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A great many parents send their children to pre-schools --- educational programs for children under the age of five. It has been said that this is the time period when the brain does over fifty percent of its growing. This could mean that the learning process should be introduced during these years.
However, the views that different societies hold regarding the purpose of early childhood education are not same. Whereas Chinese parents tend to see preschools primarily as a way of giving children a good start academically, parents in the United States regard the primary purpose of preschools as making children more independent and self-reliant. Preschools can operate under a guiding philosophy of play-based or academic learning. Play-based programs are guided by the central belief that children learn best through play. Play is thought to build children’s interest and love of learning. Academic programs emphasize reading, math and science, and use structured, teacher-directed activities to promote foundational skills in these areas. In the United States, the best-known program designed to promote future academic success is Head Start. The program, which stresses parental involvement, was designed to serve the “whole child”, including children’s physical health, self-confidence, social responsibility, and social and emotional development.
A recent evaluation suggests that preschoolers who participate in Head Start are less likely to repeat grades, and more likely to complete school in future. Furthermore, graduates of Head Start programs show higher academic performance at the end of high school, although the gains are modest. In addition, results from other types of preschool readiness programs indicate that for every dollar spent on the program, taxpayers saved seven dollars by the time the graduates reached the age of 27.
Not everyone agrees that programs that seek to enhance academic skills during the preschool years are a good thing. In fact, according to developmental psychologist David Elkind, United States society tends to push children so rapidly that they begin to feel stress and pressure at a young age. Elkind argues that academic success is largely dependent upon factors such as inherited abilities and a child’s rate of maturation, which parents can do nothing about. Consequently, children of a particular age cannot be expected to master educational material without taking into account their current level of cognitive(认知的) development. In short, children require development appropriate educational practice, which is education that is based on both typical development and the unique characteristics of a given child.
Early Childhood Education | |
Reasons for attending preschools | The 【1】of the brain matures under the age of five. Parents’ expectations of preschools【2】greatly. |
【3】 of preschools | Some programs 【4】 on play activities while others on academic activities. Parents are 【5】in some preschool programs. |
Benefits of attending preschools | Graduates are more 【6】to go to school. Graduates may achieve higher grades at high school. It can be 【7】for households in the long term. |
【8】 about preschools | Children feel pressured at a young age. Factors determining academic success are beyond parents’ 【9】. Early childhood education must be 【10】 with children’s development and characteristics. |