My conversations with professionals and parents in the UK have been polar experiences of late.
Amanda, a nursery assistant who works with infants and young toddlers, discussed with me the focus on continued education for early years care providers. Amanda explained that workforce development, or continual professional development, as she also referred to it, is a focus in the UK's quality improvement efforts.
Amanda is required to attend regular trainings along with the other staff at the nursery. She keeps a learning journal. Her professional interests have included infant/toddler curriculum and how it supports the learning and development requirements included in the Early Years Foundation Stage standards. The EYFS focuses on skill acquisition and school readiness. It sounds as if the nursery Amanda works in is very focused on the education and academic skills of both the children and the staff, which has both positive/negative and intended/unintended consequences.
I also had a recent conversation with a British mother and home educator. She stated that she and probably many of her fellow home-ed'ers think the standardized early years field is corporate and misguided. She went on to state that she and her group tend to think there shouldn't even be a early childhood profession; parents should not "farm" their babies out to childminders before they are even done nursing but should instead keep them home and educate them themselves from the start. While I don't believe this opinion represents any form of majority, her perspective was interesting, especially when taken in contrast to the other conversations and readings I've been exposed to lately.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI think it is good that the UK requires regular professional development for the early care providers. However, if the EYFS is very focused on skill aquisition and school readiness, I wonder if the children have time for play. Are academic skills addressed during play when children can interact with each other and make choices, or are they being drilled and doing worksheets?...Just wondering.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteEYFS sounds like it has unintended consequences similar to what we are experiencing in the U.S. I hope play is not in jeopardy and that learning is happening through play and exploration.
The mother who home schools does have a viewpoint which is valid. I believe that parents who can stay home with their children should, but they also need to tools necessary to encourage them and help develop their skills.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post! As far as the British mother...I think that she needs to change her thinking a little. I believe that the early childhood profession should remain. I'm sure you informed her of how important this field of study is and the acheivements of it as well. I do believe that there are those who can keep their child at home and give them a better education than that of a public school setting. However, they need to have the resources in which to do so.
ReplyDeleteThe stay at home mother's perspective on children staying at home may not be an opotion for most women although it is good in some cases for children to stay at home in other circumstances for some children the early childhood setting may be the only place the child is allowed to just be a child while encountering positive interactions with teachers and children.
ReplyDeleteYour report on what you discovered through your conversations is very interesting to me because as an early care and education professional and also a parent I can see both sides of your discussions. As a parent, I worry about creating a society in which parents are no longer raising and teaching their children but relying on others to do this. I love being a parent who sees the changes and the learning that occurs in my children.
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