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Principles and philosophy in early childhood education
Play and the learning environment
Play and the learning environment
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It is clearly evident that education and care has a major impact on child development and learning. Both Aistear and Síolta outline the various principles that contribute to help achieving this.
Aistear was set up by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) in 2009 and it is The Early Childhood Curriculum Framework. Its aims are to provide challenging and enjoyable experiences that help children to grow and develop as a competent and confident learner within loving and nurturing relationships (NCCA, 2009). On the other hand, Síolta was established by the Centre for Early Childhood Development and Education (CECDE) in 2008 and it is The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education. Its aims differ slightly from Aistear
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All these different principles help the learning and development of the child as I will now illustrate.
Aistear highlights how equality and diversity are important to the child as each child has their own individual strengths, interests, abilities, needs and experiences (NCCA, 2009). Care and education can contribute to a child’s learning and development as having these needs acknowledged by an adult can contribute to the child growing in confidence. The uniqueness of every child is very important to them and for adults to identify and contribute helping them learn and develop. Síolta takes the principles of equality and diversity separate. They recognize that equality is essential in the early years and therefore needs to be achieved to its full potential. This can be done by having the needs of the children recognized, supported and respected (CECDE, 2008). To accomplish diversity, practitioners need to succeed in acknowledging all different cultures, races, religions and the different abilities children have and respect these to accommodate their learning and
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Equally Aistear and Síolta express how play is important. Aistear shows us how most of children’s learning happens from play and hands on experience (NCCA, 2009). Play allows children to explore not only their bodies and emotions but allows them to create imaginary worlds. Play helps children learn and develop mentally and physically using their senses, muscles, feelings and imagination. Síolta expresses how play is central to the well-being of children (CECDE, 2008). Play allows children to make interactions with other children, adults and their surroundings and also letting them explore these which are crucial for their learning and development. They feel play should be a primary source for learning and development and it activates many areas of the children’s bodies and
For example, if there was a child in the setting with a physical disability then the practitioner would be expected to ensure that they could fully participate in all activities including a physical educational lesson without feeling segregated from the other children. The practitioner must always ensure that they comply with the equality act 2010, by doing this they are providing equality of opportunities for all children. The practitioner needs to ensure that the environment is accessible for all children and staff so that they are able to participate in all activities available and be able to reach their full potential. When possible practitioners must also differentiate activities so that all children and young people are able to get involved, they must also make sure they got appropriate resources to meet all children’s individual needs and learning styles such as visual and kinesthetic
Children need a meet their physical needs ‘nutrition, in order to function a safe environment, he needs to feel loved by their peers and educators, he need to have social interaction with others, he need recognitions acceptance from their teacher and family, feel respected and valued as a child during the early educational years, which this ensure a healthy outcome later in their
It is an educator’s job to embrace and acknowledge the rich diversity all the children collectively bring to the classroom, while understanding that the children do not need to be treated the same because they are not the same as each other, but be respected and accepted for their differences. Inclusion is an essential; plank in the broad platform of social justice and raising achievement is a goal which all educators much hold for their pupils, It is important that early year professionals are aware of all different ways in which society constructs (Neaum 2010) this involves taking account children’s social cultural and linguistic diversity and including learning style, family circumstances, location in curriculum decision making process so all children are recognised and valued (Nutbrown and Clough 2006)
An Article by Dr. Leong and Dr. Bodrova (2016) stated that play is beneficial to children’s learning especially when it reaches a certain degree of complexity. When they engage in play activities most of their early years, they learn to delay gratification and to prioritize their goals and actions. They also learn to consider the perspectives and needs of other people and to represent things significantly to regulate their behavior and actions in a cautious, intentional way.
All children play and it is something that most children do because they are having fun, but without realising children are developing and learning skills when they are engaged in play. Play helps stimulate the mind as it is practical and gives children the chance to explore and experience new situations. It can also ensure that children get to think by themselves and be spontaneous as they control their own play. Children get the chance to be creative and imaginative which develops independence for children. Play is vital for child development and helps children develop five main areas of development:
Thirdly both approach focus on educators to provide encouragement, warmth, and acceptance. They also provide challenges for creative and complex learning and thinking, helping children to extend their ideas and actions through sensitive, informed, well-judged interventions and support. Te Whᾱriki principles points out “children learn through responsive and reciprocal relationships with people, places and things” (p. 14).
Many theorists have tried to define play as a concept, however, no two agree on a set definition. Their backgrounds and induvial lifestyles influence the way they see the importance of play. Reed and Brown also believe that there isn’t an agreed definition of play because is something that is felt rather than done (Reed & Brown, 2000 cited in Brock, Dodd’s, Jarvis & Olusoga, 2009). In spite of this, it is clear that most theorists uphold the ethos that play is imperative to a child’s learning and development. There is a wide range of different studies and theories which helps us develop our own perception of what play is. In my personal experience I have found play to be a way of expressive our emotions, exploring and learning new things, thus
All children have many characteristics that make them unique, yet they have a lot in common. All children have specialized needs at some point in their life. “When children have diverse needs, whether temporary or permanent, there is a danger of considering only how different those needs make them; educators may lose sight of how much they resemble other children. When that happens, the educator may forget these children have the same basic ...
...ctive. Play is an essential learning tool and one that must not be ignored within the classroom. It is a catalyst to help children develop socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively. It is not only an important part of a child’s development as a pupil but also a child’s development as an individual.
In this assessment I will be talking about the principles and philosophy of Frobel and Montessori, what they have in common and differences, there contributions to Siolta and my own thoughts in relation to early childhood education and their impact on the learning environment
Aistear is the Irish word for journey and is Ireland’s Curriculum framework for early childhood. It received this name as childhood is seen as the beginning of a lifelong learning journey (NCCA, 2009). Aistear recognises that early childhood forms the basis for future success; but emphasises that early childhood is a time of being rather than becoming. This framework allows for an emergent curriculum to emerge that is both challenging and enjoyable so that children can be “competent and confident learners within loving relationships with others” (NCCA, 2009, p.6). The Aistear approach is based upon a set of twelve principles which are divided into the following three groups; “children and their lives in early childhood”, “children’s connections with others”...
Aistear was introduced as the curriculum framework which when practiced alongside Síolta, the quality guidelines for the early years settings environments (introduced by the NCCA in 2006), creates a nurturing and safe environment which caters to the individual developmental needs of each child within the setting. Aistear means journey as Gaeilge and symbolizes the learning process and search of knowledge as a journey. Aistear’s framework is based on four themes - Well Being, Identity & Belonging, Communication and Exploring & Thinking - as a means to develop the child in a holistic way. (Aistear principle and themes: introduction).
In this unit, I have described how important it is for every child to be treated as an individual. A child will learn, be confident and self-assured if they feel safe, happy, valued and accepted. It is important that every child has their individual needs met so that they are able to progress in their development. I have explained how important a key person’s role is in an early years setting in supporting children and their families. Activities should always be differentiated so that all children including children with disabilities and impairments are included in all activities. It is important that children are kept safe and secure to promote their physical and emotional well-being. All these factors put together are important when viewing every child as a unique individual.
A very wise man; Charles Schaefer, once said “We are never more fully alive, more completely ourselves, or more deeply engrossed in anything than when we are playing.” To begin with, there is no one explanation about what play really is, other than the fact that it holds infinite numbers of definitions according to every single individual. Play is just not a physical body movement involved in an activity, but more than that if you look outside of the box. For centuries, play has been practiced in its own unique way with not only children, but adults as well.
In Kindergarten school, some parent believes play is the best way for young children to learn the conceptions, skills, and set a solid foundation for later school and life success. In the other hand, many parents disagree and believe play is a waste of time, messy, noisy, and uneducationall. I believe play is not waste of time, but it something worth to fight for, in this presentation I would show parent the main importance of some of the numerous kinds of play, and why play is a fundamental basis for improving children’s ability to succeed in school and life.