GS Morrison :
All programmes should have goals to guide activities and to provide a base for teaching methodologies. Without goals it is easy to end up teaching just about anything. Although the goals of preschools vary by state and individual programs, all should have certain essential goals.
Social and Interpersonal Skills
Human beings are social, and much of students’ learning involves social interactions:
Getting along with other children and adults and developing good relationships with teachers
Helping others and developing caring attitudes
Playing and working cooperatively
Following classroom rules
Self-Help and Intrapersonal Skills
Children must learn how to manage their behavior and their affairs:
Taking care of personal needs, such as dressing (e.g., tying, buttoning, zipping) and knowing what clothes to wear
Eating skills (e.g., using utensils, napkins, and a cup or glass; setting a table)
Health skills (e.g., how to wash and bathe, how to brush one’s teeth)
Grooming skills (e.g., combing hair, cleaning nails)
Approaches to Learning
I am sure you have heard the old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. In some regard, the same is true for children. Even though on the one hand we talk about children always being ready and eager to learn, on the other hand, professionals understand that all children are not equally ready to learn. Consequently, with today’s emphasis on early learning, there is an accompanying emphasis on supporting children’s motivation to learn and helping them develop positive dispositions toward learning. This is particularly important for children who are at risk for school failure. Approaches to learning (also known as dispositions to learning) include these components:
Self-regulation of attention and behavior
Effective social skills to develop a positive relationship with others
Positive attitude toward learning
Self-motivation for learning
Listening skills
Ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans
Understanding, accepting, and following rules and routines
Finding more than one solution to a question
Learning to Learn
Learning how to learn is as important as learning itself-in fact, learning depends on the acquisition of learning skills:
Self-help skills to promote a good self-image and high self-esteem
Knowledge of self, family, and culture
Sense of self-worth
Persistence, cooperation, self-control, and motivation to learn
Growing confidence
Responsibility for age-appropriate tasks
Turn taking during activities with other children
Academics
As academics play a more central role in preschool curriculum, some key areas of knowledge include these:
Names, addresses, and phone numbers
Colors, sizes, shapes, and positions, such as under, over, and around
Numbers and prewriting skills, shape identification, letter recognition, sounds, and rhyming
Simple sentence structure
Simple addition and subtraction
Ways to handle a book (California Department of Education, 2007)
Language and Literacy
There is a great emphasis on helping preschool children learn literacy skills. To develop language and literacy skills, preschoolers must work on a variety of capabilities:
Oral language skills
Vocabularies
Conversations with other children and adults
Proficiency in language
Literacy skills related to writing and reading
Letters of the alphabet
Listening comprehension
Motivation to read
Print awareness
Ways to use and appreciate books (Texas Education Agency, 2007)
Character Education
Many schools and school districts identify, with parents’ help, the character traits they want all students to demonstrate. Children need multiple opportunities to learn about and demonstrate character traits such as these:
Positive mental attitude
Persistance
Respect for others
Cooperation
Honesty
Trustworthiness
Sensitivity
Music and the Arts
Brain research supports the use of music and the arts to encourage learning in all areas. Preschoolers can learn about music and the arts in many ways:
Varied materials (e.g., crayons, paint, clay, markers) to create original work
Different colors, surface textures, and shapes to create form and meaning
Art as a form of self-expression
Music activities
Varieties of simple songs
Movement to music of various tempos
Dramatic play with others
Wellness and Healthy Living
When children are not healthy, they cannot achieve their best. Helping children learn healthy habits will help them do well in school. Healthy habits include the following:
Good nutritional practices
New foods, a balanced menu, and essential nutrients
Management of personal belongings
Ability to dress oneself appropriately
Personal hygiene, such as washing one’s hands and blowing one’s nose
Independence
Skills of independence help children have the confidence they need to achieve in school activities:
Doing things for themselves
Taking responsibility for passing out, collecting, and organizing materials
Learning self-direction n
All programmes should have goals to guide activities and to provide a base for teaching methodologies. Without goals it is easy to end up teaching just about anything. Although the goals of preschools vary by state and individual programs, all should have certain essential goals.
Social and Interpersonal Skills
Human beings are social, and much of students’ learning involves social interactions:
Getting along with other children and adults and developing good relationships with teachers
Helping others and developing caring attitudes
Playing and working cooperatively
Following classroom rules
Self-Help and Intrapersonal Skills
Children must learn how to manage their behavior and their affairs:
Taking care of personal needs, such as dressing (e.g., tying, buttoning, zipping) and knowing what clothes to wear
Eating skills (e.g., using utensils, napkins, and a cup or glass; setting a table)
Health skills (e.g., how to wash and bathe, how to brush one’s teeth)
Grooming skills (e.g., combing hair, cleaning nails)
Approaches to Learning
I am sure you have heard the old saying that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink. In some regard, the same is true for children. Even though on the one hand we talk about children always being ready and eager to learn, on the other hand, professionals understand that all children are not equally ready to learn. Consequently, with today’s emphasis on early learning, there is an accompanying emphasis on supporting children’s motivation to learn and helping them develop positive dispositions toward learning. This is particularly important for children who are at risk for school failure. Approaches to learning (also known as dispositions to learning) include these components:
Self-regulation of attention and behavior
Effective social skills to develop a positive relationship with others
Positive attitude toward learning
Self-motivation for learning
Listening skills
Ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans
Understanding, accepting, and following rules and routines
Finding more than one solution to a question
Learning to Learn
Learning how to learn is as important as learning itself-in fact, learning depends on the acquisition of learning skills:
Self-help skills to promote a good self-image and high self-esteem
Knowledge of self, family, and culture
Sense of self-worth
Persistence, cooperation, self-control, and motivation to learn
Growing confidence
Responsibility for age-appropriate tasks
Turn taking during activities with other children
Academics
As academics play a more central role in preschool curriculum, some key areas of knowledge include these:
Names, addresses, and phone numbers
Colors, sizes, shapes, and positions, such as under, over, and around
Numbers and prewriting skills, shape identification, letter recognition, sounds, and rhyming
Simple sentence structure
Simple addition and subtraction
Ways to handle a book (California Department of Education, 2007)
Language and Literacy
There is a great emphasis on helping preschool children learn literacy skills. To develop language and literacy skills, preschoolers must work on a variety of capabilities:
Oral language skills
Vocabularies
Conversations with other children and adults
Proficiency in language
Literacy skills related to writing and reading
Letters of the alphabet
Listening comprehension
Motivation to read
Print awareness
Ways to use and appreciate books (Texas Education Agency, 2007)
Character Education
Many schools and school districts identify, with parents’ help, the character traits they want all students to demonstrate. Children need multiple opportunities to learn about and demonstrate character traits such as these:
Positive mental attitude
Persistance
Respect for others
Cooperation
Honesty
Trustworthiness
Sensitivity
Music and the Arts
Brain research supports the use of music and the arts to encourage learning in all areas. Preschoolers can learn about music and the arts in many ways:
Varied materials (e.g., crayons, paint, clay, markers) to create original work
Different colors, surface textures, and shapes to create form and meaning
Art as a form of self-expression
Music activities
Varieties of simple songs
Movement to music of various tempos
Dramatic play with others
Wellness and Healthy Living
When children are not healthy, they cannot achieve their best. Helping children learn healthy habits will help them do well in school. Healthy habits include the following:
Good nutritional practices
New foods, a balanced menu, and essential nutrients
Management of personal belongings
Ability to dress oneself appropriately
Personal hygiene, such as washing one’s hands and blowing one’s nose
Independence
Skills of independence help children have the confidence they need to achieve in school activities:
Doing things for themselves
Taking responsibility for passing out, collecting, and organizing materials
Learning self-direction n
