“Why Preschool Shouldn’t Be Like School” by Alison Gopnik
Slate, Posted: March 16, 2011, Accessed: April 12, 2011
Slate, Posted: March 16, 2011, Accessed: April 12, 2011
Topic: Play based exploration vs. direct instruction for early childhood education
Summary: The article talks about some studies and experiments with 4-year olds that point towards exploration and play as effective ways to “teach” young children.
Intended audience: Educators, Parents
Key Points:
- Play based exploration allows children to be more creative and learn more
- Direct instruction squashes creativity and scientific thinking
Relevance: This touches on a lot of the subjects we have talked about in Ed Psych. It also mentions NCLB and the requirement of federally funded preschools to go towards a curriculum based on direct instruction to get results for standardized tests.
This makes me think of the Sir Kenneth Robinson video from early in the term. Play is learning, it is developing, building various skills like vocabulary, problem solving, interpersonal relationships, and so on. Creativity is such a desirable skill - why do we work so hard to drill it out of young minds?
ReplyDeleteI guess as teachers maybe we could get more creative and incorporate play into the curriculum??? Just a thought - I still say they need to play as well - possibly more importantly.
As you may or may no recall from my (very boring) presentation on Kindergarten, Robert Owen, one of the pioneers of kindergarten, lead his classes in a very similar way--he did not lecture, he did not quiz or drill, he let children explore the maps and exhibits in his infant school, he let them go outside and explore, their own playful inquisitiveness led them to the path of knowledge, and his infants learned literacy skills along with other basic skills that students of 3rd and 4th grade are expected to know. Nice article
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