I would like to extend a thank you to Lynette P, Melanie and Magretta Nelson. Your personal stories were empowering, informative and took much courage to share. I look forward to continue to work with you in our continued journey in early childhood field. Here's wishing a safe and restful holiday and a successful new year!

Thoughts about Child Development

 Play increases an awareness of oneself and others in their environment.  Playing stimulates the brain and stimulates the skills that they take through the stages in their life. As and adult when you are watching children playing you see all the skills that they will as they grow. As a preschool teacher I try to explain to parents that their is a method to their madness. Parents just see the children just passing time as they play. Once skills are explained and tied to play, many of them are surprised and respect the preschool environment even more.

Assessing Children

  When assessing children, the assessment first of all should be tailored to a specific purpose and fair for that purpose. The assessment should also include a plan of action to continue working also focusing towards a child's progress. Observing children and having conversations with children during play is a way to assess the children's problem solving skills  and cognitive skills.  Children can share methods and ideas while they are at play.  Also this form of assessment one can see the children "in action" instead of a standardized test where it is teacher structured not child oriented.

  Three and four year old children in Japan attend preschool and learn the importance of respect, language skills. Preschoolers are not taught math and literacy because it is expected that their mothers teach these skills at home.  T he kindergarten entrance exams tests children on their knowledge of shapes, the color of fruit, number sequences and polite behavior. Many parent stay on  lines to enroll their children to help prepare them for these tests. Some children begin studying for these exams when they are 6 months old, learning activities like how to open and close their hands. 

Japan is a very group oriented society, where interdependence is more important than individual independence. Preschool classrooms are equipped with large very heavy wooden blocks to encourage children to work together and play together and cooperate as a group.

More information:

 

 https://www.ed.psu.edu/educ/dcec/jtobin-komatsudanithennow.pdf

 http://www.eltnews.com/news/archives/2010/06/a_comparative_s.html