Lesson 1 - Foundations of ECE - Definitions, goals, and scope of ECE

FOUNDATION OF EaRLY CHILDHOOD EDUCaTION ECE 4.

OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION NATURE, MEANING AND GOALS.

WHAT IS EARLY CHILDHOOD? It refers to the period between birth and 8 years of age, wherein a child’s brain is highly sensitive to the environment around them. "A TIME OF REMARKABLE GROWTH.".

It is a term to describe formal and informal educational programs that guide the growth and development of children throughout their preschool years (birth to age five). WHAT IS EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION?.

Definitions of Early Childhood Education ❑ UNESCO (2019): Education from birth to 8 years that supports holistic development. ❑ NAEYC (2020): Comprehensive development (cognitive, physical, social, emotional, language). DepEd Philippines (MATATAG Curriculum, 2022): Early years as foundation for literacy, numeracy, and values formation. ECE = Birth to 8 years (Holistic Development).

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION IS FOCUSED ON: The critical developmental milestones, skills, and concepts that children attain during this period of their lives, from social- emotional skills to the beginnings of numeracy, literacy, and critical thinking..

HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION IS: A key economic indicator when assessing the health and future positioning of a nation (OECD) One of the sustainable development goals (UNESCO).

A wide variety of activities designed to promote children's cognitive and social development before entering kindergarten. May focus on school and academic readiness while others embrace a “whole child” approach that emphasizes mental and emotional preparedness. ECE Encompasses:.

Educational Properties are characterized by: INTERACTION WITH PEERS AND EDUCATORS ALPHABETICAL AND MATHEMATICAL CONCEPTS EXPLORATION OF ENVIRONMENT SUPERVISED GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES PLAY-BASED ACTIVITIES.

1 2 3 DYNAMIC AND ENRICHING CHALLENGING CAREFULL Y PLANNED A GOOD EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROGRAM IS.

“CHILDREN COME TO THE CLASSROOM WITH BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE THAT IS SATURATED IN THEIR PARTICULAR CULTURE.” “TEACHERS SHOULDN’T THINK OF IT AS a FOREIGN, EXOTIC THING THAT WE DON’T TOUCH. TRaDITIONS, ROUTINES, COMMUNICATION STYLES — THESE ARE ALL STEEPED IN CULTURE.” DR. NEGUSSIE.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION? WHAT DOES IT DO?.

THE PURPOSE OF ECE IS TO PROVIDE CHILDREN WITH STRATEGIES THAT HELP THEM DEVELOP THE EMOTIONAL, SOCIAL aND COGNITIVE SKILLS NEEDED TO BECOME LIFELONG LEARNERS..

THE ZERO TO THREE FOUNDATION: Language and Literacy Thinking Self-control Self-confidenc e ECE curriculums are set up to encourage d l b h l d.

Goals of Early Childhood Education ✔ Support holistic child development. ✔ Promote school readiness and lifelong learning. ✔ Foster inclusion and equity. ✔ Strengthen family and community partnerships. ✔ Contribute to national development (SDG 4: Quality Education)..

The goals of an early childhood education program can be split into four main development themes: Social Emotiona l Physical Intellectual and Academic THE GOAL OF ECE TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL BEHAVIORAL OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN FROM BIRTH THROUGH THIRD GRADE..

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT support a child’s understanding of themselves as individuals who live in relationship to others. foundational skills like sharing, using respectful language like, “please” and “thank you,” and contributing to shared efforts like cleaning up and following directions instilling the attitudes and values of equality, peace, and collaboration.

essential emotional skills confidence, self-regulation like self- of their emotions, self-expression, self-respect, and positive self-belief. children are prepared for increasingly complex social-emotional and academic challenges. EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT child’s development of gross and fine motor skills, physical coordination (hand-eye coordination, biking, running, etc.), and their understanding of healthy skills like hand- washing, regular exercise, and balanced eating. improving fine motor control to support their writing development, to children gaining more independence in activities.

It is essential that a child sees themself as a capable learner a child’s intellectual development extends far beyond the classroom promote a strong intellectual curiosity and lead children to a life of observing, wondering, questioning, and discovery INTELLECTUAL AND ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT.

Benefits of Early Childhood Education For Children: ✔ Builds positive self-concept ✔ Develops social-emotional skills ✔ Ensures readiness for formal schooling For Families: ✔ Provides support for working parents ✔ Strengthens parent-child engagement.

Benefits of Early Childhood Education For Society: ✔Reduces poverty cycle ✔ Economic investment ✔Produces productive citizens.

WHY IS ECE IMPORTANT? it capitalizes on a period of rich brain development for children and, when it is of good quality, can help them achieve their full potential. "A CRITICAL WINDOW OF DEVELOPMENT" It can lay the foundation for good health and nutrition, learning and educational success, social-emotional learning, and i d ti it th h t lif.

THE RAPID CEREBRAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDHOOD IS PARTIALLY DRIVEN BY A CHILD'S “ACQUISITION aND INTEGRATION OF SKILLS ACROSS MANY DEVELOPMENTAL DOMAINS” AND A RESPONSIVE, ENGAGING, AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT IN wHICH THE CHILD CAN LIVE AND LEARN..

Less likely to repeat a grade THE NaTIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION (NEA) STATES THaT RESEARCH SHOWS CHILDREN WHO RECEIVE A HIGH- QUALITY EDUCATION BEFORE THEY TURN FIVE ENJOY SIGNIFICANT MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM BENEFITS. Less likely to be identified as having special needs 1 . 2 . 3 More prepared academically for later grades More likely to graduate from high school 4 . 5 . More likely to be higher earners in the workforce.

“WE FORGET THAT KIDS GROw UP AND BECOME LEADERS AND DECISION-MAKERS.” “ECE SHOULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF POLITICAL, SOCIAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL DISCUSSIONS BECAUSE EVERY SINGLE CHILD DESERVES a HIGH-QUALITY EDUCATION, REGARDLESS OF RACE, ETHNICITY, OR CLASS.” DR. NEGUSSIE.

HISTORY OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION.

A Look BackChildren Through Time ▪ The concept of childhood and treatment of children through history has always been tied to economic, religious, and social factors. ▪ During the 20th century, the view of early childhood as an important part of human development was valued..

INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION.

John Amos Comenius (1592-1670) • Was a bishop in Czechoslovakia • Supported the idea of universal education. • He understood and stressed the importance of the early years. • Emphasized the value of active learning, hands-on experiences, and the involvement of parents in their children’s education • His 1658 publication“The World of Pictures” is viewed as the first picture book for children • TEACHERS SHOULD WORK WITH THE NATURAL ORDER OF A CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT. • 1997 Life magazine “The Invention of Childhood”.

John Locke (1632-1704) • English doctor and philosopher. • Children were born tabla rasa (blank slate). • Experience would determine what a child would become. • Education should be pleasant; get rid of harsh discipline and restrictive practices (like swaddling). • Children are gradually filled with ideas, concepts, and knowledge from experiences in the world. • He concluded that the quality of early experiences, particularly how children are raised and educated, shapes the direction of a child’s life..

Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712 – 1778) • Claimed that children at birth are innately good, not evil (which some people were suggesting) • Their natural tendencies should be protected against the corrupting influences of society. • Recognized that children’s way of thinking and learning is different than that of adults.

Johann Pestalozzi (1746-1827) • All people, even the poorest, had the right to an education as a way of helping them develop their moral and intellectual potential. • Stressed education according to nature, tied to experience and observation. • Stressed the importance of the mother in children’s earliest experiences • He actually worked with children (unlike Rousseau), developing educational methods that we still use today. • The first to actually teach young children, so the first kindergarten..

Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) • Stressed that nature and the child’s developing mind were connected • Children are at different stages at different times. • Stressed the importance of play in young children’s development – play was a pure and natural mode of learning. •Note: This has become the new focus of NB’s Early Childhood Education..

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • Developed the theory and techniques of psychoanalysis. • In the psychoanalytic view, early experiences shape one’s personality for an entire lifetime, and psychological problems in adulthood may have their origins in difficult or traumatic childhood experiences..

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) • Developed the theory and techniques of psychoanalysis. • In the psychoanalytic view, early experiences shape one’s personality for an entire lifetime, and psychological problems in adulthood may have their origins in difficult or traumatic childhood experiences..

John Dewey (1859-1952) • The father of progressive education • American attack on traditional forms of public schools. • In the late 1800’s, schools were very teacher-centered and subject-centered, not child-centered • There were harsh punishments and rote learning was the norm (memorization through repetition (how you learned your alphabet). • He developed a child-centered approach • Lots of his principles are still having an influence: nursery school, emphasis on play and parent education.

John B. Watson (1878-1958) • Believed that all human behaviors could be explained as learned responses to stimuli in the environment, an approach known as behaviorism ..

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) • True feminist of her time; first female doctor in Italy • Worked with children with cognitive disabilities • Thought their problems were more educational than medical • Government asked her to take charge of a children’s day nursery • Very impressed with the great capacity of children to learn so much during the first years of life: absorbent mind (sponge) • If you expose their minds to appropriate learning experiences at appropriate developmental times, their minds will grow..

Maria Montessori (1870-1952) • Used the term prepared environment to describe the match of the right materials to the child’s stages of development • Some of these are related to sensory discrimination (sorting by size, sound, shape, smell, etc) and some children learn through practical skills (polishing shoes, setting a table, etc) • More advanced materials for teaching reading, math, etc. Sandpaper letters, for example..

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) • Claimed that children construct new knowledge by applying their current knowledge structures to new experiences and modifying them accordingly. His perspective was called constructivism . • He thought children were like other organisms in that they adapted to the environment around them (he was a biologist) • He called cognitive structures schemata. Babies are only born with a few (think index cards), but with experience, they create new cards and dividers to store their information..

Erik Erikson (1902-1994) • His psychological theory, which spans childhood and adulthood, focuses on specific social tasks that need to emerge for healthy development in each of the eight stages. • Like Freud, he saw each stage defined by conflict, but he thought conflict was healthy and resulted in opportunity for personal growth..

B.F Skinner • The most famous of Watson’s followers • Has had an enormous effect on all aspects of education • Behavioral modification: behavior can be changed or modified by manipulating the environment (socially and physically) • Emphasized that almost all behaviors are learned through experience and can be increased or decreased based on what “happens next” Ex: if something pleasant consistently happens after a child engages in a specific behavior, he is likely to repeat the behavior..

PRE-HISPANIC SPANISH REGIME INITIAL ATTEMPTS POSTWAR INTERESTS BREAKTHROUGH IN GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES.

NO FORMAL SCHOOLING Mothers educated their female children in housekeeping, weaving, basket-making and other agriculture-related activities. Fathers trained their male children in hunting, carpentry, agriculture, shipbuilding and mining. Education was oral, practical and hands-on PRE-HISPANIC.

Children were provided more vocational training but lesser academics, which were Education was still decentralized headed by their parents or by their tribal tutors. The pre-Spanish system of education underwent major changes during the Spanish colonization. The tribal tutors were replaced by the Spanish Missionaries. PRE-HISPA NIC.

SPANISH REGIME Started formally in grade 1 with Christian Doctrine Predominantly religious utilized certain textbooks as cartilla and pagina de la Infancia (contains alphabet and prayers) --> “RELIGION-CENTERED” Preschooling was unorganized Inadequate, suppressed and controlled.

SPANISH REGIME Spanish is compulsory; boys and girls school are separated The more educated adults in the community became lawful “preschool teachers” Usually handled on one to one basis and lasting for no less than 30 minutes per session (Estolaz & Nunez. 1974).

SPANISH REGIME The regular schooling in the cartilla lasted for 3 to 6 months depending upon the child’s capacity to learn. This particular schooling facilitated the entry of the child into grade one although it was not necessarily a requirement.

INITIAL ATTEMPTS IN THE PHILIPPINES.