Early Childhood Education: A Cultural Analysis

The search terms that I used to locate this research study to analyze were “early childhood education benefits”. The database that I used to find this research study was the University of North Florida’s online library database. The reason why I selected this particular study to analyze was that the study was about examining whether or not early childhood education has any positive effects on academic achievement later on. I would like to know if preschool care helps students to have higher academic achievement later on in life.

Chapter two discusses various theorists that helped to mold and shape early childhood education to where it is today. There are several different theorists that contributed to the development of early childhood education. Some of these theorists include Alfred Adler, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and John Dewey. Each theorist developed a unique theory that has caused early childhood guidance and education to flourish like it has today. Without learning and building on these theories, early childhood guidance and education would never develop or change. The chapter explains how some theories may seem strange to the contemporary families, but these theories are the foundation of how early childhood education got to where it is today. The book goes

Early childhood is a time of curiosity, a time for play, and a time of rapid development. Every child is unique and deserving of an early childhood education that facilitates academic, social, and developmental growth through a variety of enjoyable experiences. Differentiated instruction adapts content, products and processes to meet the diverse learning needs and preferences of students (Thousand, Villa, & Nevin, 2007). Friedrich Froebel, the creator of Kindergarten, believed that children grow and learn as they play (Bruno, 2009). Play-based instruction not only enables young learners to have fun, but it also encourages interactive and cooperative learning, passion for discovery, and a foundation for later learning experiences

In the film Babies Thomas Balmès elegantly and wordlessly captures the first year of life through the eyes of four unique cultures. This film follows four babies Panijao from Namibia, Mari from Japan, Hattie from the United States, and Bayarjargal from Mongolia. The main purpose of the film is to show how the four cultures differ in their behaviors with infants. One of the striking differences is the role the parents play in the documentary and how they interact with their newborn infants. In contrast, the film also shows the similarities in infancy even in vastly different environments and cultures.

The foundations of early childhood education are based on a number of developmental theories. These theories are based on experiences and provide teachers with an understanding of how children develop and learn. It is important for teachers to be well-versed in these theories because they shape the trends and standards of early childhood classrooms. Developmental theories not only play a role in trends of early childhood education, but also shape the laws that impact classrooms today. These laws, whether set at the state or federal level, are important in ensuring children receive a fair and appropriate educational experience.

For my journal article critique I chose Development Approaches to Teaching: Three Preschool Programs. By Amy Sussna Klein from Earlychildhood News

“Early roots of play as a best practice for early learning was documented by Plato, a Greek philosopher, who insisted that play is considered a natural activity of childhood.”(Ingrid Crowther, 2011, Pg. 2) Early Childhood Education is a term that refers to educational programs that are devoted to children from birth to the age of eight. “Children of this age learn by exploring and investigating; therefore, their environment should support and encourage this process.”(Rebecca Isbell and Betty Exelby, 2001, Pg. 11) Early childhood environments should be attractive and exciting. These environments should allow children to work and play using proper resources, materials, and tools.

I am a student at Florida Atlantic University studying early childhood education. I am enrolled in EEC 3214 class this semester; the class is called designing and implementing a blending curriculum: birth to age eight. I am required to complete a field experience assignment at a preschool. I will observe young children ranging from three to five years old. I assure you that I will keep all information confidential. In addition, I reassure you that I will not share the information collected outside of my course and that no identifying information will be shared. I will respect and follow all the school’s policies and procedures in a professional manner.

This research report presents an analysis of and conclusions drawn from the experiences and perspectives of two educators that work in the early childhood setting. The main objective is to identify key elements and issues in relation to the families, diversity and difference. In particular how an early childhood educator implements, different approaches to honour culture and diversity, and to advocate for social justice in an early childhood settings. As such, it allows an insight into the important role that families and their background plays in the everyday lives of the children and educators within early childhood settings. In today’s ever-changing growing society it is essential for educators to be flexible to the

An increased awareness of the implications of quality experiences in the early years has resulted in a growing interest in early childhood education. Subsequently, this has generated an interest in differing examples of early childhood curriculums. The following essay will critique the international approach, Te Whãriki and compare the New Zealand educational system to the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum of the United Kingdom. The essay will include reflection upon the similarities and differences of these approaches upon my settings practice.

The documentary Babies depicts the first year of four babies coming from different cultures. The similarity and diversity in the developmental traits of these infants prove that culture has a tremendous impact on experience-dependent development, but serves a trivial role in shaping experience-expectant development. This paper will justify this viewpoint using observations in the documentary. These observations will be categorized into three themes: the relationship between caregiver and the baby, the role of cognitive and motor stimulants in the environment, and baby’s social interaction with people around. Firstly, the connection between the infants and custodian in the movie shows that certain abilities in babies emerge at the same

During this class, we have discussed many topics from the importance of Early Childhood Education, through all of the developmental stages and into the roots of behavioral issues. I’d have to say out of all the topics, the importance of Early Childhood Education and how children develop and learn from week 2 is what has stuck out the most to me. I have even found myself explaining the importance to friends, with information I have learned from this course.

Sociocultural is defined as relating to, or involving a combination of social (relating to human society) and cultural (taste in art and manners that are favored by a social group) factors.” (Socialcultural , 2010) You might ask why we are defining these words. It gives a better understanding of Vygotsky beliefs “that children seek out adults for interaction, beginning at birth, and that development occurs through these interactions.” (Morrison, 2009 sec 14.6) I agree that his theory is the best process for learning. Many people feel that social interaction and learning begin at birth, but there have been research conducted that fetus can learn through parental interaction. According to Fetal memory “Prenatal memory may be important

Emile is a thirteen year old child who is currently in the 9th grade at the Leman Manhattan Preparatory School in Manhattan, NY. He reported that he has attended since kindergarten. He stated that he has developed close friends in school, and feels comfortable there.

Child development is complex because it is influenced by a wide range of factors such as culture. A child’s culture begins to influence them long before they are born. Parents from around the world hold different beliefs and raise their children in unique ways. Cultural norms can greatly affect which values parents consider important and how they share those values with children (Christensen, 2013). The timing of the development of certain skills and characteristics in children, depends on the importance the culture places on them (Buechner, 2015). For example, a good deal of value is placed on academics in many Eastern cultures, and so children spend many hours each day on math and science activities from the time they are very young. But, in the United States children are given a great deal more freedom to express themselves and experiment with things, because we as a society place value on creativity and innovation (O’Sullivan, 2016). In the U.S., the nuclear family is considered the ideal structure for raising children, but in countries like Japan and India, extended family and community members take a much larger role in child care and parenting (Christensen, 2013). Because each child is unique, caregivers need to form partnerships with families in order to meet the developmental and educational needs of their students. According to Copple and Bredekamp (2009) by understanding a child’s culture, early childhood professionals can “make classroom decisions that are