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Philosophy of Early Childhood Education

f belonging as an effective individual within the context of a supportive, safe group.

It is my belief that early childhood learning must happen in an integrated manner. Children of this age are too young for rigidly separated subject matter, and the skillful teacher of young children easily integrates the physical, emotional, social, creative, and cognitive areas of early learning.

Johann Pestalozzi and Froebel, two of the earliest professionals in early childhood education, championed the development of the quality of early childhood theory and practice. Pestalozzi contended that young children learn most effectively by doing, by playing, and by interacting with the environment--the physical world and other children (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 4). Early, effective learning happens best in a mixed age group, multi-cultural settings,

Froebel, like Pestalozzi, believed that play is of paramount importance in the development of the child, and that the emotional quality of the child's life (relationship with parents and other significant people) profoundly permeates the quality of the child's life (McCarthy & Houston, 1980, p. 6). Pestalozzi did not particularly formalize his theories and methods, but he had a very good intuitive grasp of the necessity for language development, nurturing environments, and healthy relationships for children as a springboard for optimum learning.

The child as a learner has cognitive needs, and these vary according to the age of the child. Piaget became famous for his work in the cognitive domain, and his guidelines of pre-operational thought to more sophisticated abstract thinking are useful for teachers who wish to be careful about not expecting too much from children who are operating at a lower cognitive level (DeVries & Kohlberg, 1987, p. 54). His work was rather theoretical, and others (principally Kamii and DeVries) have expanded Piaget's theory to widen its practical usefulness in...

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Philosophy of Early Childhood Education. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 01:31, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1682344.html