"Learning to children is as natural as breathing" Wendy Ostroff
The the podcast, Early Childhood Education: Balancing Expectations and What Young Learners Really Need, outlined various reasons why play is so vital to the overall academic success of young children and how to incorporate what is expected and what children really need to learn into the classroom. The podcast opened with a question, "What does education and school mean for young learners?" Thomas Armstrong (an award-winning author and speaker with more than 40 years of teaching experience from the primary through the doctoral level) responded with the importance of play and having access to concrete learning materials (wooden blocks, playing with sand and the dramatic play area) allows the child "to take the contents of the outer world and mix it with the inner world of their imagination." Laura Bornfreund (a senior policy analyst for the New America Foundation's Early Education Initiative) added to the conversation that building children's multiple domains of learning as well as their curiosity is what education means to young learners. Wendy Ostroff (a cognitive psychology, child development, and metacognition expert and author of the 2012 ASCD book, Understanding How Young Children Learn: Bringing the Science of Child Development to the Classroom) "piggybacked" on Ms. Bornfreund's reply by stating "Play is how children learn...providing role models, opportunities to explore, experiment, be creative, and to collaborate with others is what establishes the learning process."
I knew this was the perfect podcast to listen to in relation to this week's coursework when the hostess asked, "How should we reconcile the beliefs that children need academic-oriented opportunities to prepare them for school and the research that says the best learning comes from play?" I found it intriguing that Mr. Armstrong would respond, "...it is a flawed understanding to think that young children should be exposed to early academic learning in order to be successful in academics later." So many "policymakers" feel the only way for our early learners to achieve academic success in school and in return become an asset to enhancing workforce development, is to expose them to "academically-structured" learning at younger and younger ages. Jennifer Orr (a National Board Certified Teacher in middle childhood and a 1st-grade teacher at Annandale Terrace Elementary School in Fairfax County, Va.) stated, "For teachers in the classroom, it is a struggle to make the things that need to happen happen but also give children the chance to play...teachers are now trying to balance what is expected versus what is needed for children really learn." So not only does this way of thinking put pressure on teachers, but parents and especially the children. How is this beneficial to the growth of the whole child?
One new insight that I gained from this podcast was the structure of the early learning classroom can negatively affect overall development of young children. Ms. Ostroff comments that developmental scientists have found that " 'formal academic activities' can harm learning in young learners...academic-based early learning programs can harm learning." I had always agreed with a play-based curriculum was more effective than an academic-based one but I had no idea it would hinder overall development. As a parent, you want your child(ren) to have the best from the beginning but from an early childhood professional viewpoint, letting children be children and explore the world as they see fit is the best parenting one can give! If you think about it from an adult's perspective, "How many of us actually learn and absorb the world around us in a formal, structured environment?" Definitely not me!!!!
References
The Whole Child Podcast. Early Childhood Education: Balancing Expectations and What
Young Learners Really Need. Retrieved on October 5, 2014 from
http://www.wholechildeducation.org/podcast/early-childhood-education-balancing-
expectations-and-young-learners-needs
Hi Monique,
ReplyDeleteI think play is an important role for young children to learn. Its their way of exploring and understanding the world around them. Its the way they learn about themselves in each environment that they step foot in. I know when I was growing up, I was shy and reserved at school, and the same with work. I'm out-going when I'm at home, with my friends and family. Many children I find learn and understand this concept real quickly. Many children feel most comfortable to express themselves at school, and express themselves very differently at home. Play is one way for young children to learn how to express themselves and feel confident with who they are in the world. Play is a wonderful subject topic to fight for and help others understand the benefits of play for young children, older children, and even us adults!!
Hi Monique,
ReplyDeleteI have always believed play-based curriculum is important for young children to experience. Providing opportunities within the classroom that provides hands on learning for children to discover, explore and learn through play is extremely important for young children. It allows children to express themselves, explorer different roles and feel confident.