Paper 6:
Early Childhood Education
Q. 2. What is the role of a good kindergarten teacher?
Ans. A kindergarten teacher wears many hats. As the
children's primary teacher through most of the school day, she sees them
through many activities and moods. To keep things running smoothly, she must be
able to act and react in a variety of roles as the need arises.
Organizer
Before
a kindergarten teacher can teach the class, she must organize what, where, when
and how she will teach every subject. She plans all the lessons and organizes
each day's schedule. Since kindergarten involves lots of hands-on learning, the
teacher designs stations within the classroom where they will learn different
skills. She decides what supplies she needs and sets up the room, from the
layout of the desks to what's on the bulletin boards and walls.
Instructor
The
kindergarten teacher's main job is to teach her class the skills they need, not
only for a successful school year but also to prepare for first grade and
beyond. She decides when to teach the entire class and when to work with small
groups. She must be aware of different learning styles and try to reach each
student in the way he learns best. Part of her role as instructor is to help
students practice their skills and assess what they have learned.
Disciplinarian
One
of the skills kindergarten students must learn is how to get along with others.
The teacher outlines the rules her class will live by and is responsible for
keeping order in the room so learning can take place. She decides in advance
what rewards and consequences will be given for keeping or breaking the rules.
Private Tutor
Sometimes
students need extra help beyond classroom instruction and practice. The teacher
needs to discern which students need one-on-one help in each lesson and
schedule time for them accordingly.
Counsellor
Kindergarten
is a year of adjustment. Even students who have attended preschool recognize
that kindergarten is different. It's often at a new school, with different
classmates and a longer day. The expectations are higher. The children's
immaturity, combined with their increased responsibilities, can cause small
problems every day. The teacher must be able to soothe hurt feelings, tears and
sadness -- sometimes with parents, too, who are concerned for their children.
Nurse
The
exuberance of five- and six-year-old children easily leads to injuries, in the
classroom and on the playground. Kindergarten teachers need to know when just a
hug and word of encouragement will heal the hurt, and when it's time for a trip
to the school clinic.
Cheerleader
Kindergarten
children can be both excited and hesitant in their learning. Along with
teaching them new skills, the teacher stands back as they try them out,
cheering them on all the way. Children sense the confidence adults have in
them, and the teacher's "you can do it" attitude teaches them that,
indeed, they can.
Liaison
The
kindergarten teacher is the liaison between other adults in the school --
special teachers of art, music and physical education, as well as cafeteria
workers and office personnel. She must also communicate closely with every
child's parents. Research has shown that the more parents are involved in their
children's education, the more successful the children are. Kindergarten is an
adjustment period for parents, too, and keeping them informed helps them as
well as the children.
Q. 7.
What is the necessity of emphasising on problem solving? Explain.
Ans. In part, the answers to the question as to
why schools need more emphasis on a problem solving approach is very clear.
Four answers are discussed below:
1.
Schools
have not been as effective as they should be in training students to think
rationally:
2.
Education
is only meaningful when it opens the door to learning as to how to cope with
life:
3.
Problem
solving can be a major motivating force:
4.
Problem
solving helps a teacher make material relevant to students:
Q. 8. What
are the methods by which values could be inculcated in children through the
process of early childhood education?
Ans.
1.
Gradual
Development
2.
Through
the situation
3.
Through
Exposure
4.
In
the child’s terms of reference
Q.10.
Write short notes:
Ans. Maturation
and problem solving:
The teacher, who has worked
with first grade children and then with older children, will notice many
differences in their rate of learning and their methods of problem solving.
Usually, the older the child the more involved he can become in working through
a problem. Not only will he want to go into it more deeply, but he will be able
to stay with a project longer. In addition, he will be able to work
independently to learn more of what he needs to know. In short, the older child
has additional abilities that he can apply to a subject.
In part, problem solving is
different as children grow older because they have increased skills and
knowledge. Nursery children do ask questions, but they have difficulty in
understanding and in expressing their ideas. Kindergarten children and most
first graders are capable of learning more by questioning, and can report many
things with a high degree of accuracy. They have a better chance to learn and
apply their learning to the solution of problems. Third graders may not only be
able to ask more probing and relevant questions, but they can, if necessary,
write the information. They are more able to read references material and make
notes on what is needed.
Problem solving is different
as children grow older because they are increasing abler to work together. They
cooperate with the teacher in the search for solution. More and more frequently
they use the inductive method to solve problem. For example, in the study of
phonic the teacher can cover a chalkboard alone or with the cooperation of the
children with word containing the letter “c”. The children will then attempt to
feature out when and why the letter “c” sometimes represents the speech sound
of the letter “k” and other times it represent the speech sound the letter “s”.
From this discussion they can generalise to formulate working principles. Thus,
when appropriate, most primary children can cooperate as a class in problem
solving activities.
Problem solving is also
different as children grow older because they are increasingly abler to engage
in many kinds of group activities. They can, for example, engage in simple form
of “brain storming” in which all children express ideas which are received
without criticism, then the ideas are reconsidered to find the ones which can be
tried out. Third graders ordinarily enjoy committee work. Within the group they
show leadership, ingenuity, and persistence in group projects. A worthwhile
project effectively conducted develops responsibility and discipline. One
fourth grade teacher was regularly assigned children below grade level,
including many categories as including “trouble makers”. Many of these children
were under privileged. To encourage the interest of her class the teacher made
use of appropriate projects. It took as few weeks, but invariably a
transformation occurred in the classroom. Those frustrated, trouble making
children welded into a purposeful, cooperating group. The teacher’s immediate
attention for purpose of discipline was no longer required. The children were
deeply and personally involved. Leadership developed. Skills and talents
appeared that other teachers had not been able to bring to the surface. Class
members made more than expected academic progress almost without realising that
they were learning anything.
Structure
and creativity in discord:
Generally we only examine the positive relationship
between structure and creativity. Unfortunately, life rarely evolves so that only
positive results occur when structure and creativity mesh.
1. Pressures
2. Rigidity
3. The absoluteness
of Authority
Q.6.
What are the various resources available to the teachers to make children
learn. Discuss in detail and put forward all the resources that could be used
by the teachers for this purpose.
Ans:
The various resources available to the teachers to make
children learn are:
Literacy-rich classrooms surround children in environmental print such as
calendars,
schedules, signs, and directions to show how words are used purposefully
in everyday
activities. Collaboratively written texts from circle time and words of
songs and poems
can be written on charts and posted on the walls.
A library corner can be filled with books of different genres — stories,
poems, information
books, and magazines. Aboriginal stories about
environment, traditions, and history can also be included. Literacy materials
can be available in learning centres.
Numeracy develops when children are given opportunities to engage with early
numeracy concepts such as classification, magnitude, enumeration,
dynamics, pattern,
shape, measurement, and spatial relations. Found materials such as
buttons, beads, and
small stones are useful for counting and sorting. Open-ended materials
such as wooden
blocks, tangram puzzles, measuring tools (cups, measuring tapes,
scales), can be provided in a math centre, along with board games, card games.
Physical activity enhances brain development, coordination, social skills, gross motor
skills, emotions, leadership, and imagination. It also helps children
build confidence and
self-esteem, and learn to enjoy being active. Kindergarten children
learn through all
their senses, so the learning environment must accommodate hands-on,
whole body learning and the physical activity needed for healthy development.
Learning centres are designated areas where materials are arranged to guide children’s
learning. Play at learning centres can be exploratory, with hands-on learning
using sand, blocks, dress-up clothes, water, collections, paints, puzzles,
musical instruments, and more. Interactive play occurs when children explore
the learning centres together.
Learning centres can take many forms and may include the following:
* dramatic play area with
dress-up clothes, table and chairs, props such as puppets and dolls, toys and
other objects (e.g., food and kitchen set for a playhouse, stethoscope and
bandages for a play hospital, food boxes and cash register for a play store)
* construction centre with
wooden blocks, soft blocks, carpentry bench, tools, railway set, natural and
found materials
*games and puzzles centre
with straws and connectors, puzzles, simple board or
matching games
* creative arts centre with
easels, paint, crayons, paper of various kinds, beads and
string, and reclaimed materials such as cardboard rolls and plastic tubs
*music centre with pitched
and non-pitched classroom instruments (e.g., rhythm
sticks, xylophones, slide whistles, finger cymbals, hand drums), music
recordings,
space for movement
*science/nature centre with
nature materials (e.g., rocks, seeds), magnifying glasses, sand table, water
table and objects that sink and float, light table or overhead projector
*outdoor centres, such as a
garden corner (e.g., bean planting, herb
planting), bubble play, parachute play.
Teachers also need to situate learning centres in ways that accommodate
movement patterns, allow for access to relevant supplies, and ensure that noisy
activities do not disrupt quieter ones.
