The inspiration to join early childhood education is the children. They are unique in certain ways. Children are God best gift. I believe that we can cultivate many wonderful skills in children. Before this, I went to Culinary arts programme. My initial plan was to do cooking classes for children. I finally realize that it is important for me to join this BCE because I have to learn child psychology and development first. The cooking skills I can easily acquire anywhere but not early childhood education. Therefore, I am so happy that finally can join this course and improve my knowledge in early childhood education.
Although pre-school teachers are often underappreciated, we are some of the most valuable people in our country. The country need excellent early childhood teachers to help strengthen our overall education system. Here are some reasons that inspire me to study early childhood education. Firstly, I get to learn how to work with different age groups. Early childhood education teachers typically learn to work with students who are anywhere from 2 or 3 (pre-kindergarten) to 8 or 9 (third grade). That is obviously a huge age range, and each different grade level has its own unique challenges and fun moments.
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
By studying early childhood education, I will open up teaching opportunities within a number of different grades so that I can figure out what age group that I most want to work with. Plus, it will also mean that I will be qualified for more teaching jobs, which in this economy is an incredibly important thing. Next, I can earn additional teaching certifications. Studying early childhood is a great foundation if I want to work in a specific area that I am passionate about, like special education. By majoring in early childhood education and then earning an additional certification, I will open up even more job opportunities.
Other than that, I get to be a part of important developmental moments. The human brain actually grows the most during a child’s first three years, and important nerve connection pruning begins when children are just 12 months old. Young children need proper stimulation to begin developing important real-world skills like problem solving, and as an early childhood educator, I can help them grow and reach these important milestones. While I am earning my degree, I will take classes that will teach me about cognitive development so that I know how best to work with children at different ages.
Next, I can help children develop essential behavioral traits. In addition to promoting cognitive development, early childhood education also helps students develop necessary behavioral traits like sociability, motivation, and self-esteem. Preschool is one of the first opportunities for many children to interact with other kids their age on a regular basis, as well as adults other than their parents. If I work in early childhood education, I will be helping the children to develop the personal and interpersonal skills that are necessary to live a happy and healthy adult life.
Other than than, I can get creative with my lessons instead of sitting behind a desk. Children under the age of 5 do not respond very well to long lectures or textbook reading sessions, so as an early childhood educator, I will get to lead kids through a lot of hands-on lessons. For example, instead of just expecting students to memorize the alphabet, I might use toys like a plastic apple to represent different letters and sounds. I may also have the opportunity to take students on field trips to places like farms or children’s museums to help them gain valuable life experiences. And while I am still in university, I will likely have plenty of opportunities to leave my own college classroom and visit pre-school classes to get practical experience.
Next reason that inspire me to join early childhood education is that I will become an important community member .l have the chance to interact with your student’s parents and various community members who can help connect me to important educational resources. If the program I work for is a non-profit, i may also spend time soliciting donations from community leaders.
Other reason is I can be an education advocate. One major problem that has been getting a lot of attention lately is the early educational gap between more privileged students whose parents can pay for them to go to preschool and lower-income students who simply go directly into public kindergarten when they are five. If I want to make a direct change, studying early childhood education will position me to work for a non-profit preschool or maybe even start my own kindergarten to give lower-income students more opportunities.
The role of early childhood educator
The educator need to develop schedules and enforce routines, maintain a safe and comfortable environment, provide age-appropriate supervision and discipline, plan and implement lessons, observe and communicate and address cultural or special needs.
In details, the role of early childhood educator mainly interacting with children, managing the classroom, setting the tone, planning and evaluating curriculum, record keeping on children’s learning progress, attending meeting for example staff meeting, parent-teacher meeting or home visit. Next role is organizing and collecting materials, making contacts and working with families.
Characteristics of a good teacher
There are many characteristics that a good teacher should have. One of it is kindness. An educator should be kind to all children. For example, the teacher cannot scold the children.
Next trait is confidence. Confidence is a key so that the children will respect the educator who has confidence. For example, a teacher must speak confidently when deliver lessons to children. Children will pay attention if the teacher speak confidently to them.
Other trait is patience. A teacher must be patience and must not be hot tempered. For example, when facing problems with the children or the children’s parents, a teacher must stay calm and patient and try to solve problems effectively without dragging into unwanted emotions.
Next trait is passion. Teachers must have this trait. Meaning that the teacher has great interest in teaching the children. For example, teacher try the best to serve the children’s learning progress by doing many kind of interactive and fun lessons.
Last trait is flexible. The teacher must be flexible in teaching. For example, the teacher must follow the children’s condition and capacity to absorb knowledge. The teacher must be flexible in carry out lesson plan and cannot be too strict to catch up with syllabus. In fact, the teacher must be flexible in teaching if the children are tired or do not have interest in learning.
The core competencies of Early Childhood Educator
Levels of competence levels of competence refer to a progression of knowledge, skills, and abilities important to the provision of quality care for children. These levels of competence, however, are not necessarily aligned with the professional development steps. Some of the competencies may not be addressed at all in the earlier steps. These levels of competence have been aligned with bloom’s taxonomy.
First core is awareness level-knowledge. Professionals are developing an awareness of the core knowledge areas. Competence may be reflected by knowledge, skills and abilities such as: recognizing, identifying, labelling and observing.
Next is developing level-comprehension. Meaning that professionals are able to articulate core knowledge areas. Competence may be reflected by knowledge, skills and abilities such as: describing, discussing, explaining and paraphrasing.
Other than that, achieving level-application. Meaning that professionals are able to apply core knowledge areas. Competence may be reflected by knowledge, skills and abilities such as demonstrating, illustrating, implementing and applying.
Next, extending level-analysis and synthesis. Meaning that professionals are able to analyze and create based upon core knowledge areas. Competence may be reflected by knowledge, skills and abilities such as: comparing, contrasting, developing, relating, creating, constructing, designing and modifying.
Lastly is advanced level-evaluation. Meaning that professionals are able to judge and advocate for core knowledge areas. Competence may be reflected by knowledge, skills and abilities such as critiquing, assessing, appraising, revising, justifying and advocating.
How to become a good or professional educator?
There are many skills to be a professional educator. For skills, an educator must have interpersonal skills, communication skills, teaching skills, organizational skills, planning skills, artistic skills, technological skills, problem solving skill, critical thinking skill and creative thinking skills.
Firstly, an educator must have interpersonal skills which means able to interact successfully with a wide range of people or children and know how to interpret the children body language. For example, an educator must have a good interpersonal skill which is a soft skill to make children being attentive to listen to class lesson and know children body language which show whether the children are bored or tired.
Next, an educator must have communication skills which means the educator can communicate clearly with the children. For example, in the class, educator is able to deliver lessons and communicate effectively to the children.
Other skill is on teaching skills. Meaning that educator is able to help the children gain knowledge. For example, educator creating effective and fun learning environment for the children to explore and gain knowledge using various way of learning and effective teaching materials.
Next skill is organizational skill. Meaning that educator is able to organize information, children or things in systematic way and able to establish priorities and meet deadlines. For example, educator know how to organize the class schedule for the children.
Other skill is on planning skills. Meaning that educator able to plan projects, events or programs for the children. For example, educator can plan fun activities or games for the children. Meaning that the children can learn while playing.
Next skill is artistic skill for example use colour and design teaching materials effectively. Meaning that educator can design teaching materials creatively like posters, video, and many more.
Other skill is technological skill. For example, educator can understand technical system and operates effectively and able to understand technical specification for instance manuals on how to use the PowerPoint or projector and so on as an aid to carry out lessons in class.
Next skill is on problem solving skill. Meaning that an educator must know how to solve problem. For example, educator able to clarify the nature of problem in children and try to solve it for instance children that facing speech delay. The educator must know how to solve the problem.
Other skill is critical thinking skill. Meaning that an educator able to review different points or ideas in different perspectives. For example, when doing lesson plan, the educator should think critically and consider all aspects that influence the children learning process. Educator must think critically on the best way to develop the children learning progress.
Last skill is on creative thinking skill. For example, educator able to generate new ideas, invent new thing, find new solutions to problem and many more that help to improve the children’s learning progress. For instance, educator provide games with learning input for children.
Reflection after working with a group of children
To be honest, I am happy working with children. I love to entertain them and response to their attitude and behaviour. I love seeing them happy and cheerful. I really have the passion in them. I feel that this early childhood education field really teach me to be sincere in working with children. I do not feel reluctant while interacting with them.
Really I feel I am comfortable working with children. They are true gems that need to be nurture and we should protect and guide them. Educators are like burning candles to light up other people’s lives.
Strength and weakness on becoming an early childhood educator
For me, the strength is when i have a true passion in becoming an early childhood educator. That is the source of strength which is passion. In life, we have to have passion in whatever we do. Therefore, I find that I really have passion in this field. Therefore, it is my powerful strength.
My weakness is lack of knowledge on understanding children behaviour and character and how to react on the children’s behaviour. For example, if the children throw tantrum, I should know how to resolve the conflicts. I notice my weakness is that I do not know how to handle children’s behaviour. Thus, I have to gain knowledge more so that I can understand children better.
How to improve skills and weakness?
How to improve skills and counteract the weakness is simply by gaining knowledge more on early childhood education. That is the most important thing that I should do.
Future plan
My future plan is continuing my master at UPSI. Then, I want to establish my own kindergarten and do children enrichment programmes one fine day. Other than that, I still want to do cooking classes for children. I want them to enjoy simple cooking and baking skills. I want advocate more for the young children.
I want to contribute as much as I can in terms of knowledge, motivation and so on for the young children. I want all children to grow up as happy and healthy children.
Developmental And Anthropological Approaches To Childhood
Developmental and anthropological approaches to childhood have been paramount to the way people around the world view children. These two approaches have, in their own way, studied children and put forward their theories on childhood. It is important to look further into the key features of developmental and anthropological research of childhood and to determine the similarities and differences of their approaches as well as examine the application of each approach to childhoods across the world. Child development emerged as a scientific approach in the late eighteenth century with the work of Jean-Marc Itard as he set out to study ‘the wild boy of Averynon’ (Woodhead, 2013). Within this study, Itard used systematic approaches to determine the ‘normal’ development of the child (Lebrun, 1980). This signifies the main features of the developmental approach to childhood. By applying principles of observation, measurement, and experiment, his approach to studying development became the basis of the scientific practice to follow (Woodhead, 2013). On the other hand, anthropological views on childhood began in the late nineteenth century as anthropologists started to go on expeditions to remote parts of the world. Anthropologists are interested in underlining the connection between the individual and their cultural surroundings (Super & Harkness, 1986).
Participant observation emerged as one of the key aspects of anthropological studies, and it involved data being collected by observations and also from informants. An important feature of the anthropological research is ethnographic writing. This research method was used to try to describe and also explain life and culture. The method also involved long-term intensive field work and attempted to gain the subject’s perspective (Montgomery, 2013). One of the key ideas that the developmental approach is based on is the belief of defining stages in children’s ‘normal’ development and this led to the theory that children’s cognitive development was monitored through a sequence of stages (Piaget, 1964). These stages became a new way to observe children’s development, knowing a child’s age was the basis for understanding where they were in the life phase. With the introduction of mass education, children’s ‘normal’ development was clear to see. These experiments were reproduced around the world to position children within the stages of development. Anthropology developed a new theory with the work of Franz Boas, who worked to disprove that there were stable racial types (Sobo, 2015). Within this work, Boas showed the importance of the environment to development and reiterated that all cultural beliefs need to be studied objectively. This was very important in understanding children around the world. It started debates in other cultures regarding practices used on children. Some practices used in some countries were deemed unacceptable in other countries. Anthropologists needed to suspend judgment in these cases and focus on the way these cultures understood these practices (Zechenter, 1997). One such contentious practice is female genital mutilation (FGM). FGM is the removal of the clitoris and other female sexual parts by use of a blade on children aged between the ages of four to twelve (Fishwick, 2018).
Our writers can help you with any type of essay. For any subject
Order now
According to Fishwick (2018), it is performed and accepted in up to 28 African countries and over 100-140 million underaged girls are believed to have undergone this procedure. FGM is a violation of children’s rights as the child is not viewed as having the ability to consent to such a procedure. Some western cultural anthropologists have contested this view that FGM is a human rights abuse due to cultural relativity. These instances involving cultural relativity are usually complicated and the opinion of the people involved tends to change over time. (Dorkenoo, 2006) These two approaches, and the way they have evolved are important within ‘the new social studies of childhood’ (Montgomery, 2013, p. 178). One evident similarity that the two approaches share is the importance of observing children’s social relationships in a familiar setting. Anthropologists believed it was imperative to immerse yourself in the culture of the subject to be able to understand the child’s understanding of the surroundings (Montgomery, 2013). This is also supported by developmental researchers who believed it was vital to observe children in familiar settings to see stronger evidence of their understanding of other people’s points of view. During the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a new interest in studying children as the peoples started leaning to the application of scientific method to social issues. Considerations about children’s health and growth were magnified. There was a new cultural approach that examined how children’s development was established within certain settings and communities. Vygotsky believed that a child’s development should be measured with regards to specific economic, social and cultural contexts (Bucx, 2018).
Anthropologists also shared this view that the everyday lives of children were important and this led to an increase in the studies of particular aspects of children’s lives (CITE). They were extremely interested in observing different childhoods across the world and looking for evidence that differences in children were influenced by their cultural environment and not only biologically. Some other works by developmental researchers such as Bowlby and Levine showed some correlation with the anthropologists’ view of childhood development being affected by the environment. Bowlby looked at children’s need for care and concluded that some ways for caring for babies are natural and adaptive and others are unnatural and harmful (Bretherton, 1992). His original belief was that children’s need for care focused on one person (Bretherton, 1992). Levine looked further into the connection between universal development and how this was shown in different ways within different cultures (CITE). His work was interested in child-rearing and child development in diverse communities. This highlights that it is important to study child development within different cultures differently. The methods that anthropologists have used to study childhood is in contrast to the scientific methods used in developmental approaches to childhood. Anthropologists favoured the approach of being immersed in the lives of the people with whom they were studying, as mentioned above, and they also used informants to gather information on the people they were studying. These two methods of researching people created problems and sometimes made it difficult to get the accurate findings as they were not always able to participate fully in the lives of those people. Some critics claimed that the information giving by these informants was false and was exaggerated (LeCompte & Goetz, 1982).
When trying to understand childhoods from around the world, it is vital to look at how the developmental approach has been applied. Child development is an important part of every country in the world and most research has been undertaken in minority world societies. This information captured and compared with data has given researchers and scientists the ability to determine the level of child development in these countries and put programs in place to try and improve the child development (Westgard & Alnasser, 2017). The shift in anthropological approaches to view childhood as social construction has been vital in understanding childhoods across the world. The United Nations Convention on the rights of the child (UNRC, year) has been an important component in the influence of anthropologists. It was drafted under the premise that children have rights whoever they are and wherever they live. However, anthropologists have been uncomfortable about the assumption that childhood is universal that was presented in the convention. This has caused problems because of the belief in the convention that everyone under the age of 18 is a child. The difficulties that arise from this problem stem from cultural issues due to the things people of certain ages are allowed to do in different countries. For example, in Malaysia, the legal age for marriage is 18, but girls are allowed to marry at the age of 16 according to Islamic Law (Kim, Longhofer, Boyle & Nyseth Brehm, 2013). The key aspects of the developmental and anthropological approaches to childhood have been discussed and examined. Various methods and theories used within these approaches have been described and explained. Anthropological and developmental approaches are both integral to the study of childhood and can be used to help understand many areas within the spectrum of children and childhood across the world. Although both approaches include theories and methods with are sometimes contradictory to one another, there are also methods and theories which both disciplines use and acknowledge as important to the study of childhood and children.
References:
Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology, 28(5), pp.759-775.
Bucx, F. (2018). Child Development: Theories and Critical Perspectives. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(1), pp.304-308.
Dorkenoo, E. (2006). The Banyan tree paradox, culture and human rights activism. Washington, D.C: International Human Right International Program. Fishwick, C. (2018). What is female genital mutilation?. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/16/what-is-female-genital-mutilation-circumcision-us [Accessed 22 Nov. 2018].
Kim, M., Longhofer, W., Boyle, E. and Nyseth Brehm, H. (2013). When Do Laws Matter? National Minimum-Age-of-Marriage Laws, Child Rights, and Adolescent Fertility, 1989-2007.
Law & Society Review, 47(3), pp.589-619. Lebrun, Y. (1980). H. Lane, The wild boy of Aveyron. London: Allen & Unwin, 1977. pp. 351S. Curtiss, Genie: a psycholinguistic study of a modern-day ‘wild child’.
New York: Academic Press, 1977. pp. xvi + 288C. Maclean, The wolf children. London: Allen Lane, 1978. pp. 324. Journal of Child Language, 7(01). LeCompte, M. and Goetz, J. (1982). Problems of Reliability and Validity in Ethnographic Research. Review of Educational Research, 52(1), p.31.
Montgomery, H. (2013). Childhood: an anthropological approach. In: M. Kehily, ed., Understanding childhood: a cross-disciplinary approach, 2nd ed. Bristol: The Policy Pages, pp.161-210. Piaget, J. (1964).
Part I: Cognitive development in children: Piaget development and learning. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2(3), pp.176-186. Sobo, E. (2015). Anthropological Contributions and Challenges to the Study of Children and Childhoods. Reviews in Anthropology, 44(1), pp.43-68.
Super, C. and Harkness, S. (1986). The Developmental Niche: A Conceptualization at the Interface of Child and Culture. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 9(4), pp.545-569.
Westgard, C. and Alnasser, Y. (2017). Developmental delay in the Amazon: The social determinants and prevalence among rural communities in Peru. PLOS ONE, 12(10), p.e0186263.
Woodhead, M. (2013). Childhood a developmental approach. In: M. Kehily, ed., Understanding Childhood: a cross disciplinary approach, 2nd ed. Bristol: The Policy Press, pp.99-160.
Zechenter, E. (1997). In the Name of Culture: Cultural Relativism and the Abuse of the Individual. Journal of Anthropological Research, 53(3), pp.319-347.
