PEDAGOGY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Introduction
The main aim of this essay is to start by defining and explaining pedagogy, expound on curriculum, and recount some of the pioneers and theorists who influenced early childhood education. Then, Link their philosophical ideas to the current practices of early childhood education in Ireland. After that, explore different contexts towards early childhood education and provision in the UK and Ireland and analyze how it has evolved over the last few years. Lastly, discuss different types of curriculum in the UK and Ireland and their key features, outlining their similarities and differences. Pedagogy is the deliberate process of cultivating development within a given culture or society. The curriculum entails formal and informal experiences, either planned or unplanned, taking place in an indoor or outdoor environment that contributes to the child’s learning and development. Every child is entitled to the finest onset in life and the best foundation that enables them to achieve their full potential. Children advance and develop quickly in the early years, and their experiences between birth and age five have a massive impact on their future life chances. A steady, secure, and happy childhood is vital to the child. To enable children to achieve most of their abilities and talents as they grow up, it is necessary to provide them with high-quality learning and good parenting. This paper will discuss pedagogy, the philosophical ideas of pioneers and how their influence, and compare and contrast curriculum models. Pedagogy is derived from the Greek word paidagogos which translates to “a slave who took the child by the hand and led them to school. Bowman and Donovan define pedagogy as the deliberate process of cultivating development within a given culture or society Curriculum.
Curriculum and Pedagogy
A curriculum is centered on the primary purpose of learning. It entails formal and informal experiences, either planned or unplanned, taking place in an indoor or outdoor environment that contributes to the development of a child. Some practitioners plan for activities and experiences within the role play area, generally outdoors. Others may look at experiences that enhance growth, such as physical games (motor development) puzzles (cognitive development) or group activities (social development). Others, however, look at areas of learning such as literacy, numeracy, practical life, science, geography, history, etc.
In this setting, the curriculum is a process of learning through carefully planned activities or projects that incorporate the child’s interests, skills, and needs. Aistear, designed in 2009, is the curriculum framework used in Ireland. It consists of formal and informal learning administered through planned and unplanned activities or experiences in indoor and outdoor environments. The Aistear structure is built around the following four main themes; well-being, identity and belonging, communication and exploring, and thinking. This framework provides for the creating of an arts-rich environment.
In 2008, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) was established as the UK curriculum for children to five years of age. The UK framework shares similarities with Aistear as it is designed to provide practitioners with a set of principles to enable them to provide quality education to children in the early years. In Australia, the early years learning framework, well known as “the framework” equally shares similarities with Aistear. It takes into account the diverse nature of the society in Australia and supports practices that are inclusive regarding the diversity of the Australian culture (Siegler 2016).
Pedagogy can be defined as the deliberate process of cultivating development within a given culture or society. In my setting, we described pedagogy as the practice or way of teaching a specific subject or curriculum. Moreover, we believe that pedagogy practices are supported by the philosophies and principles of Aistear and Soilta, the curriculum framework, and quality standards. By using Aistear, we have comprehensive guidelines that assist in implementing the curriculum framework efficiently. Pioneers like Froebel contributed majorly in today’s current practices with their ideas and perceptiveness and has majorly informed our thinking today (Hayward & Pandya 2015).
Theories
Child-centered learning
John Dewy (1859-1952) placed a focus on education and learning than on development. He was of the view that knowledge was a collaborative process between an adult and a child. It necessitated a shift from adult-directed to co-operative learning centered on the child and built on the interests of the child. Child-centered learning is described as placing the child at the center of the learning process in class. Early childhood education is vital to a child’s development, socially, physically, and emotionally. To enable knowledge transmission, teachers should employ appropriate methods that best suit specific objectives. In Aistear, activities are provided to promote social problem-solving processes; for example, adult-child or child-child efforts are placed on preparing a meal or doing a project.
Psychoanalytical theory
Erik H. Erikson (1902-1994) developed a comprehensive psychoanalytic theory that employs a series of eight stages in which a developing child should pass through from infancy to adulthood. In each step, the child meets new challenges and masters them, and each stage builds on the earlier stage. However, the results of one stage can be altered by later experiences.
According to Erickson, if caregivers are consistent sources of food, love, and comfort, the child learns to trust that others are reliable. However, if they are neglectful, or abusive, the child learns mistrust that others are unreliable and dangerous. In the Pre-school stage, the child learns to master the world revolving around them and acquire the necessary skills. They learn how to zip, count, speak, and prepare for leadership roles. Pre-schoolers can complete specific tasks on their own. They start taking on tasks that they can easily accomplish; therefore, if parents encourage their efforts, children develop independence in planning activities and achieving them.
In Aistear, Teachers who perform psychosocial development in a school setting create an environment where each child feels appreciated and is at ease with learning and building relationships with peers. Enquire what students are interested in and develop projects that take into account their interests (Elliott 2015).
Behaviorism
Behaviorists learning theories insist on the changes in behavior that arises from stimulus-responses made by the learner. Skinner (1904-1990) believed that spontaneous action is regulated through rewards and punishment. In education, teachers have adopted this system of rewards and discipline in their teaching environments by rewarding desired behaviors and punishing inappropriate ones. For example, if a teacher wishes to instill the act of remaining seated while class is in session, the student who emerges victorious might be rewarded by being allowed to do homework at the library. However, the success of this method depends heavily on each student’s stimulus and response. Behaviorists believe that a behavior can be unlearned when it becomes unacceptable, and replaced by a new acceptable practice. Moreover, positive reinforcement presents a stimulus that creates the probability of response; for example, in a teaching environment, a teacher may provide positive support by, smiling at students after a correct answer, commending them for their work and praising their abilities to their parents. It is a common practice in Aistear as it assists in building the confidence of the child (Cohen & Waite-Stupiansky 2017).
Piaget theory of cognitive development
Piaget believed that a child’s interaction within their surroundings and environments is what expands their learning. His idea that “construction is superior to instruction” was developed on the foundations of Montessori’s concept that meaningful tasks are essential to cognitive development in childhood. Therefore, like Montessori, Piaget has enabled teachers of young children to see how vital it is for a child to experience what we want them to learn.
Dewey had similar views with Piaget and Montessori as he understood the need for child-centered education, active and interactive learning, and the social features of children and their community. He felt that children learn more when interacting with their peers and adults, and the learning experiences, coupled with the child’s interest, form the foundation for the curriculum. Vygotsky’s work showed that social cognitive development works hand in hand and build upon each other. His philosophy recognized that a child’s knowledge arises from their individual experiences but also that it is possible to separate personal from social skills.
Reggio and Montessori majorly influence Aistear’s approach. Their educational methods are almost similar, and both welcome the idea of a nurturing child-centric. Both approaches are meant to educate the child and help them to grow together in harmony with others. Montessori’s approach emphasizes maths, culture, language, practical skills, music, geography, and sciences using sensory and movement. Whereas in Reggio, the method allows for lessons guided by the child’s interest; however, there is no curriculum (Siegler 2016)
Sociocultural Theory
This theory proposes that social interaction induces continuous, step-by-step changes in a child’s thought and behavior that vary between different cultures. The development of a child depends on their interaction with people and the tools the culture gives to help form their view of the world. A culture tool can be passed from one person to another through imitative learning, instructed learning, and collaborative learning.
Vygotsky postulated the idea of a zone of proximal development (ZPD), which outlines the difference between the children’s independent learning achievements and the achievements under a more competent person at the task at hand. He viewed adults as a key in this relationship due to their competence in the job. In Aistear, a student is provided with opportunities to express understanding, and learning tasks polished by the teacher to address individual capabilities. Such teacher support has been referred to as scaffolding, which signifies an influential teacher’s help, which reduces when the student draws near the desired outcome.
Furthermore, the use of language-related activities in a school setting is vital to cognitive development. For example, the development of communication skills may influence the clarity of speech and thought patterns. At a young age, the development of a language will most certainly enable other educational abilities.
Post-Modernist thinkers
Postmodern theory agrees that knowledge is socially constructed through our interactions and relationships with the world. Piaget, however, believed that children are ego-centric in their pre-operational stage, i.e., Children find it difficult to understand perspectives other than their own due to incomplete development of logic at their stage. Postmodern thinkers criticize Piaget for pigeonholing children into stages of development since his theory views a child as a “loner explorer.” At the same time, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of children learning in a social context.
Moreover, post-modernists thinkers have critiqued the child-centered pedagogy as it places a powerless female teacher and child focusing on inexperienced teachers. Walkerdine raises questions on how women and children are positioned concerning one another and how social relations give birth to specific relations of power that constrain the activities of female teachers.
Social Justice and democracy
Community is a backdrop to democracy that calls upon solidarity and a positive emotional tie that provides an effective platform for democratic relations. In democratic societies, there are values, i.e., tolerance, participation, and solidarity, that propel the community to reach a common understanding. The notion of community is used in early childhood to provide the feeling of a safe environment. In Aistear, the environment that a child grows is vital for his/her development.
Curriculum models
The introduction of policies in the UK, over the last 25 years changed the view of childhood education. The status of the Early Years Education in the UK has over a while, increased qualifications in staff members, developed professionalism, and an extensive network of support (Nutbrown & Clough 2015). In the 1980s, Thatcher’s introduced new education policies, thereby changing the way the curriculum was seen. By 2009, the Schools and Family Bill 2010, Schools and Families Act and the Child Poverty were introduced. The intention was to ensure that anyone who works with children has the right skills for the task.
The United States established programs like the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program, which followed the lives of 123 children from 1962 to 2002 and the Chicago Child-Parent Centre Programs in 1967. These evaluations revealed that during the pre-school time, social and educational involvements are cost-effective over a long period (Derman 2016).
Ireland saw a slow development in the early years’ sector but has caught up in recent years. In 2000, the National Children’s Strategy was formed, which was a ten-year plan devoted to improving the lives of children. In 2006, childcare regulations were unveiled, Siolta involved over 50 different groups, from teachers, policymakers and childcare providers, and its purpose was to define quality standards. After that, Aistear was launched in 2010 to promote the development of the child. (McCarthy 2016).
Social constructivist Vygotsky outlined the significance of the adult in the enhancement of the child’s well-being. The principles of Siolta and Aistear reflect this as vital between children and adults in the construction of meaning and knowledge. Constructivist Piaget believed that knowledge is constructed through interaction with the environment enabling children to become problem solvers. Similarly, Aistear views a child as an active learner, exploring materials to find out how they operate and learning through hands-on experiences.
Aistear and Siolta have encouraged children’s holistic development and learning, requiring a flexible curriculum program (Siolta Standard 7). The play has become an integral part of the development of the child and relationships at the center of early learning and development. Aistear and Siolta promote children’s safety and welfare, encourage play and positive interactions, and partner with the child’s parents.
Vygotsky formulated a concept known as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), explaining the gap between what children can do and what they can do with the support of an able person. It mirrors Aistear’s as it states that practitioners use assessment for learning to enable them to provide opportunities regarding their findings. The EYFS takes majorly a vocational, instrumentalist view of the child, which centers the child as a “future pupil.” Its content stresses “subject-related learning goals,” which has resulted in play being set aside in favor of formal based teaching methods. The EYFS encourages teaching and learning to enable children’s readiness and impact them with a broad range of knowledge and skills to allow them to acquire the right foundation. Unhurried Pathways objects to this by stating that early childhood education needs to move away from a statutory policy-centered approach and recognize play as essential to learning.
Both Aistear and EYFS use interconnected themes of well-being, identity, exploration, and belonging to organize the curriculum. They both emphasize that each child is viewed as unique and supports active learning in a pleasant environment. Both carried the view of incorporating care and education, which aids teaching and learning. Aistear advocates assessment as a process of gathering, collecting, and documenting information to develop rich portraits of learners. This information can enlighten parents or stakeholders and enable adults to scaffold children’s learning to the next level. However, EYFS stresses testing with a “progress check at age two” alongside ongoing assessment (Fazal 2019)
Conclusion
This paper began by defining curriculum and analyzing different curriculums in Ireland, UK, and Australia and curriculum in our setting. We also defined pedagogy, linking it to Aistear and our pedagogy supported by philosophical principles of Aistear and Soilta, influenced by Froebel and Montessori. We discussed theories of how children learn and how they are mirrored in early education today. We analyzed Psychoanalytical theories of Erickson, who emphasized on the development of a child through the eight stages from infancy to adulthood. We also discussed Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, which entailed that children’s interaction with their environment develops their learning.
Furthermore, we tackled Behaviorisms, which is majorly concerned with the features of the child’s behavior and actions of a child are regulated through a system of rewards and punishment. The sociocultural theory proposed that social interactions induce step by step development in a child. Here, we also discuss Vygotsky’s idea of Zone of Proximal Development and how it differentiates a child’s independent learning from the impact of an able person under his care. The paper also discussed post-modernist thinkers who agree that knowledge is socially constructed through our interactions with the world and also criticized Piaget for pigeonholing children into stages of development. We also addressed curriculum models by first outlining the development of policies in the UK and the key people who played a role in the event of curriculum, i.e., Thatcher, who introduced new education policies in the 1980s. We also discuss the EYFS curriculum, which supports the child’s learning in a unique environment. The High/Scope Perry School Program established in the United States was presented as an early program that showed the cost-effectiveness of educational involvements. Ireland’s program slowly developed over the years but had caught up in recent times due to the formation of Siolta and Aistear to promote the development of the child. We outlined theoretical approaches that influenced these curriculums. Vygotsky’s view that the adult was an immense significance in the child’s well-being and his concept of Zone of Proximal Development, which mirrors Aistear’ s provisions for practitioners to assess learning to enable them to provide better opportunities. We brought out key features of the UK and Ireland curriculum models and compared and contrasted the two models. We saw that Aistear and Siolta promoted the child’s holistic development and learning. At the same time, EYFS majorly centered the child as a “future pupil,” thereby taking an instrumentalist view of the child.
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