Free Essay: Philosophy Regarding Children and Learning

Introduction

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My belief on ECD (early child development) is rooted on the belief that the growth of a child is developmental. I strongly believe that the childrens curriculum should be an all rounded, safe and informative experience. It should touch on facets of development including childs growth physically, socially, and emotionally and in cognitive power. The most potent age for the growth of a child is below the age of eight years, it is my belief that this should be the time the best learning should be provided to a child.

It is my belief that children should be treated depending with their backgrounds, culture and age. The most informative curriculum should be creative enough to specifically answer to the needs of a child, which is different from one child to another. Different of different ages have different cognitive capabilities and hence the curriculum should show that variation.

I also strongly believe that there is a relationship between the learning environment and the manner in which a child develops. As such every curriculum should focus to have an informative and child friendly classroom design and arrangement. The introduction of different teaching aid settings in a classroom will show the different skills the kids possess and thus making it easier to help the kid develop their skills.

I feel that there are many strategies that can facilitate higher order thinking. The first among these is answering students questions. When we as educators answer students questions, especially those of the lower grades, we help them to think well and understand some key concepts. The next strategy is the takeaway mystery that enables students to understand their strengths and challenges. Still another strategy is teaching them the essence of concepts, which helps them to define and understand critical features of each concept and distinguish them from each other.

Technology can support early childhood learning in many ways. First, it is a tool that students can use to improve their visual understanding of concepts in the classroom and even at home. Young children especially those aged 3-5 can benefit from technology as they engage in the open-ended exploration of their environment while ages 5-8 can benefit more since they can operate the application with less support from teachers (Blackwell, Lauricella, and Wartella 83). However, teachers remain an integral part of the process to use technology in ECE. For that reason, teachers should also be equipped with technological knowledge to maintain a good teaching skill as far as technology is concerned.

In giving an all rounded teaching experience, the teacher should aim at providing the best information students need through the learning experience. This includes taking in to account the age, social needs and cultural beliefs of the child. It should be each teachers goal to ensure that a child can effectively be able to figure out and apply the contents of the curricula both analytically and critically. This is examined by ensuring there are timely examinations and assessment exercises after each learning experience. The goal of each teacher should not only to teach but to also ensure the students learn something as evidenced by the results after undertaking assignments.

With a diverse population of children from all backgrounds and cultures a learning system should be keen to address all their needs and abilities. This should also take into consideration the various levels of understanding the language used in the institution of learning. The learning program should also take care of the disabled children and those with different challenges. Effective teachers provide all students with the due attention they require to fully get the best out of children. This should be in line with the principle of good teaching that is that the childrens interests should always come first even before any other interest.

As such attention given to children should be determined depending on the individual needs of the child that should be addressed on a case by case basis.

Room design

Elizabeth, (2010) asserts that the classroom design is one that should incorporate the best learning experience for children of early age. Such a class that has all aspects required for learning brings an effect that stimulates the learning instincts in kids. It has been shown in different researches that, just by placing an appropriate desk arrangement is not enough to intrigue the child to learning, there has to be an all rounded environment. There are various principles that should incorporate in a good room design which will sufficiently provide enough space to accommodate the children, one that will motivate and raise the mood of the children.

First should be an environment that provides the beauty of nature. It is imperative that the classroom environment should come close to the true nature outside there which answers to the call of the common senses which are smells, sounds, tastes, seeing and hearing. Secondly is to generate a myriad of colors. Colors have a way of keeping children interested, captivated and jovial. Unusual colors can cause dullness, confusion, and non-motivation amongst the children. A good environment has the neutral balance of colors that bring out beauty that altogether creates interest and life in the classroom. Thirdly are the furnishings that should create a good space for various sections in the room creating a corner for science, music, and play. A classroom should be summarized by furnishing that is all rounded, in that it gives the learning experience both co-curricular and otherwise. Fourthly a good classroom design should provide the proper ambiance that should reflect on the right lighting, space for storing a childs books and work done in class.

The design of a classroom should be one that keeps the children comfortable and hence keeping the child productive. The classroom can either increase or decrease the attention of a child depending on whether it provides order or negative impact both physically and mentally. The class should be divided into various learning areas such that a child can appreciate the flow from one center to another. Space should be sufficient to ensure proper ventilation, lighting and also the right texture of floors, doors, and windows. Each class environment should incorporate; an art area with sand and water where students can explore their creative skills; a library with minimum noise and all relevant books; a science space for growing crops and doing experiments.

Kritchevsky, 2009, observes that there is a big correlation between a childs environment and the development they get. It is thus conventionally accepted that the arrangement of a classroom has far reaching effects on the child. Weinstein, 2006, points out that the environment around an infant is so important that it will affect they very development of the infant. Such emotive places that have been set in a class will greatly affect the emotions, perspective and attitude of the child to different things.

Elizabeth, (2010) says that such experiences that a child interacts with in their earlier years will even affect their adulthood and all their lives. The classroom should have as many materials as possible giving a guideline on every topic the child is supposed to learn. Such designed learning designs can easily catch the childs attention and facilitate their learning experience. These should especially issues such as sex identification, interaction between peers, issues of self-esteem, respecting other children and issues of security and comfort.

Long, (2007) says that for a long time researchers have been exploring on the relationship between the learning environment and the manner in which a child develops. The research also focuses on the extent in which the classroom helps achieve specific goals of the learning experience. The introduction of different plays and toys will soon show the teacher the different skills the kids possess and thus making it easier to help the kid develop their skills.

Researchers such as the above mentioned found out that solitary classrooms provided solitary children while interactive and interactive classes produce all-rounded children. They found that in the second case the children were more imaginative and applied better shills than the former. It was thus concluded that broad learning physical environments provided so much for the student to learn and develop. They suggested that instead of providing a car toy with all in built structures, teachers can bring wheels, a box, and a few other items need to construct a toy car. This enhances more creative children as there is real interaction with what they are doing.

Curriculum planning

Curriculum planning is an essential aspect of early child teaching. The understanding of the type of teachers to engage is important as it will cause the impact of the learning process. Effective curricula should provide learning that leads to the development of a child in all areas such as mathematics, science, music, art, physical exercises and language. The content of the curricula should also be relevant to the age of the children so as to have a positive learning experience; a child must interact with that which they can appreciate.

Curricula for children should be as practical as possible, for example, after learning about insects in science it would be practical teaching to bring insects into the class, have children take a look using a magnifying glass and even label them in different transparent glass jars. If it is mathematics, the teacher can provide practical ways of learning for example by using charts and counting balls or beads. A curriculum is especially important when it respects the cultures of the childs background even as it aims at inculcating certain new cultures in the child lest the child experiences a culture shock due to the abrupt shift. Teachers can invite the childrens families to interact with each other where even some parents may have something to share with the kids as they answer different questions or narrate certain stories. All this should facilitate the child in learning, and the teacher should facilitate that process of learning.

When applying different curricula teachers should, however, take precaution to make sure that it is interactive with kids as much as possible. The curricula should provide samples and picture of what they are being taught. The curricula should improve the abilities of those children every time they interact with it. It is important that there should be specific goals to be achieved, and the curricula should be as such as to develop it. It is always important to have the interests of the children, their abilities and attitudes in mind before developing effective curricula. The teacher will have to make thousands of decisions while approaching different kids as they all have different abilities and potentials that have to be exploited at the same time. The teacher has to continuously apply their minds in order to give what is right for the children.

Teaching Strategies and Procedures

Good teachers will have planned and applied the learning tools in the best interest of the child, (Epstein, 2007). They have to apply the knowledge they have about children in comparison with the specific children they are handling. The materials presented in the class have to be appropriate to have the positive impact with children of different ages. Children who develop holistically must be giving an interaction with what they learn in class even outside the class in the real natural outside world.

A class that teaches children on the different types of wild animals should be followed by a practical trip to a zoo while a class that talks of different crops should be accompanied by a visit to a garden with all these crops. It is after such an informative interaction with nature that children will even be able to apply it for example by having a class garden where they can plan a few crops. These learning experiences should be always leaver the teacher assured that the childs abilities have been sharpened, the cultural background of the child has been enhanced and respected, and new skills have been imparted on the child.

If a curriculum gives the child a holistic development and learning experience, then it can be classified as an appropriate curriculum. It...