The changing Face of Early Childhood Education

Pleased as punch am I that young people are turning towards acquiring qualifications in early childhood education even though it is mainly to find employment overseas. The International curriculums are vast and varied. 

Words - Shanthi Wijesinghe

Student teachers in addition to learning theory and practice must be engaged with strategies, innovative thinking, reading the child’s potential and motivational approaches through experimentation. The older teachers MUST unlearn and re-learn if they are to survive at least the next five years. No more can they dictate to children to: 

• Write pages of letters and numbers 
• “Take something from the shelf” 
• Draw a specific picture or use specific colours
• Don’t do /do 
• Say sorry
• Go out and play at specific times
• Follow directions
• Perform
• Stop fighting

These few years following Covid has been a game changer in the field of the early years study programs. Teachers are asked to ENGAGE and EXPLORE with students. The staid find it extremely difficult. Change is always a challenge for such people who rely on their paper qualifications. My suggestion was that they look elsewhere without harassing children of the new age to follow age old traditional teaching methods. 

Excited to read more? Get Lanka Woman in Magzter for our latest Digital Issue!
www.magzter.com/.../Lanka.../Women's-Interest/530905
www.lw.lk