My primary interest (and frequent soapbox) is social emotional development and learning. This organization feeds directly into this interest, and I wish I had known about them years ago. In an article dated September 2015, Clarie Lerner discusses the fundamental skills needed for school readiness. Surprise, surprise, it's social-emotional skills!
Lerner reports:
"More than 20 years ago, ZERO TO THREE’s seminal publication Heart Start: The Emotional Foundations of School Readiness identified the essential characteristics a child needs to take on the world of formal education: confidence, curiosity, intentionality, self-control, relatedness (being able to engage with others based on a sense of understanding), capacity to communicate, and cooperativeness. Often these attributes are called “soft skills,” although they are anything but mushy. In reality, social-emotional development goes hand-in-hand with cognitive development as the bricks and mortar of early brain architecture"Interestingly, nowhere on the list of skills needed for kindergarten readiness are the things the media pushes on parents each day like early reading and math. In an age where websites purport to teach your child 'everything they need' and compilations of classical music preparations promise to make your child smarter, it's easy for any parent to feel that they're behind the curve if they're child isn't ahead of the game. But what is it that truly makes a child ahead of the game? A loving relationship that fosters safety, security, and confidence. Not only do these strong, loving relationships foster compassion, empathy, an moral development, but "also give children the confidence to explore their world, to become curious, eager learners" (Lerner, 2015). Lerner goes on to discuss that behavioral issues and challenges are often rooted in negative early childhood experiences or lack of secure, loving, safe relationship. "High expulsion rates and bullying incidents are an indicator that we are not helping parents and caregivers, starting from birth, to support the positive social and emotional development that is the foundation for all learning, future relationships, and school readiness" (Lerner, 2015.
Lerner goes on to advocate for policies supporting early development and strong families, from paid family leave, to home visiting, to child care, to preschool. The child's behavior is diagnostic of a problem in the system, not a problem in the child. Therefore Lerner and ZERO TO THREE focus attention on supporting the child's supports: families, caregivers, and early childhood professionals. Supporting healthy systems supports the development of healthy children, and social-emotional health supports later happiness and academic/professional success.
Not a bad mission from my perspective.
With regard to changing demographics and increasing diversity within communities, ZERO TO THREE also offers an article titled: Creating Equity of Opportunity Through Early Learning Policies. To be honest, I skimmed it due to time demands. But it certainly offered insights that I'm interested in returning to.
Lerner, C. (2015). To Find the Roots of School Readiness, Look Back to the Beginning. ZERO TO THREE. Retrieved November 5, 2016 from https://www.zerotothree.org/resources/162-to-find-the-roots-of-school-readiness-look-back-to-the-beginning
ZERO TO THREE webiste: https://www.zerotothree.org/
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteSpeaking with kindergarten teachers over the years, I have learned that they would prefer to have a child that has been socialized and has an open mind to learning, rather than one that already knows how to read and do math. The environment changes so much as a child transitions to "big school", as my little sister used to call it, that it becomes more important for a child to be able to sit (within reason), listen, and cooperate. I think that a teacher is better at bridging a gap in a child's reading or math knowledge (especially at that early age) than trying to teach a child social skills and how to handle themselves.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteSocial and emotional learning was the core of my teaching when i was in the classroom. This allowed students to understand who they are. It also allowed them to understand how to respond to their own feel and the feeling of others. Most people thought I was nuts but this not only help when it cones to personal development but it help with education as well.