In efforts to catch up with the east, we in the west are reshaping our educational system that has finally pushed testing all the way down to the early years. This blog post from Valerie Strauss, begs the question, "Is Kindergarten the new first grade?" and to that question I ask another, "WHY!"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/02/06/a-really-scary-headline-about-kindergarteners/
I do believe that we are forcing our children to grow up quicker than they should. As a Pre-K teacher in a public school, I have to administer three standardized tests for each school year. My children are responsible for learning 100 sight words during the school year and they have to be tested on them, among other things. How does an educator comply with the administration but continue to be developmentally appropriate for the children?
ReplyDeleteMy solution is to continue to use the environment to teach the children. I label the environment, put vocabulary and sight words on the floor for hop scotch. We spend individual time with the children doing short activities so when it is time for standardized testing, the children will not feel pressured by the questions. We still have to remember that young children need to be involved in experiences to learn.
I think it is ok to start them learning as early as possible, to a degree, because when children get to niddle school and high school, especially i npublic schools, the knowledge level that is execpected is ultimately lowered, in standard, because of the outdated teaching methods, structure of the overfall lesson plans and the struggle of trying to even focus on school when you get older. I do agree with you, Briana, because children can be forced to grow up to fast, but that is already happening in our society without the early implementation of education. Antoinette I think it is amazing how they are reshaping the learning system, I do think it is a little extreme, but hen again I think it gives teachers, instructors, and school assistant a higher standard to teach theses children the right things early on in life, and there will be no need for programs that we recently had such as "no child left behind" because all the childre nwill be on the same page.
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