The general topic that I am interested in learning more about is the push down of curriculum. I have chosen to focus on the social/emotional effects of this push down. I understand that we want to prepare our young learners for the next steps in their education, but what about play? We have been taught that we will need innovative thinkers in our ever changing world and strong problem solvers. If we take play out of the classroom and limit their outdoor time, how will children learn to be creative and solve problems? I also feel that if a child's social/emotional development isn't optimal, they probably are not going to be ready for the academics we are pushing. I remember play being a big part of my kindergarten experience and that we had three recess's when I was in elementary school. In most school's these days there is only one recess and it is during lunch time. What happens to the last child in the lunch line? Are they really getting any quality outside time? I think I chose this topic because I believe strongly in play based learning and the positive effects of forming strong, trusting relationships with the children and families I serve.
I think that this topic is very current in the early childhood field and so I am nervous about being able to find current research on this topic. After looking at how to evaluate websites and articles on the internet, I am more confident that I will be able to decide if an article is of the standard to use in my research. I am also confident that I will be able to use the information and skills from this class in my career as an early childhood professional.
Great Job on choosing your topic. I am also having a hard time finding current and reliable information on my topic. Hopefully this will get easier for both of us!!
ReplyDeleteJodi,
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a topic that is often over looked although it is something that we need to pay attention too. Our children are being set up for failure because they are being force to learn things that they are not yet ready for. I was speaking to a friend of mine the other day who teachers 1st grade and she told me that this upcoming her students will have to start working on fractions. I couldn’t help but to get upset because the children are coming into kindergarten not even knowing how to count and recognize numbers so how can they learn that, adding, and subtracting by the end of the year?