Where do I start? I have learned so much from Kaylee and it has been especially enjoyable considering that I have watched her grow from a small child into the wonderful adult she is today.
The three consequences of learning about the international early childhood field for my professional and personal development has been:
Poverty: Although we see and even experience poverty here in the United States, poverty is on an entirely different level in some countries. I couldn't imagine having to wear the same clothes for weeks at a time and having a limited amount of food to eat. Having a make-shift home and going to school in the middle of a rice field with limited school supplies is heart wrenching.
Assessments: The fact that there are no real way of measuring the student's development and growth over in South Korea is also alarming to me. Early Childhood Education seems to be none existant in many instances and the primitive way they view children as little adults is also a concern I have.
Rote Learning: Simple memorization is in my opinion, one of the worse facts I learned about the way children are educated in Korea. I believe rote learning does such a disservice to children because it stiffles their creativity and imagination. Also, memorizing something does not mean they understand how to apply those things to everyday situations that occur in life.
I realized through communicating with Kaylee that I don't know enough about what the educational issues and trends are in other countries. I have challenged myself to learn more about other countries so that I can better understand any ESL students I may come in contact with in my journey as teacher and administrator. I will be keeping in touch with Kaylee to stay abreast of any new developments that may surface concerning education.
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Berdetta,
ReplyDeleteI was very surprisd to learn that there is no way to track child development in South Korea. What do they do? Is development not a major concern for that country? How or do they acknowledge children that may be considered special needs? I find this very interesting. Thank you for sharing!
Tiffany
Berdetta,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post relating to South Korea. While poverty seems to be everywhere, it is definitely more prevalent in certain countries. I also disagree with the rote learning. Memorization is not learning in a meaningful way which is so important for young children. They can't retain something if it has no meaning to them. It is why "sight words" are so hard to teach!
Very informative post!
Thank you!
Hi Berdetta,
ReplyDeleteYour post was inspiring to me. I can understand you having concerns about the children in south Korea. Early childhood programs should be active available to all young learners. Thanks for more important information!!
Dear Berdetta,
ReplyDeleteI have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blogs and gained insights from your discussion posts.
I couldn't agree with you more about the ill-effects of rote learning. Unfortunately, in India too rote learning is a common practice. Children are forced to learn long and elaborate definitions of concepts they do not understand. They are also assessed weekly. Dictation tests, examinations start from grade one.
I wish you all the best in your future courses. Let's keep the passion of early childhood burning bright.
Cheers!
Sonali
Hi Berdetta, thanks for sharing the post about educational practices in Korea. We would have never had the opportunity to learn from Kaylee if you had not make that awesome contact. Keep up the good work and much success in realizing your goal.
ReplyDeleteHi Berdetta,
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed reading your post. I did not get a chance to communicate with an international early education supporter, but through reading your post I felt as though I learned a lot about children in other countries. I too am not fond of rote learning, I feel as though it is holding children back from learning they way they want to learn. What if the child is best with another learning style instead then he/she will lack that skill. I too have to keep in mind that every child is capable of learning bur may require various learning styles. Thank you for the support and helpful information you have provided during this course. Good luck with your future early childhood professional goals.