Unlearn ABC of pre-school teaching- Study shows concepts, rather than alphabets & numbers, help kids later |
| Basant Kumar Mohanty |
| New Delhi, Dec. 12: Pre-school kids who have a better understanding of concepts like distance and shape have a higher chance of excelling in studies in later years, a new study has concluded. Rather than numbers and alphabets, the stress should be on helping children understand these concepts, a key person behind the exercise told The Telegraph. The Indian Early Childhood Impact Study assessed around 13,000 five-year-olds from Assam, Rajasthan and undivided Andhra Pradesh and then tracked 2,700 of these children till they turned eight after dividing them into four categories based on how they had fared in the assessment.
The low performers continued their poor performance through age six, seven and eight, the study found, indicating a direct correlation between their pre-school readiness and performance in later years.×
Those who had performed well in their assessment - which tested them on concepts like distance, space, shape, width, colour and patterns - continued to do well, according to the six-year study. The report came out last week. The CECED, which set the questionnaire to assess the children, had conducted the 2010-16 study in collaboration with Unicef and the ASER Centre, a research unit of the non-government organisation Pratham. ASER conducted the tests. According to the assessment, 69 per cent of the 13,000 children scored less than 50 per cent despite getting pre-school training at anganwadi centres or through private facilities. This means an overwhelming majority did not demonstrate the skills required for admission to Class I. In other words, they were not ready yet. Around 14 per cent of the children assessed were not going to any early childhood-care education centre. The National Policy on Early Childhood Care and Education, prepared by the women and child development ministry, suggests that four- and five-year-olds should be trained so that they are better prepared before starting Class I. "We found the anganwadi centres were more focused on rhymes and songs, while private facilities offering early childhood education were focused on teaching the alphabets and numbers. Both methods are wrong," Kaul said. Kaul said that children should not, according to accepted guidelines, be asked to memorise or coerced into learning something. Rather, she said, the anganwadi centres and private facilities should engage the kids in play and create situations where they learn concepts like shape and distance. The report said that pre-school learning depended on the household environment too in terms of availability of print, learning support, a family's socio-economic status and the mother's education. Yagnamurthy Sreekanth, head of the education survey division at the National Council for Educational Research and Training , said parental expectations were partly to blame for a child's low level of school-readiness. "The parents expect their children to learn numbers, alphabets, arithmetic, etc. The private schools offering early childhood education accordingly provide formal education to children instead of preparing children for formal schooling," Sreekanth said. He said children coming through the nursery system in private schools have to repeat what they have learnt in Classes I and II. Kaul said there were no binding regulations for early childhood-care education centres, which meant these centres followed practices they thought were correct. |
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Unlearn ABC of pre-school teaching Study Shows Conepts, rather than alphabets & numbers help kids later
Friday, February 24, 2017
The Child Care Program Director Kept Going and Going and Going!
Child Care Directors Looking to Enroll
Well before I became an early childhood education level 3 director (NC), I was a mommy being given a full scale lecture about young children and all about how she knew the way that children needed to be ready to go to school and all about how she has the methods to do so. But, she kept going on and on. It is rather disturbing for a child care director to talk, talk, talk like this.
I love to hear myself talk, all except when families are shopping for the best ECE environment for their little precious ones. Humility comes over me, opening my ears, closing my mouth.
Programs are best sold when the families needs are individualized, so much so that the program is flexed for ALL families and their care needs. My top ten golden director rules while seeking enrollment. (not in order of importance)
1. Notify the classrooms that you are visiting classrooms. It's best when the family hears you do this versus appearing sneaky.
2. Always, always, Always invite the family into your neat and dainty office. Allow the family to lead the conversation.
3. Add bells and whistles as you meander the visit, but don't overload. (piano lessons, soccer, flag football, etc.)
4. Always ask about family's careers and backgrounds.
5. Never allow the family to depart without mentioning and identifying their greatest concerns.
6. Take a moment to ask if they are ready to enroll today.
7. Set a date to follow up if enrollment is likely.
8. Talk about safety of the facility.
9. Mention any and all community services opportunities.
10. Walk the family to the door.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Star-studded: Wakanda Elementary students create mosaics in partnership with UW-Stout (w/video)
Star-studded: Wakanda Elementary students create mosaics in partnership with UW-Stout (w/video): MENOMONIE — Wakanda Elementary School 3rd-grader Skylar McLeod placed a glass tile on one of the white pillars in the school cafeteria. The pillar is one of four decorated Thursday by all the elementary students and many staff members, and
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