A Letter to the Editor: A Plea for Play-based Early Education
I bring my kids to the park daily and I, more often than
not, engage in several conversations with parents concerning the
accomplishments of their young children.
Inevitably the conversation turns to education and I write to you today
with an enormous concern. Most adults understand the importance of childhood,
but do we comprehend the importance of a quality childhood? Do we know what it takes to create programs
that support quality development and how to implement them? I’m afraid the cliché attitude towards the
importance of childhood has overshadowed the importance of creating quality
experiential learning opportunities for our youngest minds. Many early
education programs are driven by parents asking that their children are taught
to read before the age of five. Other
programs are driven by standards that ask four year olds to learn through only
direct instruction, and teachers are being asked to teach from scripted
curriculums allowing for very little “wiggle room.” Research is telling us this is not the
way. According to a recent article in Yong Children, “programs that are
standardized rather than tailored to meet children's individual needs are
detrimental to children's future academic success” (Geist & Baum, 2005,
p.31). In contrast, Deborah Leong and Adele Diamond, neuroscientists
looking at the benefits of play and self regulation, contend a play based
curriculum can contribute to the development of important executive function
skills. These higher order and creative
thinking skills, while they may not be considered “academic,” may also be some
of the best predictors of academic achievement (Warner, 2008). This is just scratching the surface of the
enormous amount of research supporting a play-based model. I have heard teachers complain, “Kids just
are not the way they used to be.” This is usually followed by blaming pop
culture and media outlets pumping the wrong message and of course blaming the
parents. Could it be our early childhood
education programs pumping the wrong message?
What message do we send when we expel (yes, expel) preschoolers for
throwing tantrums? What message do we send
to a five year old when we tell him he must not move to first grade because he
cannot sit still? What are these practices teaching parents? Early education programs should be the
cornerstone for teaching parents about the development of their children, not
programs telling them they are doing a bad job.
This week our legislature will pass a bill to separate
our district from its current school board and allow us to build a new system
from the ground up. Every fiber in my
being wants this new district to do it right.
Let’s acknowledge the research that demonstrates the advantages to a
quality early education program. Let’s
get it right from the start and focus our attention on a play based curriculum
and create a foundation that can produce the type of innovators we want for not
only our parish, but for the global community.
Reference
Warner, L. (2008). "You're It!": Thoughts on Play and Learning
in Schools. Horace, 24(2).
Geist,
E., & Baum, A. (2005). Yeah, But's that keep teachers from embracing an
active curriculum. Young Children, 60(4), 28-36.
