Philosophy Assignment

Philosophy Assignment

(Book Review on Early Childhood Education)

Brittany Green (Clayton)

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

Philosophy Assignment

What is early childhood education? Early childhood education is described as "a broad term used
to describe any type of educational program that serves children in their preschool years, before they
are old enough to enter kindergarten."(Preschoolteacher.org. (2019). What is Early Childhood Education
| What is a Preschool Teacher. [online] Available at: https://www.preschoolteacher.org/what-is-early-
childhood-education/ [Accessed 30 Aug. 2019].) Early childhood education is something that I believe
every child needs. I think that it is important for developing and increasing their social skills. Many
children entering preschool and kindergarten are an only child, or their siblings are older or younger
than they are. Learning and developing social skills is an important factor for these children because if
they are familiar with being around other children their own age, they will have better success in school
because they are able to communicate and learn together as a team.

Another reason early childhood education is important is to help kids transition to elementary.
School, which is a big change for children. They go from being home where they are comfortable and
know the rules to a big school with a whole new set of faces, rules and roles. On top of all of these things
they also have new rules and are expected to learn new things daily. These new expectations can be hard
for adults, let alone children of such young ages. I feel that if they are introduced early on where learning
isn't the focus, instead getting used to being in school and figuring out how to work with other children
is instilled, their transition into the next few years will be much easier for them.

As a mother of one child who went to preschool and one who didn't, I've seen first-hand the
difference that this can make. My oldest son did great in kindergarten and other than having some
difficulty focusing (which we later learned was ADHD) he didn't have many problems. My other son
however did not attend preschool and he had many challenges. At one point during a parent teacher
conference the teacher told me that there was a good chance he would not make it to first grade. At this
point I started working with him even more and he ended up passing with good marks, but it was
definitely more of a struggle for him because he did not have that extra help.

Children are our future and I believe that they deserve every chance to shine. Learning new
things comes easier to children when they are able to have fun while doing it. Making reading and math
into a game helps their minds grow while keeping them intrigued. If they enjoy what they are doing, they
won't be as likely to look at it as a chore. Learning can be fun, and I feel that it should be! Letting the
children take the lead and pick the games while keeping it hands on and full of color is a great way to
keep their interest. Children's attention span is short, and I feel that this is something every teacher
should keep in mind.

I believe that all individuals, especially children learn differently. Some children are just natural
learners and they catch on very quickly. Other children need to learn by doing things hands on. I am a
physical learner or kinesthetic. I learn better by doing things than by hearing or reading them. My boys
are the same way whereas my daughter is more visual and social as in she learns better in groups and
with images. No child is exactly alike, and I feel that incorporating at least some of each group is
important so that every child in the class gets what they need to succeed.

Another thing that I feel is important in teaching children the right way is taking breaks. If you sit
Philosophy Assignment

a child down and have them read a book for thirty minutes and then quiz them on what they read the
chances of them getting all the answers correct is much greater than if they were to read for an hour.
Once they get board of what they are doing or they lose interest, they may continue reading but they
may not comprehend what they have read near as well as the children who are able to stop for a while
and do something different before returning back to the assignment. According to an article I read "In a
2016 study, psychologist Karrie Godwin and a team of researchers measured how attentive elementary
students were during class and discovered that they spent over a quarter of the time distracted, unable
to focus on the teacher or the current task. Shorter lessons, however, kept student attention high:
Teachers found it more effective to give several 10-minute lessons instead of fewer 30-minute
ones."(Terada, Youki. “Research-Tested Benefits of Breaks.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational
Foundation, 9 Mar. 2018, https://www.edutopia.org/article/research-tested-benefits-breaks.)

Being a humanistic and nurturing educator is very important when teaching young children
especially. They need to feel comfortable and safe in the classroom as some of them may not feel that
way at home. Showing your children you care by listening to them and helping them if they are
struggling is something I believe should be a main focus. As well as having a good parent/teacher
relationship. If you have that connection with the parents, then you are more able to connect
schoolwork with work completed at home. Children whose parents work with them at home are more
likely to succeed than children who are solely working at school.

I believe children learn best when they are having fun and enjoy what they are doing. Testing at
an early age is something I feel has a negative impact on children. They are expected to sit quietly and
answer questions for periods of time which makes focusing hard. If that test were to be changed into an
interactive test such as asking the question out loud and doing a little dance for the right answer or
giving encouraging words for wrong answers such as "That was a great try!" the scores could be much
higher. Encouragement is a big thing for children. They should always be congratulated or told they have
done a good job to raise their self-esteem and want to learn more.

Having a good support system at home is also very important in helping children succeed.
Growing up my grandmother always did her best to raise my 7 siblings and myself but wasn't always able
to help with schooling. I feel that if my mother would have been more involved that learning would have
come easier to me. Having the support system at home and school is something that will make children
feel more relaxed and able to learn.

Children have basic needs that should be met in order to learn at their best. One of the most
important of these needs is for them to feel comfortable in their surroundings. If a child is comfortable,
they will be more open to new things and elementary years are full of new things every day. Having a
warm environment for children by simply being happy, listening to them on their good days as well as
when they struggle is the easiest way to make them comfortable. When I was in high school, I was in a
special education class as a peer tutor. One of the children were acting out and instead of listening to
their problem or trying to help them out, the teacher simply sent them to the principal’s office. I believe
that this was the wrong way to go about this because the teacher didn't take the time to listen and try
and find the root of the problem instead, she just sent him to someone else so she didn't have to deal
Philosophy Assignment

with it.

Another basic need for children is parent/teacher involvement. Having the teacher and parent
on the same page is crucial in a child's education. If the parents are on the same page, the child is more
likely to get the extra help at home they might need. Something that goes hand in hand with this is good
reporting. If a teacher doesn't take the time to make sure that the child understands what was expected
of them, what they did right or wrong then they won't be able to know what was wrong. Children can’t
decipher on their own how to fix a problem.

Being a teacher is one of the most important professions there is. This is because we are
teaching our future. To be a teacher you must have patience. There may be days where the entire class
just doesn't feel like doing what they are supposed to, they are rambunctious and hyper. You must be
able to take these days in as well as the good ones and remember that children are children and they
want to play so you must find ways to get their attention. Another quality that teachers must have is
empathy. Children can be very emotional, and you must be able to listen to them and care about why
they are upset or unfocused. Sometimes they may be crying because of something as simple as dropping
their pencil While it seems they are being difficult, there could be an underlying cause.

Students with special needs are amazing to work with! It may be a little harder as a teacher to
help these students, but it is part of what makes it worth it! I recently got the opportunity to meet a
teacher who changed my perspective of this profession. She was amazing in helping me learn that my
son needed extra help and that he wasn't just not wanting to do his work. She taught me that sometimes
children may need some extra time on their tests, they may need to be in a room that is completely
silent and most importantly they need to never be given up on! Disabilities come in many forms such as
dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, and the more severe such as down syndrome and autism. These children are just
like any other child, they just simply need a little more attention and praise.

When it comes to children with culturally different backgrounds, I feel that you first have to
understand their background. By understanding what their religious beliefs are, where they came from
and their background you will be able to better teach them. You can do things such as learn their native
language, even if it is as small as saying hello to them and having a conversation. Every child deserves the
same opportunities to learn. You must also look at your lesson plans and try to work around making any
child feel left out. One other way to create a more culturally responsive learning environment is by
getting the other children involved. For example, if a child speaks Spanish as a first language, teach the
class how to say hello, how are you?

I believe that a child's social development is very important. Some other things that you can do
to help every child succeed socially would be things such as positive reinforcement. This is very
important because it not only helps to raise self-esteem, which makes students want to learn more and
get more things correct, but it also lets them know that they are doing a good job. Something that goes
hand in hand with this is encouragement. Encouragement to try new things is something that every
teacher should do because many adults and children alike do not like change. Working in groups and
having daily routines can also help with their social development by letting them know what to expect
Philosophy Assignment

and being able to work as a team.

Another important job as a teacher is to acknowledge children's feelings and use positive
phrases. If a child is upset because they answered a question incorrectly, you could help them grow by
simply listening to them and lifting them up by saying things such as, "you did a great job!" or "You'll get
it next time". Emotional development is important because young children can show emotion in
different ways. They may not always cry; they instead could yell or act out or even withdraw. Some ways
to handle these situations are, expression through art and using confidence builders because there are
times when they really don't understand why they are so upset, or they aren't sure how to tell you.

Intellectual development can best be described as "Intellectual development measures how

individuals learn to think and reason for themselves in relation to the world around them(Intellectual
development measures how individuals learn to think and reason for themselves in relation to the world
around them." (“What Does Intellectual Development Mean?” Reference, IAC Publishing,
https://www.reference.com/world-view/intellectual-development-mean-b363c12a7264f641.) Reading
to children in the early years or having them read to you is very important. This is important not only
because it helps to increase their imagination as well as helping them learn the sounds of words.
Rhyming is another way to get children involved in reading. Another way to help with intellectual
development is with math. Starting children early on adding and subtracting will help with the future
years of schooling.

As I have stated before, being active is an important thing for children of all ages. They need a
chance to burn off some energy and have fun. One way that most schools offer this is recess, most
children’s favorite time of the day. There are also other ways to incorporate this however such as
stretching as a class before beginning any work. I think that helps students get ready to start the day and
wake up. You can also offer a healthy snack after the stretch to get their minds going on track.

."(Preschoolteacher.org. (2019). What is Early Childhood Education | What is a Preschool Teacher.

Philosophy Assignment

[online] Available at: https://www.preschoolteacher.org/what-is-early-childhood-education/ [Accessed

30 Aug. 2019].)

(Terada, Youki. “Research-Tested Benefits of Breaks.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 9
Mar. 2018, https://www.edutopia.org/article/research-tested-benefits-breaks.)

." (“What Does Intellectual Development Mean?” Reference, IAC Publishing,

https://www.reference.com/world-view/intellectual-development-mean-b363c12a7264f641.)