Notes on early childhood education philosophies

"Good-bye, baby! Hello, toddler!"

-- my son's pediatrician 

As my son approaches toddlerhood, I have started taking a closer look at different early childhood education philosophies. Early childhood education starts at birth and goes on until the child is in the first half of grade school. Parents are seen as children's first teachers and I take that responsibility and honour quite seriously. I say "quite" because I want my child to make discoveries through play. I am not comfortable seeing children barely out of their diapers struggling to write on workbooks or going through lesson notes on their computer monitors. I just find this approach too restrictive; too structured. Basically, it's like children are forced out of childhood rather than allowed to glow in wonderment at discovering the world through their perspectives.

My son discovering the acoustic qualities of the box of his books
(when I took this photo, he wasn't remotely interested in the Beatrix Potter books; he just wanted the box).

This is the point when I'm happy that I've read Erika Christakis' "The Importance of Being Little", which discusses the bleakness of the conventional pre-school system in the USA with its emphasis on the child hitting key performance indicators (which are very important in preparing children for higher levels of education) through adult approaches. I found this book to be a complementary read—rather than a direct contrast—to Janet Lansbury's "Elevating Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting". This book describes the Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) parenting philosophy that believes that children are dependent but are capable of self-learning. 

After reading these parenting books, I concluded that it's probably high time to take a look at some progressive preschool educational approaches... traditional preschools aren't going anywhere anyway. I picked out three educational methods that resonated with me. There are a few schools adapting or are inspired by these approaches that are found in close proximity to home; it's just a matter of picking out which method is best and then choosing a school that follows that philosophy. 

Method Name	Place of Origin	Multi-age classroom	Student-centred	Teacher's role	Parents' involvement	Emphasis
Montessori	Rome, Italy	Yes	Yes	Guide	Yes	Responsibility and self-discipline Independence Mutual respect
Reggio Emilia-inspired	Reggio Emilia, Italy	Yes	Yes	Partner Nurturer Guide	Yes	Collaboration and interaction Communication and documentation Classroom as the third teacher
Waldorf	Stuttgart, Germany	Yes	Yes	Guide	Yes	Experiential learning Engage head, heart, hand Imagination

After poring through some articles about these three methods, I found that the Reggio Emilia system to resonate a lot with what I value for early childhood education, particularly the emphasis on collaboration and communication. I think that there is value in teaching a child independence but the real world finds collaboration and being a member of a team important. Additionally, children communicate with adults in several ways (including crying). It is very important, in my opinion, that children get to use these different communication strategies and not be limited to just verbal communication.

Biboy and Barbara, subscribing to the Montessori approach, has set up a toddler table and chair set, an easel for artwork, and a play kitchen for their son. They also set up a bookcase containing a limited number of toys designed for learning through play (my nephew has a lot of toys; these are rotated out on a regular basis). A classmate of mine in grade school also follows the Montessori method in spending time with her son. At three years old, he already assists my friend in cooking. These two examples suggested (to me) that children are being taught to "work" early in their education and may miss out on the play component of growing up. 

The Waldorf approach is quite similar to the Montessori method, according to Barbara, except that it focuses more on imagination and creativity rather than on the "work". There is a hint of time outdoors because this approach includes experiential learning. I bet that there's a number of Waldorf alumni who are involved in the art scene or in the entertainment industry because the program helps a child.

Choices... choices...