Sample Psychology Paper on Early Childhood Education
I decided to review the literature on early childhood education. The first article I found interesting was “An Investigation into the Effect of Play-based Instruction on the Development of Play Skills and Oral Language” by Stagnitti et al. It describes the influence that play-based curriculum has on children. The study found that children placed in play-based groups had a significant improvement in their learning abilities. In comparison, those involved in traditional groups performed poorly in terms of their grammar and vocabulary knowledge. Thus, play-based curriculum is important and it needs to be reinforced in early childhood education to help in improving oral language and the skills that children use in learning.
The authors concluded that “the results show that the children in the play-based group significantly improved on all measures, whereas the children in the traditional group did not” (Stagnitti et al 12). I found this statement insightful because I had always underestimated the importance of play in child’s learning. My thoughts were always that playing is for physical importance and cannot be used as a way to reinforce learning process in children. On the basis of the information provided in the article, I think teachers need to reinforce the oral language teaching with play sessions for kindergarten children. Through proper interaction between the teachers and the students during the playing sessions, the young children come to learn cognitive and oral skills that they can use in future life. I agree with the statement fully because I have monitored the ways in which children react while playing with others. They not only enjoy playing but they also imitate what other children are doing or saying.
The teachers should mix younger children with the older ones as the best strategy to improve play based method of learning. I have also learnt that the traditional methods of teaching are not as effective as many people think. This is because these strategies, as part of which the teachers do not focus on playing, slow down the progress at which children learn. I think that future practices will improve how children learn. The future practices such as play-based strategies will not only make children more active but will also improve their leaning abilities. I still need to understand how this new method of teaching helps improve other aspects of childhood learning apart from language and play skills.
In “Improving Teacher-child Interactions: Using the Class in Head Start Preschool Programs,” the National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning (NCQTL) observes that an effective learning environment is a proper foundation for early childhood learning (NCQTL 2). Through instructional interactions, social and emotional support, and managed classroom, it is possible to achieve the positive learning outcomes. The article appealed to me because it explains how playing is instrumental in child development – especially in thinking and skill acquisition. According to me, the quintessential statement in the article is: “effective interactions are critical for children’s school success” (NCQTL 2). The statement emphasizes the importance of the proper interaction in young children’s academic performance. It stimulated my thinking by showing me that proper interaction was beneficial for small children.
I agree with the statement because in life, proper interaction will positively affect anyone’s life, and it is exactly what children need. One thing I learned about past practices is that they help in improving learning skills of children through active engagement in activities that makes the entire process of learning easy. I believe that the future practices will be much more effective compared to the current ones. I am curious to know how teacher-child interactions in the modern classroom affect learning.
Works Cited
Stagnitti, Karen, et al. “An investigation into the effect of play-based instruction on the development of play skills and oral language.” Journal of Early Childhood Research vol. 14 no.4, 2016, pp. 389-406. http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1476718X15579741?journalCode=ecra. Accessed 26 May 2017
“Improving Teacher–Child Interactions: Using the CLASS™ in Head Start Preschool Programs.” Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center, The National Center on Quality Teaching and Learning, 2013, eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/teaching/docs/using-the-class.pdf. Accessed 26 May 2017.