Comparisons between ECE and Primary Teaching
I have seen ECE using the environment as the sole teacher, it was never meant to be that, the third teacher I was trained to see it as. Teachers are disengaging more and more, a total hands off approach... oh the children are just so independent they say, well it's a cop out if you are not interacting and scaffolding young minds with conversations, questions and expert information.
I have seen children in schools regimented into 1 hour a day of reading, writing and maths, only three curriculums are so highly valued when we know that people have potential in so many areas of the curriculum.
There is one undeniable truth-both methods work but there is no way that schools are going to change from elephants into automobiles and teach the way ECE does, or vice versa, so I am more interested in what is not working and why?
When it doesn't work, the child does not learn, in my experience it is these three points that can be avoided;
Parenting
Neglect-nutritional, affection, time to be creative "I watched TV and played with my Nintendo all holidays" - true story grrrrrrrr
Poverty
When poverty comes in the front door, love flies out the back window, noone can perform at their best when their tummy is rumbling, or they haven't seen a doctor yet because the visit and prescription will be too expensive.
Passion
Of the teacher, I have sat in on one remarkable Teacher with a love of works and creative writing and magic happens when she reads, wonders over children's work and teases out new little dialogues from the unknown, the one factor that we can influence in our ECE centres and schools is passion, moods are contagious and if a Teacher is not into it, everyone is affected by this.
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