Welcome Back!
If you are here on Day 4 without going through Day 1 to Day 3 we would urge you to go through previous three days Topics and reflect upon it and then get back here.
Did you reflect upon yesterday’s topic “Key Learning Theories? Are you biased towards any one of the teaching strategies? Is your choice of learning strategy influenced by your learning MODEL? Let us get into our Day 4 Session.
Today we will take a look at contemporary approaches to Early Childhood Education. We highlight the key aspects of the contemporary educational approaches through the dimensions of the curriculum model.
Three well recognized contemporary Approaches are Steiner, Montessori Reggio Emilia. The philosophies and principles upon which different traditions base their practices are different:
Steiner Pedagogy - spirituality
Montessori Pedagogy- purposeful learning
Reggio Emilia Pedagogy - co-learning
Steiner (Waldorf) Pedagogy
Teach” replaced with “learn”
Childhood is viewed as a unique time and indispensable in its value. Three innate abilities which define this developmental stage and guide educators in their work: sensation (openness to all sensory inputs, senses help forming organs and body), imitation (e.g. language by listening and imitating) and development of the will
Montessori Pedagogy
Learning is the work of the child’
Every child is unique, progresses at his own speed and rate, to be treated as an individual. Education should provide free and natural manifestations of the child. There should not be any interference or interruption and the didactic toys should keep children busy spontaneously.
Reggio Emilia Pedagogy
The hundred languages of children’
The child is born with an infinite potential and competence. The child is driven by curiosity and imagination. Child-centered approach is based on explorative learning and self-learning. Research is considered as a fundamental learning strategy. Most distinctly, emergent curriculum - conditioned by the thinking about child-initiated learning and teacher’s role.
Reflective questions
Do you want to pick one approach or would like to have an integrated pedagogy?
Who/what should be the deciding factor for choosing a particular pedagogy?
Do you think that new world needs a new pedagogy different from all these approaches?
See you tomorrow. Stay tuned!
When you take the Nursery Teacher’s Training Course: Certificate in Early Childhood Education we will get deeper into the school environment, instructional method, observation and documentation procedure and much more on these approaches.
Registrations are open for the batch commencing on 16 Aug. Visit www.sakalyawisdom.org/ntt for further details.
About the author: Lt Col Bincy K Thomas (Retd) is the Co-founder and Director of Sakalya Wisdom Foundation, an organisation committed to design and offer meaningful educational services and activities. She is the Director of Sakalya Prep, The Holistic Preschool, Whitefield Bangalore. She is the Trainer and Pedagogy Expert in Sakalya Centre for Professional Development, training Centre for Teachers Professional Development, School Leaders Development Programs and Parenting Programs. She is researching into creating a dynamic holistic early childhood pedagogy. Presently She is pursuing Certificate in Early Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education, USA. Other areas of her interests are world mythologies, philosophy, social, emotional and spiritual development, leadership, gardening etc.
Comments