Early childhood is a significant period in human development. Independence, initiative, decision making, creativity, the ability to learn, the ability to relate to others and feelings of self-worth all have their beginnings in early childhood. What young children learn at this stage will have a major impact on successful learning experiences on personal development and on future participation in society. Children’s early experiences influence social, physical, intellectual, creative, cultural and emotional development. Early childhood is the most active period of brain development although the brain continues to develop well beyond this time. Experience plays an important role in this development, with the nature of a child’s early experience having a long-term impact on learning outcomes.
Kindergarten refers specifically to the education program for children in the year prior to Grade 1. The Kindergarten learner expectations describe learnings that are appropriate for young children and are part of a learning pathway. The Kindergarten program not only helps prepare children for entry into Grade 1, but also provides a foundation for later.
A close partnership between schools, families and communities can strengthen the connections between children’s learning and experiences, within these various contexts, and make them more meaningful. Children are more likely to be successful in negotiating transitions among the diverse environments in which they live if they are intellectually engaged and challenged, while feeling socially comfortable and safe.
Learning in Grade 1 is a cooperative and communicative process. Children make sense of the world through interaction with teachers, family members, other children and community members. Through this interaction, children construct knowledge and make meaning of the world. As children extend their interests and prior understanding, they engage in problem solving, shared meaning making and construction of new knowledge. These understandings are greater than those they can construct alone. Including others in the scaffolding of children’s emerging knowledge is essential to help them achieve greater levels of understanding. Children are engaged as active participants as they build knowledge about themselves and the social and natural world. They reformulate ideas based on their intuitive knowledge as they internalize what they have learned in collaboration or in conflict with others.
Children in Grade 2 construct knowledge when their minds are actively engaged in meaningful, shared interactions with adults and peers in a range of social, cultural and linguistic contexts. This knowledge is collective, socially constructed and both enabled and constrained by language, history and traditions. Language is central to identity and
a defining feature of cultures. It is the basis of communication and one of the symbolic tools we use to create meaning. Language is dynamic, with meanings and structures that are constantly negotiated and modified through human interaction. If children participate in the definition of assessment criteria, they will know when they have succeeded and have more control over the completion of the task.
Children’s learning in Grade 3 is enhanced when teachers engage in an ongoing process of gathering information about what is being learned and reflecting on the meaning of that information. Assessment is effective in supporting and enhancing both teaching and learning. It is a cyclical process in which connections, relationships and new questions emerge as information is gathered and evaluated. Self-assessment and feedback from peers, teachers and parents facilitate and guide children’s reflections and take learning to a deeper level. Learning is more purposeful and effective when children and teachers reflect and dialogue on ways children construct and represent knowledge and participate in the learning process. Helping children set goals, monitor their own learning and reflect on their progress empowers them to see themselves as competent and confident learners.
Nearly everyone enjoys music, whether by listening to it, singing, or playing an instrument. Music education is so important, and it offers benefits even beyond itself. Students who have early musical training will develop the areas of the brain related to language and reasoning. The left side of the brain is better developed with music, and songs can help imprint information on young mind. Even when performing with sheet music, student musicians are constantly using their memory to perform. The skill of memorization can serve students well in education and beyond. Learning music promotes craftsmanship, and students learn to want to create good work instead of mediocre work. This desire can be applied to all subjects of study. Students who practice with musical instruments can improve their hand-eye coordination. Just like playing sports, children can develop motor skills when playing music. Learning to play pieces of music on a new instrument can be a challenging, but achievable goal. Students who master even the smallest goal in music will be able to feel proud of their achievement.
Whether watching or participating, Sport can be fun, exciting and at times rewarding. The most well-known goal of any physical education class is to promote movement but there is more to this aspiration than breaking students out of a stationary lifestyle. PE classes teach children skills that they will use throughout their entire lives. For many younger children, physical education classes offer their first chance to learn about the relationships between nutrition, exercise, and health, while acquiring basic body management skills. Physical education allows children to experience healthy social interactions, teaching cooperation through group activities, and encouraging teamwork through identification as one part of a team. These social skills stay with children throughout their lives, increasing the chance that they’ll become involved in their communities, take leadership roles, and build lasting relationships. Social skills develop confidence, contributing to academic performance and mental health.
One of the tasks of the modern school is to prepare students for life in the information society. Teachers should create an environment for students to acquire the ability to search, organize and use information from various sources and learn how to use information technology in a creative and productive way. This can be achieved by preparing students to use computers and IT as well as by using technology in the classroom with a variety of subjects, at all stages of education. The use of modern IT in education is an opportunity to emerge a cognitive resource-based mechanism in students and develop the skills and the importance of lifelong learning and continuous education. It can also facilitate a more individual approach and individualized communication between teachers and students.
Art helps learners to develop creative problem-solving skills. Teaching through the art can present difficult concepts visually, making them easier to understand. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness. Visual art teach learners about color, layout, perspective, and balance: all techniques that are necessary in presentations of academic work. Integrating art with other disciplines reaches students who might not otherwise be engaged in classwork. Art experiences boost critical thinking, teaching students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world. Art provides challenges for learners at all levels. Art education connects students with their own culture as well as with the wider world.
When children develop their mother tongue, they are simultaneously fostering a whole host of other essential skills, such as critical thinking and literacy skills. It is this skill-set that they take with them into formal education, and research tells us that any skills and concepts gained in the learner’s home language don’t need to be re-taught when they transfer to a second language. If a child has developed the ability to guess the meaning of a word through its context or to infer meaning by reading between the lines, these skills are easily transferred when they begin studying in a second language. It’s also well known that a strong mother tongue foundation equips children with the skills they need to learn additional languages, allowing them to transfer their understanding of the structure of language to several new languages. The intuitive understanding of grammar that develops when children learn their first language can easily be passed on to other languages.