DrKimDavies

In kindergarten, therefore, an emphasis on play and social skills - not
premature pressure to master reading and arithmetic - seems most likely to
prepare children for later academic success.

This reminds me of the day in pre-school when our teacher first allowed us to play together by ourselves, without her guidance. The prospect of not having anyone to watch over me and guide me during this time was quite daunting. I felt the adrenalin surge through my body at the thought of having to make friends there on the spot. The fact that I was an only child, compounded with my genetic disposistion to be shy, meant that I was on the back foot when it came to social interactions. The teacher must have separated us into gendered groups which I thought was quite politically incorrect for 1979. How dare she put me with the girls. Didn't she understand that my neighbourhood friends were all boys? I felt horrible and stood around waiting for the others to start "playing." It was decided that we play shopkeepers, and the girl who called it said she should be the shop keeper because she had the longest fingernails. My heart sank at the thought of these gendered stereo types. I wondered what sort of fun the boys must have been having outside. I felt trapped and miserable. Welcome to my first social experience at pre-school.

Now I understand what my teacher was getting at. She was trying to get us to develop our social skills, without the watchful eye of parental supervision. It is interesting to note that I was already out of the loop before this first encounter. I already felt that I didn't fit in here, with other girls. Teachers perhaps need to take these factors into account when they thrust us into "safe" groups. Every-one develops at their own unique rate, in their own unique way. Here computers can aid in this development because of the many educational styles available. A teacher naturally must be directing what the children are doing, yet the internet is there as an expansion on the task at hand, if desired. If kids are inquisitive enough to want to learn more than the set material, then the internet can provide at the very least - more pictures, or sounds, or learning games on the topics at hand. Especially if the teachers set up a list of predetermined educational sites. This is how our university is teaching us, and I love the way articles are preselected as quality, without us having to sift through all the junk.

Anyway - I have to chat about this now in the chat assessment on Netsoc and Youth.

Over and out.

# posted by Kim @ 4:51 pm