Teaching Method
The objective of these early years of learning is to produce a child who is beginning to feel confident about himself, enjoys creative tasks, can take simple decisions easily, and enjoys the process of learning. The curriculum must therefore give importance to every aspect of development.
It is not all play at a Playschool. Progressive education, Montessori system, multiple intelligence, play-way method, holistic learning – the terminology is bound to boggle the mind, especially when you consider that all this jargon is used in the context of playschool education.
Gone are the days when a playschool was a waiting room for children not yet age-eligible for regular school admissions. Extensive research and the resulting astonishing findings in the field of early education have shown how crucial the years between 3 and 6 years are for shaping the neurological structure of the brain. This not only makes the choice of a competent preschool critical but also increases the significance of the preschool curriculum.
If preschool is your child’s first point of independent contact with adults and children outside her familiar circle of family and friends, it is also a rite of passage for Mum and Dad letting go of their baby for the first time ever. Given this, it is not surprising that parents are more concerned with establishing a comfort level with instructors and caregivers in the playschool than with delving into the intricacies of the teaching methodology followed.
In recent times, newer systems and philosophies like the Playway method and multiple intelligence mapping have also been incorporated into the curriculum for children up to 6 years.
Montessori education:
An educational approach developed by Italian physician and educator Maria Montessori. Montessori education is characterized by an emphasis on independence, freedom within limits, and respect for a child’s natural psychological development. This approach is scientifically designed, guiding children systematically through a series of activities, gradually increasing in complexity.
Although a range of practices exists under the name “Montessori”, four key areas must be covered – practical life, sense organs, language, and maths skills. A key characteristic of Montessori education is that students move from concrete concepts to abstract ones, where students learn concepts by working with materials, rather than by direct instruction. For eg., learning how to trace an alphabet and recognize its physical structure before moving on to understanding the sound associated with it.
Playway Method:
The play-way method is a more spontaneous one, which demands creativity from both the teacher and the child. Unlike Montessori, Playway may not be a structured and documented system but more an adaptation of best practices from across the world, with a greater emphasis on physical activities such as role-play, music and movement, art and crafts, and stories.
At the age of 2 to 3 years, children are still learning how to communicate, and play becomes their preferred medium of expression. But this can happen only if the play is capitalized in a proper manner making it purposeful and directed.
Once again, it comes down to the importance of trained instructors who have clearly understood the purpose of the method and are competent enough to translate it to the student. NATKHAT KIDS PLAY SCHOOL is using this methodology.
Multiple Intelligence:
A theory proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983, differentiates intelligence and learning into various specific (primarily sensory) modalities, rather than seeing it as a single general ability. Simply put – different children have different learning styles.
The theory proposes that eight abilities govern the learning process in any individual, especially children – spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. According to this theory, the purpose of schooling should be to develop intelligence and to help children reach learning goals through methods that are appropriate to their learning styles.
This is a welcome departure from traditional systems that marked academic excellence only in terms of logical and linguistic abilities (reading, writing, and math). Though a relatively new model, several schools have adopted it and planned their curriculum to ensure the same topic is covered in different ways.