At one particularly memorable preschool orientation I attended, after a presentation of how child-centric the particular school was, and how the youngest students all learn through play, and about how learning takes place best when unstructured and organic, the teacher said: "We don't do the letter A on Monday and B on Tuesday and C on Wednesday," the teacher would say.
Unable to contain himself, one father shot up his hand. "B-b-b-but by the end of the year, will they have learned their A,B, Cs?" he asked.
He's hardly the only one asking. The push and pull between academics and free play is the central debate among early educators -- and the subject of a fascinating article in the latest issue of Scientific American, titled "The Death of Preschool". Writer Paul Tullis describes how the experts know, with certainty what is best. And yet, he explains, the trend is away from doing it.
He writes:
..."just playing" is in fact what nearly all developmental psychologists, neuroscientists and education experts recommend for children up to age seven as the best way to nurture kids' development and ready them for academic success later in life. Decades of research have demonstrated that their innate curiosity leads them to develop their social, emotional and physical skills independently, through exploration-- that is, through play. Even animals as diverse as squirrels, horses and bears engage in, and cognitively ben- efit from, play. The trend among preschools, however, is to engage children in activities that look more and more like school for older kids. Early-childhood educators are turning to a method known as direct instruction, which the National Institute for Direct Instruction, an advocacy group, defines as "teaching that emphasizes well-developed and carefully planned lessons ... and clearly defined and prescribed teaching tasks." So children spend more time sitting, listening and following instructions and less time playing pirates.
The reasons?
Testing -- well-intentioned but flawed measures of how much a child has learned.
And parents -- particularly this generation of parents, Tullis reports. He quotes Alison Gopnik, a psychology professor at the University of California at Berkeley explaining that today's first time parents are older and, because they are further from their extended families, less likely to have experience with children before they have their own. "But what they have lots of experience with is going to school and work; they're really good at that, so it's natural they think that's what children should be doing as well," Gopnik tells him. "Not having seen what a three-year-old is like, they think they should put children in situations that are more academic."
Speaking of academics, Tullis provides a great bibliography of writing on this subject, should you want to learn more. Among them:
◆ Einstein Never Used Flashcards: How Our Children Really Learn--And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, Roberta Michnick Golinkoff and Diane Eyer. Rodale Books, 2003.◆ Montessori: The Science behind the Genius. Angeline Stoll Lillard. Oxford University Press, 2005.
◆ The Philosophical Baby: What Children's Minds Tell Us about Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life. Alison Gopnik. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.
◆ Mind in the Making. Ellen Galinsky. Harper Paperbacks, 2010. ◆ Primal Brain in the Modern Classroom. David C. Geary in Scientific
And speaking of parents, Paul Rasmussen has his own tales of awkward questions asked by parents at preschool open houses. You can go cringe in discomfort with him over here.
Laura Flores Shaw: Montessori: The Missing Voice in the Education Reform Debate
Susan Ochshorn: Baby Steps For Early Learning
Jacoba Urist: The Truth About Preschool Admissions
Kathy Buckworth: Baby Butt-lers
Preschool is not dead however. Kids need social time. They need to learn how to cooperate in play, follow the agenda of another child, make and alter rules to achieve a common goal. And parents do a better job of teaching when they have time away from their kids.
If you say so, you paranoid ID-10-T.
Consider your $400 a month x 5 year fee an eye-dee-ten-tee tax...which you could have avoided.
Assuming you had kids in the first place and are not just some sh!ll making $#!+ up.
If parents would actually take the time to sit down with their children, interact, read and play with them, preschool would definitely be dead. Everywhere we go I consider a learning experience for our son. Even going to the grocery store can be a learning experience if the parent pays attention to the child while shopping.
Young children don't need a structured classroom in order to learn. Let them learn through their everyday environment and play and you will find they learn faster and easier than through strict instruction in a classroom.
While there is nothing wrong with trying to get our kids into Harvard or West Point, the world rarely sees unique betterment from any individually distinguished ideas of Tax Attorneys or Military Officers.
I'm not sure where I stand on preschool in general. While I definitely believe that younger children benefit from socializing and interacting with others their own age, something tells me that leaving kids under the supervision of others (and in the midst of other kids) is not the best idea.
I think as far as the basic learning (A, B, C's and 1, 2, 3's) is something that can be taught in the home (through a mix of play-learning and 'old fashioned' learning.
For the socializing aspect, I'm thinking I would prefer to join one of the local groups that meets on a regular basis. I'm thinking, whatever the modern day versions of Mommy-and-Me and Daddy-and-Me type groups are. I think that the vast majority of preschool teachers are not only passionate about what they do, but are probably quite good at it. However, I think it would be beneficial to both the parents and child they are within earshot/line of sight. In this case, the kids can have an extra sense of security and the parents can observe first-hand on how their 3 - 4 year olds are socializing.
Note: Again, I'm a very new daddy but the one thing I know, is there is no ONE CORRECT WAY to raise a kid.
As long as political administrators and ignorant teachers aren't the ones in the classroom, preschool can be very useful. A lot of the parents I talked to, enjoy the short break (our classes ran twice per week for 2 1/2 hours). I'm not saying that a child needs to go to preschool in order to be successful. It does have its benefits.
You mentioned your thoughs on parents being within earshot as well. I can't speak for all preschoolers, but ours encouraged and welcomed parents into the classroom. We loved it when parents would be involved. Each child had their own special day (birthday or other day if a summer bday) and we borderline harassed parents to stay and share the moment. You just need to determine what your priorities are and if the preschool is setup to create a successful transition into Kindergarten. If it isn't then maybe those groups are a good alternative. Why pay $70 or whatever each month for something you can do on your own?
You have certainly given me some info I didn't know. For example, I didn't realize that Preschools only meet a few days per week (I'd always just assumed they were Monday thru Friday for more hours).
I also hope that the desire for parental involvement by Preschools you described is the general rule, and not the exception.
Anyway, thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time to write that.
We actually adopted a lot of the same structures at home. If the kid's break out a puzzle they use a rug, and there is a time window before bedtime where they can do what they want, etc.
Sheri Noga, MA
www.grateful-child.com
Sheri Noga, MA
www.grateful-child.com