I am Education Coordinator at my work. I have just implemented Kindergarten Readiness level 1, 2 and my classroom is level 3. In level 1 the children are 21/2 year olds, level 2 is 3 year olds and my classroom is 4 and 5 year old (ready for . We conduct assessments at each level. However, it is not to measure intelligence we are more concerned with their social/emotional development. We also look for areas of developmental delays. In this manner we can suggest early intervention. We teach the whole child and not just academics. I believe if a child is not ready, social/emotional, it will be difficult for them to be taught (Berger, 2013).
Yes it is important for the child to know academic skills, but if I teach a child to control their emotions and stay in control, then I have helped the child to have a successful future. So many communities in the United States are striving to be top schools or Blue Ribbon schools. If they achieve this high honor the school will receive funds and new programs to better the education. It is also comes with bragging rights of being the best schools. Unfortunately the children are being pushed to learn the standardize test. I now have to teach my preschoolers skills that 1st graders should know; in this manner the kindergarten teacher can push them further. It is as though they have taken away the “play” in the children. In the public schools it is more skill and drill and have pushed children into maturity.
Reference
Berger, K. (2005). The developing person through the lifespan (6th ed). New York NY: Worth
Sandra if more educators had the same attitude about the concept of how to embrace children techniques of learning. Children who are allowed to express themselves freely seem to perform better than those who are made to perform to a standard in a standardized way. In example making a child take a test and given the obligation to make a certain score instead of possibly asking them to simply perform these skills. I myself do not perform well on a standardized test but given the opportunity to simply display my knowledge of the subject matter I could do so. Then to embrace their given strengths and measure there zone of proximal and then scaffold the learning outcomes could possibly increase faster than rote and testing learning.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading your post about the assessment in social and emotional development, I reflected upon our reading regarding bullying (Berger, 2012). Children may be cognitively and academically smart and "ready", as people say, for kindergarten, but if they do not know how to interact with their peers and find themselves lonely and without friends, are they being set up to be bullied? When their self-esteem is low, what other problems will the have as they go through formal schooling in the elementary years and beyond? I agree that preparing children for kindergarten should be much more than academics, it should look at the abilities and growth of the whole child.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me, but from what psychological standpoint, the point is to teach an individual "to control their emotions and stay in control".
ReplyDeleteCould you please elaborate on that?
thanks in advance,
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