Foundation MODULE UNIT 2 Revised

Foundations in Early Childhood Education- ECE 103
COLLEGE OF ARTS and SCIENCES, Dr. Elaine R. Briones

EDUCATION and NURSING
PAASCU Accredited
Creativity
Developing in Young
Creativity Children
Through Music and
Movement
ECE 103 A Module in ECE 111 (Creative

Arts, Music,
A and Movements
Module in ECE in
111 (Creative
Foundation of Early Childhood Education)
Arts, Music, and Movements in
Early Childhood Education
Early Childhood Education)
Module 2 Prepared by
Dr. Elaine R. Briones
The Roots of Early Childhood
Prepared by
Education Dr. Elaine R. Briones
Learning Objectives
At the end of the module, students can:
 Identify and discuss challenges for those

working in early education.
 Describe several helpful supports for
teachers facing challenges
 Trace the beginning of early childhood
education in the world and in the
Philippines.
 Identify the persons who created impact in
early education and the contributions they
made. Photo Credit: shorturl.at/ck012
Photo Credit: shorturl.at/anLOP
ACADEMIC YEAR 2020-2021
Columban College, Inc., Olongapo City
Authored by: Dr. Elaine R. Briones
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CONTENTS
1.0 Learning Objectives

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Challenges of Early Childhood Educators
1.2.1 Challenges Facing Early Childhood Education in Developing Countries
1.2.2 On being an Early Childhood Educators
1.2.3 Several helpful supports for teachers facing challenges.
1.3 The Roots of Early Childhood Education
1.3.1 History of Early Childhood Education: Then and Now
1.3.2 Childcare Curriculum Today
1.3.3 Persons who created impact in ECE
Introduction
Teaching, a noble profession is a daunting and challenging task. In the present era, with
the advent of new methodologies in teaching and the way digital and smart learning
has made inroads into the field of education, the role of teachers has also greatly
evolved over a period. Today, a teacher is faced with the arduous task of keeping
him/herself abreast with the latest inventions and strides in the field of education,
science, art and others. Upgrading their skills and knowledge from time to time is thus
necessary and is an utmost priority today.
Being an early childhood teacher may look like a simple job – following a routine
everyday but, the truth is, it is not as simple as it looks like. Inside the classroom is a
new dimension, a new world, a new paradigm – everything is new because aside from
the reality that you want to show them, kids who are enrolled to preschools are also
having a different reality that would make the two worlds almost different; but, the
early childhood teacher should make this two worlds meet halfway or else, one world
might dominate over the other.
Everyday an early childhood teacher is encountering different strains of challenges.

There are a lot of the most common challenges faced by early childhood teachers inside
the classroom. This is despite its many advantages; teaching preschool does have some
disadvantages that are good to be aware of. Teaching young children presents its own
set of unique problems and obstacles that every preschool teacher must face. To foster a
comfortable and productive learning environment for preschoolers, early childhood
teacher must understand and recognize these problems.
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CHALLENGES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
It might look very easy to become early childhood teacher and deal with kids.
Mostly evaluated amongst the list of simple jobs, being a early childhood teacher seems
to be an easy goal for many people. But looking deep into the reality, it is not something
everyone can do. Becoming early childhood teacher is not just about following the
routines and taking care of kids. When you get inside a room full of different types of
kids, early childhood teacher is given a super teacher dimension altogether.
The world inside a classroom is different from

what a kid and the teacher might experience
outside with any other person. When a child
gets enrolled in a playschool, he or she is
expected to enter a world full of strangers by
leaving the protective environment at home.
Here, the young bud is shown a very different
perspective and made to learn the basic
mannerism. All this that must be served to a
budding mind comes
from a preschool teacher. It takes a core hardship and perfected dealing mechanism for
a teacher to deal with a toddler, make him understand things better, groom him in the
right direction, and perfecting the behavior for futuristic academic goals. Along with all
the responsibilities, there are enormous things that a playschool teacher is expected to
take a proper care of, to completely justify the role taken up by them.
Not only this, there is a list of challenges faced by the early childhood teacher while
following their curriculum and teaching in a preschool.
Knowing your students well.

It is imperative for a teacher to form a healthy bond with the students. Every effort
should be made by a teacher to know their students well. The interaction should extend
well beyond the Classrooms. A teacher should be a friend first and should shoulder the
responsibility of grooming the Students with warmth and a cheerful disposition.
Students should feel free to broach any subject and express all doubts whatsoever and a
teacher should be approachable and accessible. A broad mind and a friendly attitude on
the part of a teacher will make all the difference when it comes to knowing the Students
well.
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Understanding the different learning abilities and capacities of students.
The biggest challenge for any teacher lies in
understanding the different learning abilities of the
students. Students differ in their grasping, memory,
concentration, ability to learn and write and show
varied interests in various subjects. A student who is
good at Mathematics may find grasping the concepts of
Biology difficult. So also, a student may be good at
sports and other co-curricular activities but does not
show the same attention and interest when it comes to
Academics. Some students are exceptionally brilliant
and hard-working, while others are slow learners, who
struggle to
understand what is being taught in the class. How does a teacher handle different
students?
A good teacher will always focus on the slow- learners takes them into his domain and
nurtures them with care and concentration. Comparing and criticizing the students
based on grades and marks scored should never be encouraged by a teacher. Talking
individually to the students, designing modules as per their requirements and assigning
tasks to them based on their interests and then assessing their progress is vital here and
will contribute to an overall personality growth of the students.
Reflection and Analysis
Even in the case of difficulties, the preschool teachers manage to work so efficiently to
direct the future of toddlers in a right manner. Without any mistake or distractions, the
playschool teachers are devoted towards their duty and handle the most important and
crucial age of every human being. Without the playschool teachers, a child will never be
able to follow the right path with sensitive values along with the correct dosage of skills
and mannerism. Cite reasons why one should not be a teacher, how you will view this
as challenges and respond. What insights gained.
Retaining the attention of kids

Each young mind has a different sort of behavior and interests. It is not possible that
each child in a preschool classroom will be same and pay an equivalent attention to
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everything
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that is told by the teacher. Some kids may find the classroom discussions engaging or
some may not find it very interesting to invest attention in. So, binding every child in a
classroom in a thread becomes difficult for a teacher.
Toddlers being fussy and moody might not be very engaged towards the teacher. It
becomes a dare for a playschool teacher to grab and retain the attention of children for
long. In a large-sized class, many students will be distracted and even distract others.
Keeping a child stick to what is being told in the class or the activities going on needs
diverted attention at a single point in time. And this becomes one of the biggest
challenges for a playschool teacher.
Physical Misbehavior
Young bud is not familiar with a concrete language and is undergoing the development
stage of speaking skills. Toddlers, being a bit fussy or notorious differ in their behavior
and understanding level in this age. Not so wide understanding level and ability to
express things often leads to conflicts between the children which may result in a
physical misconduct with each other.
As a preschool teacher, it becomes very important

yet difficult to make children understand the
good and bad behavior. There might be the
incidents of hitting faced by a teacher in the class.
So, guiding the children in the right direction for
the same is important. A wrongly handled hitting
case might lead a child to become very stubborn
or naughty and repeat the activity again. Thus, it
is a very challenging situation for a teacher to
handle this
kind of physical misconduct in the playschool premises.
Also, a teacher must be very sure that other children in the class might not get affected
by this or follow the same path. Managing all the things at a single point becomes very
confusing and at times frustrates the preschool teacher too.
When the Students underperform

Today, the students not only have to cope with academic and peer pressure but also
must deal with unrealistic parental expectations. This is leading to unprecedented stress
in the Students. The biggest challenge for any teacher will be, as to how he motivates,
guides, and encourages the students when they underperform, lose their focus and are
distracted due to various circumstances. Lending a shoulder, a word of comfort
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and support,
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instilling confidence, and a positive attitude towards the students in their tough times is
bound to bring a sea change in the lives of the Students.
Effective execution of the preschool curriculum

Implementing the playschool curriculum in a class
with a lot of distractions and disruptions due to
various factors becomes a very difficult task for a
playschool toddler. A lot of issues entailing the
implementation of curriculum in the different
aspects are faced by the preschool teachers. Some of
them are listed below.
Availability of materialistic facilities:

Not all schools are highly equipped for teachers, to provide the go through of the
curriculum in a very modern and technical manner. The availability of materialistic
facilities becomes very important as the curriculum followed nowadays is technical-
centered and emphasis on the use of technology to groom the children rather than
bookish content for the young mind. The unavailability of the resources disables the
teacher to follow the curriculum in a creative and more profound manner, as suggested
by the makers.
Planning takes a chunk of time:

If a preschool teacher follows the designed curriculum, it may take a huge chunk of
time to understand it, make various arrangement for activities quoted, prepare the
documentation of the observations of a toddlers learning based on the same and reflect
from the activities that are really helping the child. All the formulation done before and
after the curriculum takes a lot of time and it becomes difficult for teachers to
simultaneously manage everything around from classroom to fussiness of each kid and
paperwork. Also, this hectic schedule disables the teacher to implement what and how
she has planned the things to be done as per the interest of the kids.
Assessment reports are lengthy:

Along with the things mentioned in the curriculum, a teacher must report the progress
details and assessments of each child. The curriculum already demands most of the
time of the preschool teacher, plus the formulation of these reports on qualitative and
subjective aspects acts like a cherry on the cake for a teacher. Whether a preschool
teacher likes it or not, she will have to do up with it anyhow. This assessment process
makes it challenging for teachers to work and is very time-consuming.
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Being a bridge between the Management-Parent- Student
The Parent-Teacher equation has changed today. Parents more involved in the
schooling and academics of their wards and PT meetings are well attended. The biggest
challenge for a teacher lies in assessing the progress of the students and effectively
conveying the same to the parents. A teacher should identify the strengths and
weaknesses of the Students and be able to discuss the same with the parents, thus
creating an open atmosphere for the parents. Being harsh/rude to the parents and the
students can prove detrimental to both the teacher as well as to the institution. Teachers
should be accountable to the management as well and need to cooperate with the
changing rules and regulations and play a key role in cementing a healthy bond
between Management- Parent- Student.
Politeness, Patience, Perseverance and Assertiveness are all hallmarks of a great teacher.
Teachers should rise to these challenges, take them in their stride to make a difference
and bring about a change in the society.
Check Your Progress 1
One of the major early childhood education problems that stems from a lack of
funding and resources is the fact that ECE educators are underpaid. When teachers
are underpaid and feel unvalued, staff turnover can be high. With low pay, ECEs
may feel unmotivated or feel that their work is unrewarding. Wait a minute, think
on this ECE issue, have you observed any, discuss more.
Challenges Facing Early Childhood Education in Developing Countries

Despite the growing importance of Early Childhood Education (ECE), there are several
challenges that have continued to pull down its effective implementation. In this article,
several major challenges have been briefly discussed. These include lack of adequate
teaching and learning resources, socio-economic factors, high teacher-child ratio with
poor remunerations, and financial constraints. Socio-economic factors
Malnutrition and ill-health

Malnutrition and ill-health are an example of the factors associated with the socio-
economic factors. These factors can significantly damage the cognitive processing ability
of children. Children whose processing capacity is impacted by ill-health and
malnutrition may require more hours of instruction to learn various skills. As such,
implementation of early childhood education may prove critical especially low-income
countries (van de Linde, 2005).
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Socio-economic differences
Socio-economic differences affecting effective implementation of ECE also cut across
regions, with some being labeled ‘marginalized’ or Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL).
Regional disparities have significant role in facilitating access to early childhood care
and education, where enrollment levels in rural and marginalized areas are low in
comparison to those in the urban areas. Children from the marginalized communities in
rural and marginalized in developing countries suffer from lack of access to early
childhood education. They are left at the mercy of the community.
Financial Constraints
Financial constraints can lead to ineffective
implementation of early childhood education. At macro
level, a good number of developing countries have
suffered from the heavy debt burden following their
pursuit on the World Bank and International Monetary
Fund fiscal policies such as the Structural Adjustment
Programs. It is reported that these debt-servicing
programs are partly responsible for significant
reduction in government funding for subsidized
education, health
care and school related expenses. The result has been that families bear more
responsibilities in the implementation of early childhood education programs.
Inadequate teaching and learning resources

Many ECE centers lack adequate teaching and learning resources and facilities suitable
for ECE in their learning environment. These include lack of properly ventilated
classrooms, furniture suitable for children, kitchen, safe clean water, playground, toilets
and play material. This implies that teachers do not have adequate teaching and
learning resources to enable them to implement effectively the ECDE Curriculum. This
affects the implementation of ECE Curriculum negatively as creation of a sustainable
learning environment helps deprived children to improve their academic performance
(Offenhauser and Holcombe, 2003).
High Teacher-Child Ratio with Poor Remunerations

Teacher-child ratio has been a subject of much attention among researchers in relation
to the factors facing teaching and learning process. Early Childhood Education has not
been left out. Research shows that teacher child ratio has continued to grow. On
average, teacher child ratio for both 3-5 years old children and 6-8 years old remains
critical. Teachers are not comfortable with the increasing number of children in the
classes they handle (Dodge and Colker, 1992). With high ratios, ECE teachers are poorly
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remunerated and under the mercy of parents (most of whom have little or nothing to
give)
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The major factors that have continued to affect

effective implementation of Early Childhood
Education in developing countries go beyond
social-economic, financial, teaching and
learning resources and teacher-pupil ratio.
There is also gap in Policy framework. As
such, to address the challenges facing ECE,
right policies must be up implemented.
Analytically examine the challenges facing early childhood education in

developing countries with reference to major factors that have continued to affect
effective implementation of Early Childhood Education in developing countries.
Being an Early Childhood Educator
Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) are teachers who specialize in working with young
children, from toddlers to children of up to six years of age. Their role consists mostly
on providing nursing and instruction in the most basic aspects of formal education.
Being an Early Childhood Teacher Can Be Challenging.

Managing a classroom of young and
energetic children can be difficult and
tiring. Not all children will learn at the
same pace. Some children may have
learning disabilities that require special
attention. Other children may have
behavioral disorders and will refuse to
follow instructions. Sometimes children
will cry or struggle to adjust with being
away from their parents. You may need
to
be flexible with your curriculum to address the needs of the classroom. Preschool
teachers must be able to balance the needs of the children while taking care of
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themselves as well.
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Sometimes parents will also present challenges. They may be demanding and difficult
to please. They may expect for their child to receive special attention without realizing
the work it takes to give each child the time and attention they deserve. As a preschool
teacher you will be busy, and you may not always have the time or ability to meet
parents’ demands.
Being a Preschool Teacher Comes with Great Responsibility

As a preschool teacher, you are making a commitment to help young children grow into
responsible, well-rounded adults. Receiving a quality education to ensure that you do
this properly is incredibly important. You must also be passionate about serving and
supporting young children. This profession requires a lot of hard work and patience,
and if you do not care deeply about the well-being of your students, you may cause
more harm than good in their emotional and mental development. As a preschool
teacher, you will spend a significant amount of time with these children, and you will
have a great influence on their behavior and development, sometimes even more than
their very own parents. Therefore, it is essential that you gain the knowledge and skills
of a reputable, high-quality program.
Being a Preschool Teacher is Also

Rewarding Although being a preschool teacher
is challenging, it is also a very rewarding
profession. Shaping the minds and
behaviors of young children may be a great
responsibility, and it is also a great privilege.
You will have the opportunity to contribute
to creating a more responsible generation
of citizens for our world’s future. You will
have the chance to be a part of these
children’s’ most important lessons and
experiences. You will lay the foundation for
their learning and growth, and they will come to appreciate your role in their life as
they get older. You will learn from your students as well. Young children will teach
your patience and creativity. Children are so innocent and honest, and you will
remember what it was like to think like them, before society played such a large role in
shaping your character. You can reconnect to your own childhood and inner joy as you
play and learn with your students.
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Reflection and Analysis
As an early childhood educator, you are responsible for providing safe and
developmentally appropriate programs that are aligned with all relevant federal and
state initiatives. Your job duties will include: Adapting daily routines to meet the
interest and needs of the individual child and the group. Reflect on being an early
childhood educator is also rewarding profession. Envision five other reasons of being
rewarding.
Several helpful supports for teachers facing challenges.

As an early year’s educator, you likely feel that you have tried every trick in the book
when it comes to dealing with challenging behavior in young children. Just like
children we learn from our experiences. There are so many tips for new teachers. Here
are ours:
Be prepared and organized.

This means having materials ready for whole group and small group activities as well
as for centers. It also means being prepared for mishaps like spills, accidents, and runny
noses. It means keeping sanitation and safety in mind: washing your hands and theirs
on arrival and throughout the day; cleaning and sanitizing tables for meals; having
tissues and gloves handy; locking up poisons and anything that says to keep out of
reach of children.
Establish a regular routine and schedule.

Keep whole group gatherings short. Remember that children have varied attention
spans and learn through play and active engagement. Read every day. Limit transitions.
Balance active and quiet times as well as child initiated and adult facilitated time.
Classroom management is often an issue for new teachers. Many discipline situations
can be corrected by examining your schedule and environment to prevent problems
before they occur. While it is important to have a consistent routine, it is also important
to be flexible. If children are not interested or acting up, change plans. Develop a
partnership with your assistant. She or he can make your job easier or more difficult.
Discuss your role and theirs as well as expectations for each part of the schedule at the
start of the year. Address problems when they are small and do not save them inside
and grumble.
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Be an explorer.
See things as fresh and new. Children will pick up on your enthusiasm. Expand your
interests. Ask open-ended questions (I wonder what will happen if…how did you
do/make that?). Respect children’s ideas, feelings, and thoughts. Have fun. You chose
this profession for a reason. Enjoy each day. Do not worry if something does not work
out as planned. Reflect and learn from your experiences.
Get to know every child as a unique individual.

Every child is different and special. The best
way to teach children is to first understand
them. Children need to know that you
respect and value them, which is the message
they get when you take the time to talk with
them, observe them, and learn about them as
people. Find out what makes each child tick.
What are their interests, temperaments, and
learning styles? What motivates them? How
do they
learn best? What skills and talents do they have? What are their challenges? What
special circumstances are there that affect them? With this knowledge you can teach
children in a way that capitalizes on their strengths and builds their confidence and
competence.
Become a keen and regular observer.

Observation is probably a teacher's best tool. Learn how to be an objective observer
right from the start. By taking a factual look at what children do and say you build
relationships. You learn what children can do developmentally, how they approach
solving problems, how they spend their time, how they interact with others, and what
they are learning. For teachers, observation serves a number of vital purposes, including
being able to keep track of all your children's growth and development, deciding
whether to change or modify the environment, and determining if your curriculum
needs to be altered to better serve children. The better observer you are, the more skilled
you will become as a teacher.
Keep your sense of humor close by.

Teaching is a serious job; there is probably nothing more important. But it is also a fun
job. You want to never lose sight of the joy of being with young children. When a child
does something humorous, share his delight. Laughing over funny rhymes makes
phonemic awareness both more fun and impressionable. Celebrating the humor in a
storybook like Agatha's Feather Bed: Not Just Another Wild Goose Story (Carmen Agra
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Deedy) or a song like "I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly", makes the
experience more memorable. It is easy to obsess over problems and worry about
things you wish
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you had done differently. Humor, though, brings much-needed perspective. If you can
maintain your humor, you will be a much happier teacher--and most likely, a better one
too.
Be yourself.
Just as every child has his/her own personality, so do educators. As you become
familiar with how each child learns and experiments let each child become familiar with
you. Let them know who you are as well. Opportunities to build positive relationships
will benefit children socially and emotionally. Serve as a model for the relationships
you’d like them to build with each other.
Experiment.
Young children explore and experiment, and so should you. Try out new ideas you may
have. As you get to know the children, your planning for activities and interest areas
will change. Go with it, and always ask yourself, “Developmentally, is this appropriate?
What do I want to accomplish by planning/implementing this?” Carefully choose the
materials and manipulatives you provide for the children. Always keep in mind that
these materials should always be: A, working and useable; B, related to your study and
purpose of play; C, purposefully implemented to help children reach goals and
objectives.
Reflect.
Engaging in self-reflection always leads to improvement. After you try something, ask
yourself, “What worked about this? What did not? Why? What could I do differently?”
Do not worry if something does not initially work the way you had planned. Learning
by doing is very effective, and when you reflect you allow yourself the opportunity to
improve.
Be patient.
It takes time to settle into a new program or school. Allow yourself time to adjust to
your surroundings and the colleagues, children, and parents you will come to interact
with daily.
When faced with a difficult situation, the best approach is to try to be patient and
work to find the right solution through to resolve the child’s issue. Though it may
not seem like it at first, with time you will be able to find a method that works for
each individual child. There are ways to assess and manage this difficult behavior.
Mention several helpful supports for teachers facing challenges and discuss
methods that work in managing child’s difficult behavior.
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The Roots of Early Childhood Education in the Philippines
Early childhood education goes as far back as the

1500s. Pre-school education is the learning
program given to children ages three to five or six
years in preparation for their formal primary
education. It is also known as nursery, day care,
or kindergarten schooling. Pre-school, or early
childhood, education, it operates on a certain
framework that includes structural
(administration, class size, teacher-child ratio,
etc.), process (classroom environment, teacher-
child interactions, etc.), and alignment (standards, curriculum) components that are
connected to each child involved in the preschool educational system.
The History of Early childhood in the Philippines started in the Spanish regime wherein
it started in grade 1 but more on alphabets and letters that were taught I learned that
the learning process was more on a tutorial basis and schooling is three to six months
period.
In 1935 the growth of preschool education in the Philippines has been slow compared to
the other countries.
In 1948, Harris Memorial School initiated another big step by obtaining government
recognition to confer the degree of Juniors Teachers Certificate to graduate in
kindergarten education this was the first recognized course in kindergarten education
offered in the Philippines.
Other colleges and universities attempt to emphasize kindergarten teaching by giving

special training on the area; either part and parcel of B.S in Education or in Home
Economics .Preschool education in the country has almost remained to be associated
with Bureau of Private Schools, especially with the religious groups.
The government’s intensified interest in the welfare of the Filipino child resulted in the
signing of P.D 603 PD 603 known as Child and Youth Welfare Code in 1974. The year
1977 to 1987 The Philippines declared DECADE OF THE FILIPINO CHILD This
marked the increased of number of preschool children and also the establishments both
in private and public schools 1995 to 2000 three reform programs were initiated in
response to the need of rising numbers of preschoolers: EDUCATION FOR ALL.
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1. Do you agree that early childhood education not only introduces kids
to schooling but also their parents?
2. With specific reference to the Philippine context, express your views
about the history of ECE in the welfare of the Filipino child.
3. Create a timeline of the beginning of early childhood education in the world

and in the Philippines.
History of Early Childhood Education: Then and Now
Martin Luther
The roots of early childhood education go as far back as the early 1500s, where the
concept of educating children was attributed to Martin Luther (1483-1546). Back then,
very few people knew how to read, and many were illiterate. Martin Luther believed
that education should be universal and made it a point to emphasize that education
strengthened the family as well as the community. Luther believed that children should
be educated to read independently so that they could have access to the Bible. This
meant that teaching children how to read at an early age would be a strong benefit to
society.
John Amos Comenius

Building on this idea, the next individual who contributed to the early beginnings of
early childhood education was John Amos Comenius (1592- 1670), who strongly
believed that learning for children is rooted in sensory exploration. Comenius wrote the
first children’s picture book to promote literacy.
John Locke
Then there was John Locke (1632- 1704), who penned famous term of “blank slate”, also
known as tabula rasa, which postulated that it is how children start out and the
environment fills their metaphorical “slate”.
Friedrich Froebel
A major influencer was Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852), who believed that children learn
through play. He designed teacher training where he emphasized the importance of
observation and developing programs and activities based on the child’s skill level and
readiness. Froebel formalized the early childhood setting as well as founded the first
kindergarten.
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Maria Montessori
Further building from this concept, Maria Montessori (1870-1952) viewed the children
as a source of knowledge and the educator as a social engineer. Reviewed education to
enhance children’s lives meaning the learning environment is just as important as
learning itself. She took the position that children’s senses should be educated first and
then the children’s intellect. The Montessori Method is an internationally recognized
mode of educating children.
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) established a theory of learning where children’s development is
broken down into a series of stages (sensory motor, preoperational, concrete operation).
Piaget theorized that children learn through direct and active interaction with the
environment.
Lev Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) proposed a socio-cultural position for the development of
children. He believed that social interaction provides a medium for cognitive, social,
and linguistic development in children. Vygotsky believed that children learn through
scaffolding their skills; this meant a more capable member of the community/society
would assist the child in completing tasks that were within or just above the child’s
capability, which is also known as zone of proximal development. Vygotsky
emphasized collaboration and the implementation of a mixed age groupings of children
to support knowledge/skill acquisition.
John Dewey
John Dewey (1859-1952) strongly believed that learning should originate from the
interests of children, which is foundational to the projects approach. The educator is
there to promote their interests for discovery and inquiry. Dewey saw the classroom as
a place to foster social consciousness and thus the classroom should be democratically
run.
Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), the creator of what is now known as the Waldorf education
philosophy and schools, focused on developing free and morally responsible
individuals with a high level of social competence. Steiner broke this down into three
developmental stages: Preschool to age 6 (experiential education), Age 6-14 (formal
education) and ages 14+ (conceptual/academic education).
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Erik Erikson
Erikson (1902-1994) developed psychosocial stages of development for children where
the parent and educator play a pivotal role in supporting the child’s success in every
stage for a positive outcome. Erikson stressed that the ordinance of social emotional
development is a key component to the early childhood curriculum.
Loris Malaguzzi
Loris Malaguzzi (1920-1994), the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach, based on the
original childcare center opened in the town of Reggio Emilia, was a strong believer in
documenting the children’s learning and interests which the educators would base their
programming around on for the following days.
David Weikart
David Weikart (1931-2003) the founder of High Scope, which drew from the theories of
Piaget, Dewey, and Vygotsky, primarily focused on the child’s intellectual maturation.
The landmark study that earned High Scope validity was the Perry Preschool Project in
1962. A randomized controlled study of 123 children of similar skill level entering the
study, split into two groups, one receiving High Scope instruction while the control
group did not receive it, but continued the traditional process. Results indicated an
increase in academic success, academic adherence, and an increase in wages.
Research on a chosen important individual in the history of early childhood

education stating his/her work and contribution focusing on raves and criticisms of
his/her work then make a reflection paper expressing your own views about the
research.
2
Childcare Curriculum Today: A Brief Guide
In general, the theorists for early education all would like to see the achievement of a
common goal—to see the successful development of children in their primary years.
How that goal is achieved differs in the structure of each curriculum.
Theme-based Learning
This educational method is based on certain topics
that may arise from different sources, such as
seasonal/weather changes, upcoming events,
interests of the educator, and religious events.
Theme-based learning can also have direct
instruction roots. Learning is not based on
qualitative interests of the child, but rather the
quantitative delivery of content by the teacher. That
means program planning can be done weeks and
months ahead of time. The advantage of this is that
the educator knows exactly what they’re teaching.
A
disadvantage is that what they are teaching may not be of interest to the child in the
moment, causing them to be disengaged. Classroom learning is very structured and
contingent on the current theme. That means that all the material in the classroom
would have some relevance/connection to the theme at hand.
Montessori
Montessori-based childcare centers are
available globally. Since Montessori is a very
specific style, there is also a governing body
for Montessori schools and educators through
which they should have their certification. This
is important to note since centers may declare
themselves as “Montessori” while not really
adhering to the true delivery of the Montessori
Method. When considering putting your child
in a Montessori classroom, be aware that the
classroom is structured towards the individual
child and their interests. This means that the
children in the classroom are given the autonomy to learn and use the material in the
classroom independently. This may not be effective for all children, who may require
2

more of a structured learning environment. There may also be transitional challenges
later when moving onto traditional or “mainstream” schools.
High Scope
This method is also unique where learning
opportunities are broken down into three major
components—the “plan-do-review” process to
learning. Children will take a certain amount of
time to plan out what they will do before acting
upon it. This involves describing the materials
they will use to other children they will be
interacting with. When the children “do”, they
execute their plan in a very purposeful way.
Following the activity, they “review” or discuss
with an adult and/or other children what they did
and what they learned. High Scope looks to assess
the child based
on anecdotal notes broken down by the following categories: approaches to learning,
social and emotional development, physical development and health,
language/literacy/communication, mathematics, creative arts, science and technology,
and social studies. At parent conferences, these anecdotes are shared with the parents to
demonstrate learning is happening within these different categories. High Scope centers
should be accredited through the High Scope governing body much the same as
Montessori schools, where they can label themselves as High Scope yet not truly adhere
to or be recognized as accredited.
Reggio Emilia / Emergent

This approach focuses heavily on
documenting the children’s learning as well
as allowing the children to really take on
their interests. The parents and educators, as
a community are there to support the
learning process of the child over the time
that they are there at a Reggio or a Reggio-
inspired center. The learning is broken up
into projects that are open-ended. Children
are given certain concepts that they need to
solve through research, questioning and
experimentation.
There is a strong focus on the arts, which is a vehicle to allow the child to express their
2

thoughts and emotions through multiple mediums. Reggio also looks to expose the
children to nature, which means there is a lot of outdoor play in environments that
2

promote the use using natural items from the environment to be incorporated into their
play. There are no standardized tests and learning is demonstrated through the projects
that they explored, which was documented by the educators.
Waldorf
In this educational method, children are exposed
to a humanitarian, socially responsible and
compassionate mode of approaching the world.
Typically, the educator that works with one
group of children will be with that same group
as they get older and go from one grade to the
next. The arts and academics are fused together
within the lessons. These schools are also zero
technology in the classroom and exposure for the
children. This methodology does, however, only
focuses on
reading when the child reaches the age of seven, with emphasis on storytelling and
learning through play. Part of the Waldorf teacher training is learning about
anthroposophy, developed by Rudolf Steiner. Although not directly taught to the
children, this spiritual philosophy does diffuse to some extent into the daily
interactions.
1. Explain the various view of the childcare curriculum today in your own words.
2. List and explain in your own words the component of a curriculum.
Persons who created impact in ECE
2

Five key people who have had a huge influence on early childhood education: Froebel,
Montessori, Steiner, Malaguzzi and Vygotsky. Let us talk about who these people are
and the contributions they have made to kindergarten teaching around the world.
Froebel
Friedrich Froebel is credited as being the founder of the kindergarten. He did this back
in 1700s Germany as he believed that young children needed their own place to learn in
that was separate to adults.
Froebel believed that play was an integral in children’s active learning. He once
famously said: “Play is the highest expression of human development in childhood, for
it alone is the free expression of what is in a child’s soul.”
Froebel believed that children were naturally creative beings and that play allowed for
the ‘whole child’ to be educated. While play-based learning is a central part of many
preschools today, this was quite a radical concept for Froebel’s time!
Froebel created an activity-based approach to kindergarten curriculum that included

physical activities, the arts, nature play and structured learning experiences with
manipulative materials that he called ‘Gifts.’ These Gifts allowed children to learn
through hands-on play with physical things including blocks, balls and clay.
Montessori
The Montessori teaching method was created by Maria Montessori in the early 1900s in
Italy. Maria originally studied medicine before starting her work on children’s
education. Influenced by the work of Friedrich Froebel and the Swiss educator
Pestalozzi, Maria initially worked with disadvantaged and disabled children living in
slums in Rome. Much of the Montessori method was initially influenced by these
experiences. As a result, the approach has a strong focus on children’s multi-sensory
learning through play with materials.
In Montessori pre-schools, children are encouraged to learn at their own pace. Classes
are often arranged into three-year age groups (0-3, 3-6, 6-9 and 9-12 years of age) with
older children acting as mentors for younger students. It is interesting to note that in
traditional Montessori kindergartens, the same teacher often stays with a group of
students for this three-year period. This allows for a strong relationship to be formed
between teacher and students.
The Montessori method differs from Steiner and Reggio Emilia approaches through its
detailed, planned, and structured learning environments. While Montessori
2

kindergartens have spread across the world, the approach has also been critiqued by
American progressive education theorists as being too rigid and restrictive in relation to
children’s imagination and play.
While Maria Montessori has contributed a lot to early childhood education, it is

interesting to note that she was a Nazi collaborator and that the Montessori method was
Mussolini’s preferred educational approach. Following the war, Maria spent many
years advocating for peace education, especially in India.
Steiner
Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) created the ‘Waldorf’ approach to education. His first school
opened in Stuttgart in 1919. Steiner believed that art, science and spirituality needed to
be brought together in order to educate children as holistic beings. He called this
philosophical approach to living ‘anthropology.’
Steiner’s education approach to education was inspired by Modernist artists such as

Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky and Joseph Beuys. His pedagogical approach also
influenced the education practices of the Bauhaus art school. It is interesting to note that
Rudolf was a trained scientist and philosopher who also worked as an artist and
architect. He never trained as an educator.
Many present-day Steiner schools design their curriculum using ‘project-based learning’
activities. This means that children get to determine the content, method, and mode of
assessment of learning activities. Imaginative play, visual art and practical tasks
including cooking, gardening, and cleaning are all integrated into the day-to-day
activities of Steiner schools. Waldorf schools often go all the way to high school. They
are therefore not only kindergartens.
Traditional Steiner preschools are often built and furnished using plain wood and
natural materials. These natural materials and colors are in contrast to the interior décor
of many contemporary kindergartens that feature plastic toys and primary colored
furnishings. Steiner school’s use of natural materials is done to reinforce children’s
relationship with nature.
Waldorf schools have made headlines in recent years in relation to Steiner’s philosophy
on vaccination. He believed that illness was rooted in problems from previous lives and
that people could resolve this by generating positive karma in their current life. From
this perspective, vaccination gets in the way of this karmic energy. As a result, some
Steiner schools (not all) have caused controversy over their relaxed approach to child
vaccination in both the United Kingdom and America. Many kindergartens draw
2

on aspects of
2

Waldorf education and are therefore ‘Steiner-inspired’ instead of being traditional Steiner
schools.
Malaguzzi
Loris Malaguzzi founded the Reggio Emilia early childhood philosophy in Italy
following the Second World War. Malaguzzi lived in the small town of Reggio Emilia,
located just north of Bologna. The educational approach is named after this region.
Malaguzzi’s educational approach was named after this town. Following Mussolini’s
Fascist dictatorship in Italy, Malaguzzi and a group of young women set about setting
up a series of pre-school in the region.
The philosophy for these schools was based on the understanding that children have
the human rights to play an active role in democratic communities.
Educators using the Reggio Emilia approach often emphasize the important role of
relationships in learning. For example, relationships between children, their families,
teachers, the physical environment, and wider communities.
Children are also valued as capable and active members of the community. This ‘Image
of the Child’ means that children’s ideas and opinions need to be made visible and
responded to by adults.
Reggio Emilia educators also often evaluate learning using a reflective process called
‘pedagogical documentation.’ To do this, teachers record children’s learning using
photos, videos, and written notes to reflect on children’s learning. From these
discussions, teachers then make plans for what following activities can be done that
extend children’s interests and curiosities. This is process referred to as a ‘child-led
curriculum.’
The Reggio Emilia approach also emphasizes the importance of the physical
environment as a ‘third teacher’ in children’s learning. Like the Montessori approach,
Reggio Emilia educators often spend a lot of time planning and selecting materials and
physical resource for children to play with.
However, unlike Montessori, the Reggio Emilia philosophy also encourages educators
to collect and use recycled materials in creative activities.
3

Vygotsky
Lev Vygostsky was a Russian child psychologist who wrote extensively on children’s
cognitive development in social learning settings. He is famous for consisting two key
ideas on children’s learning: Scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
The ZPD is the distance between what a learner can do without assistance and what
they can do with the assistance of others. Scaffolding can be understood as a process in
which a more knowledgeable person helps a child undertake an activity that they
would normally not be able to do independently.
Like the ‘scaffolding’ on a building, this assistance supports children’s learning by

helping them to eventually undertake activities autonomously. You may hear
kindergarten teachers use the terms ‘scaffolding’ and ‘Zone of Proximal Development’
in relation to children’s learning at preschool. Vygotsky however his work has been
momentously influential on early childhood education, particularly in relation to
children’s learning in social contexts.
List five other key people who have had a huge influence on early childhood education.
What are their contributions? What did they have in common? Their love for children.
In a tabular form. Show the huge influence among them.
Summary
The education of the young mind is an important step in readying the child for future
learning experiences. The evolution of early childhood education has transformed how
adults and parents view the importance of offering stimulating and exciting
opportunities to the very young.
Early childhood education offers toddlers learning experiences that benefit them
throughout their educational career. Early childhood education is an important step in
educating young minds and offering stimulating opportunities for exploring and
learning. Those who contributed to the discipline of early childhood education came
from occupations and professions outside the academic domain. What they had in
common
3

was an understanding of children. And that is what makes early childhood education
unique; it starts with the child and not with the subject matter.
Early childhood education has roots that reach far back into history. For over 2,000
years the issues of “why” and “how” to teach young children have engaged
philosophers, psychologists and educators seeking to discover universal laws of child
development.
Summative Assessment
1. In your previous study you learn of challenges facing early childhood educators.
Suggest helpful support for early childhood educators on how to face challenges
using your own style, strategies in dealing with challenges.
2. Identify five other key early childhood educators who have had a huge influence
ECE. What contributions they have made to kindergarten teaching around the
world?
3. What does it mean to be an early childhood educator?
4. List and explain the childcare curriculum today. Identify their similarities and
differences.
5. Who has influenced early childhood education?
Model Answers for Check your Progress
CYP 1
Emerging Trends in Early Childhood

Education Increased Assessment of Young
Learners Steady Growth in Early Childhood
Education Greater Focus on Physical Fitness
Integration of Online Technologies into the Learning Environment
Applicants with bachelor’s Degrees in High Demand.
CYP 2
Misalignment between expectations and resources in early childhood sector
creates challenges for Early Childhood Teachers. Educators have many
3

resp
onsi
biliti
es
that
they
are
held
acco
unta
ble
for.
For
exa
mpl
e,
teac
hers
iden
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d
3

several roles that they had to take on in their jobs. Specifically, they felt that they
had to take on the role of educator, care provider, communicator, leader,
advocate, and administrator. With all these roles that an ECE must fulfil, there
were several challenges identified. The specific themes were insufficient time,
lack of resources and partnerships with parents. However, I believe that when
dissected, these challenges can be boiled down to one central issue – lack of
CYP 3 resources.
Preventative strategies
Looking carefully at a family's schedule, routines, and transitions
Planning ahead
Having materials ready
Using music, songs, or predictable noises to signal transitions
Using visual cues
Turning transition times into games.
CYP 4
Early childhood education is any formal learning that takes place before primary
school begins. Many credit Freidrich Froebel, the founder of kindergarten, with
the launch of early childhood education in 1837. Maria Montessori took it a step
further in 1907 with her child-centered approach to early learning.
CYP 5
Montessori and Waldorf are both approaches that can be sustained well beyond
the early childhood level and into high school.
In the present moment, it is increasingly the case where programs adopt a

blended approach incorporating two or more methods in their program. This is
since there are distinct advantages to curating aspects from each available
method and adapting it to engage children.
Montessori for its independent self-directed studies; Waldorf for its integration
of the arts and social consciousness and lastly; High Scope for its invaluable
three- step process to ensure purposeful, planned and reflected learning
processes.
Resources:
Major Challenges of Being A Preschool Teacher
3

https://www.bachpanglobal.com/blog/major-challenges-preschool-teacher/
3

The National Association for the Education of Young Children.
www. naeyc.org
Teachers Challenges
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/readersblog/parimala/teachers-challenges-4812/
Challenges Facing Early Childhood Education in Developing Countries

http://writersbureau.net/jede/challenges-facing-early-childhood-education-in-developing-
countries/
History of Preschool in the Philippines

http://olga-adbec.blogspot.com/2011/10/history-of-preschool-education-in.html
Five Key Early Educators

http://www.louisapenfold.com/five-key-early-childhood-educators/
References:
Clark, R. (2017). Exploring the Context for Early Learning. Routledge
Cohen, L. (2017) Theories of Early Childhood Education : Developmental, Behaviorists,

and Critical. Routledge
Dodge, D.T. and Colker, L.J. (1992) The Creative Curriculum for Early
Childhood,Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies Inc.
Gabriel, N. (2017). The Sociology of Early Childhood. Sage Publication
Hayes, N. (2017).Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A Guide for Practicioned and Students in

Early Years Education. Routledge
Jarvis, P. (2017). Early Years Pioneers in Context. Routledge
Kingdon, Z. (2017). Flourishing in the Early Years. Routledge
Morisson, G. (2015). Early Childhood Education Today 13th Pearson Publication
Offenheiser, R. and Holcombe, S. (2003) Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing

a Rights-based Approach to Development: An Oxfam America Perspective.
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 32(2): 268.
3
UNESCO (2007) Education for All (EFA) Global Monitoring Report, Strong foundations:
Early Childhood Care and Education, UNESCO.
Suggested Readings for Enrichment
Mooney, C. G. (2013). Theories of childhood : an introduction to Dewey, Montessori,

Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky. In Redleaf Press.
Sean Macblain. (2018). Learning Theories for Early Years Practice - Sean MacBlain -
Google Books. Albert Bandura and Social Learning Theory.
Wacquant, L. (2004). Following Pierre Bourdieu into the field. Ethnography.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1466138104052259

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Foundations in Early Childhood Education- ECE 103

COLLEGE OF ARTS and SCIENCES, Dr. Elaine R. Briones

ECE 103 A Module in ECE 111 (Creative

At the end of the module, students can:

 Identify and discuss challenges for those

Authored by: Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

1.0 Learning Objectives

Everyday an early childhood teacher is encountering different strains of challenges.

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

CHALLENGES OF EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS

The world inside a classroom is different from

Knowing your students well.

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Reflection and Analysis

Retaining the attention of kids

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

As a preschool teacher, it becomes very important

When the Students underperform

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Effective execution of the preschool curriculum

Availability of materialistic facilities:

Planning takes a chunk of time:

Assessment reports are lengthy:

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Check Your Progress 1

Challenges Facing Early Childhood Education in Developing Countries

Malnutrition and ill-health

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Inadequate teaching and learning resources

High Teacher-Child Ratio with Poor Remunerations

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

The major factors that have continued to affect

Check Your Progress 2

Analytically examine the challenges facing early childhood education in

Being an Early Childhood Educator

Being an Early Childhood Teacher Can Be Challenging.

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Being a Preschool Teacher Comes with Great Responsibility

Being a Preschool Teacher is Also

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Reflection and Analysis

Several helpful supports for teachers facing challenges.

Be prepared and organized.

Establish a regular routine and schedule.

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Get to know every child as a unique individual.

Become a keen and regular observer.

Keep your sense of humor close by.

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

Check Your Progress 3

Dr. Elaine R. Briones

The Roots of Early Childhood Education in the Philippines

Early childhood education goes as far back as the

Mooney, C. G. (2013). Theories of childhood : an introduction to Dewey, Montessori,