Always Learning

As I have progressed through one of my early childhood courses I have learned quite a bit about the early childhood field. Since I have been discussing fostering critical thinking skills through play I have been examining research and early childhood programs in the United States and several other countries. One country that stood out was Finland’s educational program. Finland educators are valued and they are considered experts in their field. They participate in a high level of teacher preparation and they are active in the developing the curriculum. One of the core components of their education system is teaching young students a way of thinking. Teachers focus on problem solving, developing thinking abilities and analytical thinking (Lankinen, 2010).

I also have learned about the ten pillars of a good childhood. I am inspired by the thought of how simple but powerful these pillars are in possibly promoting positive outcomes for children and their families. I believe that all early childhood programs need to follow the ten pillars of a good childhood and use these pillars to promote positive social change in polices and practices in the field (ACEI, 2013). I believe that the early childhood field should use these ten pillars as a foundation of education at the local and national level in order to promote positive outcomes for children and their families. Here are the ten pillars of a good childhood:

1.     Safe and secure places for living and learning, 
with access to health care, clothing, and nutritious food

2.     Strong families and loving, consistent caregivers

3.     Social interactions and friendships

4.     Creative play and physical activity

5.     Appreciation and stewardship of the natural environment

6.     Creative expression through music, dance, drama, 
and the other arts

7.     Education that develops the full capacities of the child—cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and ethical

8.     Supportive, nurturing, child-friendly communities

9.     Growing independence and decision making

10.  Children and youth participating in community life.

Here are some resources that may be of interest if you are looking to learn about education programs.

The Ten Pillars of a Good Childhood: http://www.decadeforchildhood.org

Darling-Hammond, L., Chung Wei, R. & Andree, A. (2010).  How high achieving countries develop great teachers. Stanford Center of Opportunity Policy in Education-Research Brief.

Doliopoulou, E. (2006). Systems of early education/are and professionalisation in Greece. Retrieved November 27, 2013 from http://www.ifp.bayern.de/imperia/md/content/stmas/ifp/commissioned_report_greece.pdf

Konstantina, R. (2012). Quality of care and education provided by Greek day-care centres: an approach from researcher’s and early childhood educator’s perspective. Early Child Development and Care, 182(10), 1335-1348.

Lankinen, T. (2010). Basic education reform in Finland-How to develop the top ranked education system? Finnish National Board of Education, 1-39.

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Position Statement. 

Project Base Learning

Project Base Learning is an excellent approach to foster learning in early childhood. Not only does it foster learning but it also fosters excitement for learning. This approach enables students to explore real problems. It is active, engaging and fosters critical thinking skills through problem solving and play. PBL encourages children to participate in active inquiry and solve complex questions.

Imagine designing and building model roller coasters for Great Escape or designing a new house for the three little pigs so the wolf can’t blow their houses down.

As a teacher I always tried to integrate subject areas based on a theme. However, recently I began to truly understand project base learning. Now I think about purposely developing projects that will foster learning and excitement. More importantly, I think about stating a problem that the children need to solve. It is amazing to watch them discuss and solve problems related to the project.

I had the opportunity to create and implement the roller coaster project. I did a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) project at my previous elementary school. I worked with a 4^th grade class but not all the students are on a fourth grade level. There are several that are on 1^st grade and 2^nd grade level. This was the challenge:  

You are an engineer and you have been asked to design a new roller coaster that is both safe and innovative. You will think critically about motion by analyzing and questioning the concept of motion. You will do this by experimenting with force, acceleration, velocity and position activities.

Reggio Emilia Method

I recently spoke to someone who I consider to be a Guru of early childhood education. She has been in the field her entire career and now is ready to retire. She is my mentor! As I think about critical thinking in early childhood, I think about how would I do this at such an early age. In my reading I came across promoting critical thinking skills through play, art and movement. I wanted to talk to her about her thoughts on this concept. She thought this was a great idea to promote language and thinking. She told me she often walks into prekindergarten programs where the students are sitting at the table completing worksheets. Then she told me about a few amazing prekindergarten programs that focus on Reggio Emilia approach. I have heard of this approach but I didn’t have a full understanding of the concept. I started to research this approach and found it to be very insightful. The information I read about was very valuable but I found one

value to be critical in the learning process-making learning visible. I love the idea that learning is documented with cameras, tape recorders, journals, quotes from the children about their work and portfolios-not worksheets and tests.

I found this site to be helpful in understanding the approach.

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Reggio_Emilia/

Introduction

My name is Tammy and until recently I taught at an urban elementary school. I am now teaching at a private college in the education department. I teach early childhood curriculum and instruction and methods courses. It is very exciting to work with pre-service teachers. I knew one day I would work on the college level. After years of teaching at the elementary level and working with such inspirational teachers, my hope was to bring our collective knowledge and expertise to future teachers.

As a 2nd grade teacher I always had high academic expectations for my students. Although I ensured that my teaching was developmentally appropriate, I encouraged my students to think critically. I focused on essential questions that focused beyond the knowledge level and focused on the evaluative and analysis level of Blooms. Now, I have the same expectations for my pre-service teachers. In teaching them to think critically, they will in turn teach their students.  

I am now interested in fostering critical thinking through play in early childhood. What are your thoughts about this concept? Do you think it is possible to develop critical thinking skills while playing?

“It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated” - Alec Bourne