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Philosophy of Early Childhood Education
Program planning is based on early childhood
Contributions of Maria Montessori in infant education
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Recommended: Philosophy of Early Childhood Education
Did you know there are many kinds of programs and approaches used in early childhood education? The 20th century was the start of inclusive classrooms and about the idea of education for all. Education in the early preschool years boomed with early childhood development programs. While there are many popular approaches, I find that Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner have the reliable strait forward and captivating approaches to early childhood education. Maria Montessori has an educational method that is in use today in public and private schools throughout the world. The basic goals of the Montessori Method are to develop the child’s independence and productivity as well as preserve the dignity of the child while focusing on the psychological health of the child. Education for the Montessori Method begins at birth and continues through the first six years. These early years are essential for development. To develop skills there are delicate time frames where learning is uninterrupted. This learning can be encouraged by experiences. The Programs are set up for mixed age groups and materials that are based on a child’s level of complexity where children can work independently. Within the mixed age groups, children direct peer learning. Children have unremitting portions of work time with targeted choice of work activity. Sensory-motor activities are a big focus in Montessori centers were children work with materials that develop their cognitive abilities using uninterrupted experience using the senses seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and movement. The classroom is organized by the teacher to encourage independence, freedom within limits, and a sense of order. Using individual choices children make use of the enviro... ... middle of paper ... ...ing children with a direction and purpose in life while achieving a balance of mind, body, and spirit. The Montessori approach has strength of building independence and a set up where children direct their own learning and play. Works Cited Feeney, S., Moravcik, E., Nolte, S., & Christensen, D. (2009). Who am i in the lives of children? an introduction to early childhood education. (8 ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Introduction to montessori. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.amshq.org/Montessori Education/Introduction to Montessori Mays, R., & Nordwall, S. (2011). What is waldorf education?. Retrieved from http://www.waldorfanswers.org/Waldorf.htm Early child care and education philosophies. (2010, September 16). Retrieved from http://worklife.columbia.edu/files_worklife/public/arly_Child_Care_Philosophies_Updated_9_16_10.pdf
Hedges, Helen. ""You Don't Leave Babies on Their Own": Children's Interests in Early Childhood Education." Early Education. Ed. Janet B. Mottely and Anne R. Randall. New York: Nova Science, 2009. N. pag. Print.
The Child Development Center of College of San Mateo provides early care and educational programs for children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old. Children are divided into classrooms with a “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two or three “associate” teachers. Klara attended Classroom, “A,” a stimulating and well-resourced classroom. Klara was observed for two hours on Monday from 9 am to 11 am and for two hours on Wednesday from 9 am to 11 am. During these two hours, classroom activities consisted of “free time,” “story time,” and an outside “play time.” A “master” teacher, a “regular” teacher, and two “associate” teachers were present during observations. Additionally, a total of eighteen children were in attendance during the observed days.
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
From the perspective I have at this stage in my journey in the early childhood education field, I would like to share what I have come to value and believe in regards to early learning and care by looking at my philosophy statement. To begin we will look at the statement and highlight three key features and find out why they are important to me, then we will see what they will look like in my practice, and lastly we will examine these ideas closely by looking at where they originated. By taking an in-depth look at my philosophy statement we will better understand the motivation behind my practice which I hope to continue to refine and refresh as I gain more knowledge and experience.
Curriculum is the organized framework that explains the content that children are to learn, the processes through which children achieve the identified curricular goals, what teachers do to help children achieve these goals and the context in which teaching and learning occur. The best curriculum for early childhood teacher is developmentally appropriate curriculum that allows teachers to set-up an effective learning environment for children.
Eliason, C. F., Jenkins, L. (2008). A practical guide to early childhood curriculum (8th edition). New
The Waldorf Approach Preschool is a highly debated area of a child’s educational journey. One of the primary goals of preschool is to prep the child for traditional elementary school. There are various contemporary models of early education that have been constructed to help children develop their educational career. A few examples of these models are the Bank Street Approach, The Reggio Emilia Approach, The Montessori Approach, and the Head Start Program just to name a few. The Waldorf approach is the program of discussion in this particular paper.
Maria Montessori was the first female doctor in Italy. Her background in science guided her discoveries of children in Rome. It was these discoveries that led her to creating a method that would impact many students. The Montessori method in the United State has had in impact on US education. The story of its humble beginnings to its rise of influence supports just how impactful it has been in the United States.
With the success of working with these children she was asked to open a school in a housing project in Rome, which was opened on January 6 1907, which was called Casa dei Bambini or Children’s House. Montessori was focused on teaching the children how to develop their own skills at their own rate, which was a principle Dr. Montessori called “spontaneous self-development”. [Early Childhood Today, p. 74.] Montessori discovered that children’s innate power for learning worked best when the children were able to be left alone in a safe, and a hands on environment. When the children were given furniture, equipment, and supplies they were able to work by themselves, they were also self-motivated to explore experiment and reach new understandings. Montessori found self...
Maria Montessori was born in Italy in 1870 and influenced childcare massively in the 20th century. Montessori believed that children learn best through using their hands. She felt that one of the main factors that contributed to the child’s development was the ‘prepared’ environment. Children learn through exploration and the adult’s role is to create an environment where they can do
Morrison, G. S. (1976). Chapter 6: Early Childhood Programs APPLYING THEORIES TO PRACTICE. In Early childhood education today (10th ed., pp. 5-31). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.
Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2000). Exploring your role: A practitioner’s introduction to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Early childhood education plays a key role in a child’s academic development because he or she learns soft skills, job skills, and develop positive traits. Preschool is not like kindergarten, but instead a stepping-stone that prepares young students for the years of schooling they will have later in life. As more schools began to open families wanted to be able to verify that programs would benefit and protect their children. In response, the National Association for the Education of Young Children was made to help families find the best care for their children, by providing the early childhood educators with training and ensuring the quality of children’s daily experiences. (“NAEYC”5).
Dr. Maria Montessori came up with the Montessori Method over 100 years ago. Maria was an Italian educator and physician. She ended up organising the Montessori Method of education for children and, was also the first women to receive a medical degree in 1894. The Montessori Method is in a child-centered educational approach and it’s based on scientific observations from birth to adulthood. Maria based her approach to children on their natural learning tendencies.
... such a manner that its curriculum framework is open to interpretation enough to be adapted to most if not all child-centered early years educational approaches. Montessori has a structured curriculum, which while not as flexible as High/Scope can still adapt to Aistear’s framework into their own set curriculum using already established Montessori exercises. In addition, Montessori and High/scope both share an emphasis on the importance of the prepared environment for the children, which is in accordance of Síolta, without which the Aistear framework cannot be successfully undertaken.