Ece101's Philosophy Of Education: Preschool Day Play

The practitioner in an early years setting supporting children’s play learning and development is extremely important, as play helps stimulate the child’s brain, supports their needs on an educational level, as well as helping them with social difficulties such as building relationships, developing them and helping them gain confidence. Many people believe that a child learns best when they are motivated, such as Fredrich Froebel. He believed that children benefitted from all types of play. The McMillan sisters believed that outdoor play was extra important as they studied children who played and slept outside and discovered that they were the happier and healthier children in comparison to those who only played inside.

Child psychology is the scientific study of the behavior of the human child. According to Goldenson (1970), child psychology is the study of the sequence of development from conception to maturity including the roles of maturation and learning, heredity and environment in motor, emotional, sexual, social, intellectual and character development.

Analyse the theoretical perspectives taken to learning and development through play Humanistic theory- says that children should have the chance to choose what they want to play with and carry out their own ideas. Adults should be supportive towards the child which will improve their confidence and self esteem. Social learning theory- children learn though copying other children and adults.

This school is a licensed childcare program and NAEYC accelerated. The center is providing child care program for children age from 2.9 to 5 years old. There is 2 preschool classroom, I did my observation in preschool classroom room no: 1 on 10/2/2017 time from 9am to 10am. There are around 13 children in the classroom. All the children’s engaged several activities like

There are many different theories of development that help us to understand children’s behaviour, reactions and ways of learning. All equally important as they influence practice. To begin with there is Piaget’s constructivist theories which look at the way in which children seem to be able to make sense of their world as a result of their experiences and how they are active learners. He also suggested that as children develop so does their thinking. Piaget’s work has influenced early years settings into providing more hands on and relevant tasks for children and young people. In other words the children are ‘learning through play’. Teachers are working out the needs of children and plan activities accordingly.

At the heart of early childhood education are young children. I thrive on the notion that education is a lifelong process and the building blocks of learning are developed in the early stages of life. I believe that life is all about gaining knowledge and sharing what we have learned with others. My philosophy of Early Childhood Education is based on research that indicates that a child’s growth is developmental. Each and every child is unique in terms of life experiences, developmental readiness and cultural heritage.

Piaget developed a workable theory that has had considerable implications for education, most notably for child-centred learning methods in nursery and infant schools. Piaget argued that young children think quite differently from adults so therefore the teacher should adapt the teaching methods to suit the child. For example, nursery school classrooms can provide children with play materials that encourage their learning. Using sets of toys that encourage the practice of sorting, grading and counting. Play areas, where children can develop role-taking skills through imaginative play. Materials like water, sand, bricks and crayons that help children make their own constructions and create symbolic representations of objects and people in their lives. A teacher’s role is to create the conditions in which learning may best take place.

Early childhood education often focuses on learning through play or a center-based approach to learning. Jean Piaget was a philosopher who placed great importance on the education of young children. Piaget believed that learning comes from within and that children construct their own knowledge of the world through experience. “The research and theory of Jean Piaget concludes that play meets the physical, intellectual, language, emotional and social needs of children.” (wikipedia.org)

Educators can facilitate the children with different materials and environments in the classrooms that are in the early learning centres. The children need to develop their minds cognitively. “Children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world” (Berk 2007). Children are needing to develop their abilities through their play experiences, and also through their play experiences, they can develop appropriately. Early childhood education plays a large part in a child's early development.

 zone of proximal development. To reach the target that child need lots of help and not steps which are to big as this could knock there confidence. Another stage Vygotsky has is ‘the importance of play’ he believed that play provides essential skills to improve their social, personal, and professional activates. This means that children can play and do things beyond what they can do in real life- such as play mums and dads, pretend to drive a car. Though play they talk to each other and pretend they are in a different world with only their friends. Play is another way they can reach the zone of proximal development. Reconstruction is another stage which means child experience the same situation again and again as they grow up. Each time they have this experience they can deal with it at a higher level. This means

Children develop normally when they are exposed to different types of play that allow them to express themselves while using their imaginations and being physically active. According to the Center for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness, “Play is child’s work”; this is true because it is a child’s job is to learn and develop in their first few years of life, in order for them to do this, they play (CHETNA). Not only is playing a child’s full time job, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights listed play as a right of every child (Ginsburg). Through their full time job of play, the children develop emotionally, socially, physically, and creatively. Children need to participate in child-led play in order to

“Students articulate the complex characteristics of children’s families and communities and use this understanding to create respectful, reciprocal relationships that support and empower families, and to engage all families in their children’s development and learning.”

How can care be provided for young children while fostering their growth and development? The answer can be found in curriculum. The curriculum that is implemented and the way the curriculum is executed affects the quality of care for those infants and toddlers. There are multiple types of curriculum, and it depends on what type of environment and learning the caregiver is wanting to provide. A curriculum that has been proven to be effective for infants and toddlers, is play based curriculum. Play based curriculum is recommend for young children to help them learn and develop through play. Curriculum based on play supports learning and development with the use of engaging activities.

Learning is possible when children are provided a high-quality environment. Early childhood educators will set an environment that promotes curiosity and encourages children to explore their environment. Children are able to learn through hands on experiences. “Hands-on learning is the most effective way young children make sense of their environment and form their own understanding of how the world works” (Browne, 2013. P.130). I believe that children learn through play. “Play is a natural way for children around the world to express themselves and is a basic need of children throughout their school year” (Browne, 2013. P.132). We can effectively provide this environment by emphasizing on providing children a

Play is an important part of children’s life that keeps them healthy both physically and mentally. It is a way through which children explore their imagination, build various skills required for their development in different areas. In this essay, importance of play in children’s learning and development is discussed in relation to Piaget’s cognitive theory, Vygotsky socio-cultural theory and Te Whaariki. Moreover, the teacher’s role and strategies used in encouraging the play-based curriculum in early childhood education are also discussed.