequently, I help those learners with negative developmental traits grow and develop well. Due to this, I go for a more practical learning strategy that involves all learners. For instance, a learner-centered teaching approach makes a teacher able to study each and every child and offer them significant help. The goal of this approach is to make learners fit to their environment and be helpful and forward-looking individuals. Due to this, I cherish person-centered approach to early childhood education as it sets the pace for the young person’s holistic growth and development.
Teaching as a Profession
A person-centered approach calls for teachers to come into the profession to help transform society. Therefore, teachers should not see teaching as a ‘mere’ profession but a vehicle that guarantees society progress. I have many reasons that made me chose to be a teacher. First, I am a proponent advocating for a positive social change (Forbes 134). Therefore, I saw teaching as a profession that can make me meaningful in bringing the much needed change 6 . Secondly, I love interactive relations. Consequently, the relations between a teacher and the learners make me happy. Through them, I learn and give more to my students.
Moreover, person-centered approach demands that teachers have positive individual and professional attributes. I am an honest, loving, cautious and well educated individual on educational matters. Being honest is important when an individual is or is aspiring to be a child educator. For instance, it enables me see the need and present learners with adequate attention and proper learning content as per the syllabus (Forbes 54). Secondly, being cautious make me the best teacher especially when the learner’s emotional and intellectual growth is concerned. For example, I can go through all the teaching contents to ensure their relevance and importance in the learner’s life. Additionally, I can keep track of all the learners’ growth and development. Therefore, I can attend to any disposition that can tell a negative growth and development among the learners. Thirdly, my professional skills as a teacher provide important support and rationale for my teaching. For example, professional ethics as a teacher makes me respect and treat every learner as an independent, emotional and psychological being. For instance, they see, think and judge others on what they do. Consequently, I should have good attributes that can help them learn and develop into better individuals.
Roles as a Teacher
My roles as a teacher are to play a central role in learning. Additionally, he or she should show them the right way through action and character. For example, I choose and design lesson plans. Additionally, I bring all the learners to participate in classroom activities. However, I ensure that all they do is within their mental capabilities. For instance, I should not present them with difficult learning contents they cannot understand. Therefore, as a teacher, I design and control what the learners learn. Additionally, I keep track of every learner’s development. Through this, I ensure every learner grows and develops well.
Barriers to Person-Centered Integrative Approach
First, person-centered integrative approach to education is expensive. For instance, it demands a lot from teacher educators. For example, teacher education should empower the teachers mentally and socially. Consequently, teachers should come out of teacher education programs well aware of what to do, how to do, and the targets educational activities should have. However, achieving all these proves difficult and at times impossible in non-committed teacher education programs. Secondly, many teachers fail to see the need to involve different parties in their teaching strategies to properly help learners. Therefore, these teachers rely on inappropriate and obsolete teaching practices that ultimately fail to bring out relevant educational objectives. In fact, inappropriate teaching practices account for a higher percentage of all the reasons that make education irrelevant and irresponsive to societal dynamics. For example, when teachers do not use a variety of perspectives to promote learning, they limit learner’s interpretation of reality. Thirdly, there is often a sluggish move by governments and educational institutions to call for and implement better and appropriate educational programs and curricula. Therefore, there is a complete mess in the educational sector that demands a relevant corrective approach.
Proposals for Change and Improvements
There is need for education to receive a more positive and exhaustive definition. For instance, society should see education as a tool to provide society positive change. In fact, it is education that yields the young generation the best avenues to have a true and impactful view of themselves, their roles in society and thus their usefulness.
Teacher education should be made better, relevant and forward-looking. Teachers form an integral part of society and ought to receive adequate education that enhances their personal attributes and eventual role as a teacher. Therefore, education should enhance and promote personal attributes such as honesty, hard work, creativity and innovativity, and intelligence among aspiring teachers. Consequently, teaching ought not to be the dumping ground where social misfits find refuge. In fact, if this happens, the whole society is doomed to fail. For example, teachers would completely mislead the young generation and eventually corrode the ideals of the whole society.
There is a need for an overall change of educational curricula to facilitate learner’s understanding, use and interpretation of their surroundings. For example, teaching curricula should encourage learners know and appreciate their uniqueness and come up with ways to correct social, economic and political anomalies common in society. Therefore, education should enable learners know why they should use their personal strengths to benefit society while trying to eliminate their personal weaknesses.
Person-Centered Integrated Approach to teaching and learning is good. For instance, it requires individual teachers to show and exercise proper personal conduct. Therefore, a teacher should bring honest, hard work, professionalism and cautiousness are the skills into the teaching profession. Through them, they can tolerate, respect, engage and keep track of every learner’s growth and development (Forbes 34). Additionally, they can provide them the right example to learn from. Therefore, they can engage learners well in learning through well chosen learning activities. In fact, they can see themselves create and promote a new way of looking at young learners. For example, when a learner gets to understand their environment best during this time, they can utilize it well when they grow up. Consequently, issues such as ethnicity, gender barriers, and disability and learning styles should not interfere with teaching. For example, person-centered integrated approach deals with these issues by having a learner-centered approach to teaching that. Furthermore, teachers should engage different perspectives to widen the scope of learner’s thinking. Consequently, all learners have equal opportunities to participate in classroom activities.
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2 Othman, Noraini and Mohamad, Khairul, ‘Integrated System in the Malaysian Education Paradigm: A Catalyt for a Holistic personality Development , International Education Studies , 7, 5, (2014): 10.
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4 Kumar, Laxman and Nandy, Aristotle, ‘Holistic Education and Vedic Spirituality’, Encounter, 24, 3, (2011): 47
5 Zivkovic, Jelena, ‘Case of a Private University Developing the Community through a Holistic Education Initiative, Journal of the International Academy for Case Studies , 19, 3, (2013): 11.
6 Purpel, David, ‘Chapter 4 Holistic Education in a Prophetic Voice’, Encounter, 24, 2, (2011): 79.
