Report 1

Introduction
Early childhood education has roots that reach deep into history. For over 2,000 years the
issue of "why" and "how" to teach young children has engaged philosophers, psychologists
and educators who have sought to discover the universal laws of child development. Plato
(428-348 BC), a leading Greek philosopher, believed all children were born with a set
amount of knowledge, and that education served to 'remind' them of their inherent
understanding of the world, and help them apply it in their daily lives. Plato saw play as a
form of anticipatory socialization. If children are to be builders, he suggests, they should play
at building houses. The teacher's role is to try to direct children's inclinations and enjoyment
through play towards their ultimate goals in life. Meanwhile, Martin Luther (1483-1546) was
a passionate supporter of universal education, and believed that both boys and girls should be
taught to read independently so that they could have access to the Bible, rather than relying
on oral retelling. He believes that the role of school is to educate children's intellectual,
religious, physical, emotional and social aspects. Additionally, Maria Montessori (1870-
1952), Italy's first female physician, continued the Froebelian tradition in a different context.
Concerned with the welfare of young, poor urban children in Italy, she established a
"children's home" in Rome in 1907. Like Froebel, Montessori implemented an early
education curriculum based on developmental theory, using play as a teaching method, and
introducing developmentally appropriate materials designed to facilitate sensory and
cognitive skills. The method, like kindergartens also spread around the world, is child-
centered and child-directed, meaning that each student learns based on what they are
interested in at the time.

Teaching Method / Strategies

The teaching approach and method in early childhood education is the Montessori Method,
also known as Self-Directed Learning. In a Montessori classroom, the primary interaction is
between the child and the materials, not between the teacher and the child. At first, the
teacher shows the correct use of each set of materials, after which the children can work on
them individually or in small groups. The role of the teacher in a Montessori school is to
observe to connect the child with the appropriate material. Children learn through experience,
by observing and doing. They practice life skills such as buttons, zips, cutting, and gardening,
allowing children to take care of themselves as well as their environment. Learning in a
Montessori classroom is cumulative, always building on what was previously learned.
Activities are primarily individual, and children move around the classroom freely, choosing
their own activities. Emphasis is on self-directed learning; children pursue their own interests
at a pace that works best for them, rather than moving through teacher-led lessons as a group.
Children develop respect for each other and their classroom, putting things back on the shelf
before getting new ones. Their work is taken seriously and not considered a game.

A High/Scope Program known as the Plan-Do-Review Process. High/Scope was founded in

1970 and grew out of work done by Dave Weikart and Connie Kamii on the Perry Preschool
Project. High/Scope provides a broad and realistic educational experience that is geared to a
child's current developmental stage, to encourage the constructive learning process necessary
to expand emerging intellectual and social skills. In High/Scope classrooms, students engage
in 'centers' of learning, including building, dramatic play, math, reading, music, writing, art,
science and motor development. A typical day will show a three-part process: "Plan-Do-
Review." Starting with planning, the class and teacher discuss and make a plan for a certain
period of play. Children do their various activities, (Do) while the teacher observes and offers
support. A "review" process occurs after the play period, where students and teachers gather
to discuss what they have discovered. This helps children understand their own actions, and
allows for connections between actions and language. The children's work is proudly
displayed on the classroom walls.

Curriculum Design
Early childhood education programs, although less structured in the learning process because
children are still young, still need a curriculum to ensure children achieve certain goals. In
early childhood education, when creating a curriculum, it is important to look at
Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP). Developmentally appropriate practice is
looking at the child's developmental level and working on tasks that are important for that
developmental level. Once those goals have been identified, one can create a curriculum that
helps the child acquire those developmental skills in early childhood education. There are
many different techniques to implement the curriculum, such as routine activities, play
activities, scaffolding techniques, parent involvement, and intentional teaching. Routine
activities help create some independence in children because they understand what is coming
and can make assumptions about what to expect. Play activities help encourage children to
have fun while learning. Scaffolding is a technique that builds on other learned skills. For
example, today children learn how to put on their shoes. Tomorrow they will learn to tie
shoes. It simply builds on previously learned information. Parental involvement is also
encouraged so that children learn outside the classroom and at home as well. Intentional
teaching in the curriculum is aimed at educating certain children about certain tasks and being
diligent with the teacher's instructions.

Technology Integration
Technology plays an important role in modern private or remote education environments,
including early childhood education classrooms. When used appropriately, educational
technology can enhance the learning experience for young students. But choosing the right
educational technology and integrating it effectively is complicated. It requires intention,
technological savvy, and collaboration between all parties involved. The purpose of
technology integration in early childhood education is to enrich children's experiences and
support learning outcomes and desired development. Technology cannot be integrated and
used for its own benefit. Rather, it is a tool used to help achieve educational objectives.
Educators must consider many factors and questions in the selection and implementation of
technology. For example, what learning and development outcomes will this technology
achieve? How will it increase children's engagement with learning? Is the technology
appropriate for the child's developmental stage and individual learning needs? The
Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development states that e-books and educational apps can
enrich the literacy learning experience for preschool-aged children. A tool that combines text,
video and graphics to help children understand meaning, concepts and stories visually helps
students note the connections between ideas. Read-along audio options can help reinforce
sound, word and image connections. Incorporating multimedia technology into teaching and
assessment practices can help engage students with diverse learning needs. This technology
enables flexible content delivery, allowing differentiation of lessons and activities according
to individual learning styles. Multimedia technology also gives students flexibility in how
they demonstrate what they are learning. This can increase access to authentic learning
opportunities for all students. Furthermore, children can use simple, creative educational apps
to engage in active and self-directed learning by creating content such as videos and audio
recordings.

Challenges in Early Childhood Education

Despite the growing importance of Early Childhood Education (ECE), there are several
challenges that continue to undermine its effective implementation. Some of the main
challenges were briefly discussed. These include lack of adequate teaching and learning
resources, socio-economic factors, high teacher-child ratios with low remuneration, and
financial constraints. Malnutrition and poor health are examples of factors linked to socio-
economic factors. This factor can significantly damage a child's cognitive processing ability.
Children whose processing capacity is impaired by poor health and malnutrition may need
more hours of instruction to learn various skills. Therefore, the implementation of early
childhood education may prove critical especially in low-income countries. Financial
constraints can make the implementation of early childhood education ineffective. At the
macro level, a large number of developing countries have experienced heavy debt burdens
following their efforts on World Bank and International Monetary Fund fiscal policies such
as the Structural Adjustment Program. It is reported that this debt repayment program is
partly responsible for significant reductions in government funding for subsidized education,
health care and school-related spending. The result is that families take on more
responsibility in the implementation of early childhood education programs.

Conclusion
The first 5 years of childhood are the most significant in terms of development. Early
childhood is a critical time and children's experiences in these formative years play an
important role in preparing children for future success. It is important that educators and
other key stakeholders such as parents, schools and governing bodies recognize the important
role that early childhood education plays in lifelong learning. While this increases the
pressure on Early Childhood Educators, many of the challenges we face as a profession can
be overcome by working together as a whole to educate others. In addition, educators must
reflect on their own teaching methods and build new frameworks for thinking, which support
children's rights and ensure children are given voice, rights, choice and power in curriculum
decision-making. While teaching traditional skills such as reading, writing and numeracy is
still important, educators must also be aware of the importance of developing a disposition
for learning and life skills, which will help students, become productive citizens in the future.
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