Introduction
Kindergarten age is the budding stage for any child as it encompasses the values and skills ingrained in the deep layers of young minds. And it is truly the value addition that is done at this age for staying forever in the form of attitude, temperament, and character building. This makes it all the more important to mentor the kids in the right direction with right method of teaching and learning. But, making learning a fun process is an art, and especially for this age, the dynamics are to be taken care so that learning process is fun-filled. The impact stays with the kids forever for the acquisition of competence that moulds their personality. This ensures a literacy-rich environment for the children which subsequently will raise the benchmark for the standard of education. An enabling environment is one which is a perfect balance between the contents which are part of the knowledge baggage and extra curriculum activities which is a part of the fun process.
Body
While reviewing the standards for the kindergarten in one of the states of the USA, it is found that the standards of education are so designed that it helps in the overall development of the kids physically, intellectually, and emotionally. The content is full of illustrations, videos, stories, and pictures to ensure that the kid gets the right amount of information. Further interactive session amalgamated with playing and fun sessions like video watching draws a conductive environment for the kids to feel comfortable and enjoy the learning process. Using a tabular presentation of different activities, a perfect balance between the fun and learning can be juxtaposed to finalize a framework for the daily activities of the kids as follows:
Mondays will be dedicated to encourage response activities in kids. This will include raising hands for attendance and repeating the same lines of poems. Tuesdays will be devoted for enhancing observation by exposing the kids to various videos specially designed for kids. Wednesdays will be enhance the guessing powers of kids by involving them in guessing games like guess the animals, flowers, and fruits. Guessing games will be a mix of knowledge and fun. This will not only enrich their knowledge but also help in shaping their language. Thursdays will include reading and recitation as the main activities. Recitation is a good way to foster language and also give the confidence to communicate in an efficient way. It will also give experience to the kids as how to interact and communicate. Fridays will be stored for painting and playing activities to give the experience of joy to the children. Each day will nurture the child to add a wing in their literacy and language proficiency.
Based on the aforesaid facts, it is safe to assume that the activities are distributed evenly ensuring that the child gets ample opportunities for learning with fun. Activities are strategically placed touching each and every aspect of the development like observation, listening, recitation, painting, and playing. This framework also involves and engrosses the child’s interest for the two hours. The experience is exhilarating as it keeps the kids and the teachers on the toe, adding wings in the learning curve. As a result, the kids are found to be more responsive to videos and storytelling especially if it involves audio-visual tools. Further, kids also love playing time and they seem to be excited with high energy levels in this time period. Guessing and observation activities also excite the kids keeping them alert.
Approach Analysis
The approach for the above mentioned activities will be more interactive, to ensure that the kids are involved in each and every activity. Special attention will be given to individual child, to help them grasp the data, and sharpen their language skills, at their own pace. The approach adopted will be to interact with each child, individually and also, to create a homely environment. This makes the child comfortable. Special tools will be used to aid the process of learning. This approach will sharpen the minds of the kids by injecting the inquisitiveness which is the main purpose of teaching. This quench for thirst of knowledge, also indirectly enables an atmosphere of knowledge sharing and learning. Interaction at a personal level will help the child develop the communication skill and paying individual attention with sort of questioning and answer will ensure that the child is trending in the path of literacy.
Tools and technology to foster language and literacy-rich environment helps to develop the intellectual as well as emotional fronts of the kids. It is imperative that the tools used are such that help not just to keep the kids interested but also help them in broadening the horizon of knowledge. Technology like the Projectors, Powerpoint presentation and videos will aid in observation and guessing activities. It will also make the session fun loving and interactive. Audio technology such as recorders can be used to enhance the language skills as the child can repeat the sentences recorded. Further, recitation of the same facts can also be done. Video technology can be used as a medium for storytelling. These technologies will make the sessions interesting which will help to draw attention of the kids.
Conclusion
Based on the afore-mentioned description, interpretation, analysis, and explanation on the frameworks of kindergarten learning philosophy, it can be easily concluded that there is a strong correlation between the contents designed for the pre-school students and the environment which fosters language growth. The correlation is due to the fact that an enabling environment can only encourage learning process which, in turn, is influenced by the various tools and technologies one uses. No doubt that a conducive environment can only help in moulding the future of the kids, however a balance needs to be struck between the theory knowledge and its practical application. One often sees the playing as idle time but one must not forget that playing is serious learning for the kids. In this backdrop, it is imperative to apply these activities and approaches for building a fabric of young minds coated with huge layers of creativity and innovation.
Reference
- Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Wertsch, James V. Sohmer, Richard. (1995). Vygotsky on learning and development. Human Development. (38 ) 332-37.
- Lindberg. L . and Swedlow, R. ( 1976). Early Childhood Education : A Guide for Observation and Participation. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
- Fiore, S. Susan, Onibokun, Yemi, Synodi, Maria, Flinter F.Paul, Coleman A. George, and Rowell S. Gerri. (2007) Early Childhood: A Guide to Early Childhood Program Development. State of Connecticut: State Board of Education. Retrieved from http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/PDF/DEPS/Early/early_childhood_guide.pdf
