When considering this statement, it is important to evaluate both the role and necessary skills of an early childhood educator with particular emphasis on the ability to communicate effectively. It is also important to take into account the nature of a child’s learning and development and the importance of communication in the learning process. The role of an early childhood educator is, in general terms, to be a teacher and caregiver to pre-primary age children. In order to achieve this task, the early childhood educator must assume many different roles depending on the model of child development used. As will be discussed later, these roles include being a role model, mentor, motivator and facilitator. In order to fulfil these roles, it is …show more content…
Classical theories of intellectual development can be divided into three broad categories: theories based on British empiricism; theories, based on Continental rationalism; and theories based on social and historical analysis (Chase, 1992). Do you have a page number? In looking at the nature of human intellectual development, both the role of the educator and the nature of the communication process need to be examined. Obviously, both factors are different in each case, although it will be shown that both are of critical importance in every …show more content…
In the first category of theories, knowledge is acquired first by detecting patterns in the external or empirical world received by means of the sensory organs. The child’s mind then organises these random signals into a coherent pattern. Developmental psychologists who have accepted this view see the role of education as a process to induce the perception of patterns in a given context and recall these patterns for use in different contexts (Chase, 1992). Page number? Therefore, all knowledge comes from experience. British empiricists rejected the idea of innate knowledge (fieser, unk). Let’s consider the role of the early childhood educator in this model: since students essentially gain knowledge through sensory stimuli, which are largely derived from the student’s experiences, educators become facilitators and engage students in the decision making process and problem solving activities that, in the past, have been the sole responsibility of the teacher. As well as being facilitators, teachers expedite the transfer of knowledge from the real world and structure the process of reflection in students so that learning outcomes are achieved. (Education
Another belief of empiricists is that ideas are only acquired through experience, and not through innate ideas. Empiricists reject the concept of innate knowledge because, for example, if children had this knowledge, why do they not show it? Like why does a baby need to learn to walk or talk, why does he or she not have this knowledge at birth?
When we are born does our mind already contain knowledge or is knowledge something that we have to be taught throughout out life? This question is one that the studies of epistemology and innateness have questioned throughout time. While clarity can be gained on the subject, like all of philosophy, there are differing opinions on the matter.
While walking through the front gates of County elementary school, you see children of all ages playing while they wait for the school bell to ring. Walking to the classroom that I will be observing you see students with their parent’s line up waiting to get signed in. The students are to be signed in by a parent or guardian for safety precautions, and shows that the child was signed into school. As a visitor, I am to sign myself in, this shows I was in the classroom, at what time was I there, and reason for visiting the classroom.
Empiricists claim that genuine knowledge comes from experience: a posteriori knowledge. It can be difficult to argue against this point. When asked to explain even the most simple of objects, such as an apple, each description proposed is one that is associated with a previous experience. One might describe an apple to be red, round, hard and sweet. Each of these characteristics are descriptions of prior experiences. If a child who had never tasted anything sweet was asked to describe the flavor of an apple, the child wound be unable to. Without experiencing what ‘sweet’ is, it is not possible to understand it. This is true for any characteristic. If a child were to ask the meaning of the word round, an adequate description would require a explanation of something the child is familiar with in order to understand the relation. For example, “a ball is round”.
From the perspective I have at this stage in my journey in the early childhood education field, I would like to share what I have come to value and believe in regards to early learning and care by looking at my philosophy statement. To begin we will look at the statement and highlight three key features and find out why they are important to me, then we will see what they will look like in my practice, and lastly we will examine these ideas closely by looking at where they originated. By taking an in-depth look at my philosophy statement we will better understand the motivation behind my practice which I hope to continue to refine and refresh as I gain more knowledge and experience.
As a teacher in early childhood development, I believe that the teacher skills and personality influence how children understand, observe and react to the classroom environment and the world around them. Even though part of teacher responsibilities are academic, daily interactions that encourage social, emotional and physical development are important. One of a quality effective early childhood educators’ characteristic is that they should have patience.
What separates a good teacher from a great Teacher? “First and foremost a teacher must love working with children. No matter how well you teach, there is always room for Improvement ” (Killen,2009.p.100) .In this Essay I hope to show some of the key attributes, that I consider essential to becoming an effective early childhood teacher. Those key aspects are communication, building lasting relationships, engaging students effectively in the learning process, and encouraging and appreciating diversity in the classroom.
Before that, children were thought to have less intellectual abilities than adults. This theory models the steps children move through in thought and logical thinking, how their learning differs from adult learning, and the importance of mastering one stage before moving on to the next. The way that children grow and develop their viewpoint of life depends on their ability to form a baseline of knowledge, then question and cognitively think through how an experience differs.
The theories of cognitive development presented are related to the understanding and revealing of the intellectual functions and procedures concerned with the gaining, organizing and usage of knowledge. Lev Vygotsky is a social constructivist theorist that has presented an influential theory of cognitive development. He believed that the process of intellectual development occurs within young children when adopting ideas from their interactions and experiences with the social world. They experience thoughts through observation, taking instructions from adults and early involvements within their social and cultural settings. When collaborating, the child begins to implement ideas learnt from his surrounding through using a tool which is self-talk. Additionally, t...
Morrison, G. S. (1976). Chapter 6: Early Childhood Programs APPLYING THEORIES TO PRACTICE. In Early childhood education today (10th ed., pp. 5-31). Columbus, Ohio: Merrill.
In the book an Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals by David Hume, he argues that empiricism is a theory that states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience. Immanuel Kant on the other hand exclaims that knowledge is innate. Although Hume puts up some good arguments, the following paper will discuss a couple holes in his a posteriori theory which causes it to become unstable and ultimately unreliable.
Relationships are very powerful, and our connections with each other are our foundation for positive development, learning, and change. In order for a community, school, and/or neighbors to achieve shared goals, caring and sturdy relationships between people and families must be formed based on understanding, respect, and trust. Neighbors form their own unique community in a small geographic area within larger communities, and neighborhoods can include families of many different cultures. For purposes of this paper, since I am not an educator, while including the positive influence of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to early childhood education, this author’s particular focus will be on a strategic and effective approach to communication, which, in turn, promotes positive development and learning.
Isenberg, J. P., & Jalongo, M. R. (2000). Exploring your role: A practitioner’s introduction to early childhood education. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
The purpose of early childhood education is to firstly learn about one’s self and agency, how one’s actions can affect and impact others; to develop a sense of identity; who you are and how you fit into this world. Experience a sense of belonging through interactions with peers and teachers whilst celebrating and sharing diverse cultures whilst embracing others. Children need to have opportunities to explore, experiment, to gain insight and knowledge in numeracy, literacy, science and social structure through innovative and richly supported curriculums (DEEWR, 2009). I have very high expectations of all children as I believe that this assists in building self-confidence and
Learning can’t always just be in the classroom and from my observation at the Childhood Development Center I got to learn from real life observation. In the weeks prior to my observation I learned about the cognitive, language, physical, and lastly social and emotional development of children from birth to adolescence through lecture and readings. However I also got to see these parts of development in a preschool setting of children ranging from 3 to 5 years old at the Montana State University’s Childhood Development Center. In going to the observation booth I saw how children were developing and also how they worked socially with others. Some children were in groups or with a teachers and others were just by themselves however each showed me something about their development.