I
have preschool kids in my family, and I’m going to read this book:
Erika
Christakis, The Importance of Being Little: What
Preschoolers Really Need From Grownups, to be published in a few weeks.
Obviously
I’m not reviewing the book here, but sample some quotes from the author’s
recent piece in The Atlantic, “The
New Preschool Is Crushing Kids.”
“The academic takeover of American
early learning can be understood as a shift from what I would call an ‘ideas-based
curriculum’ to a ‘naming-and-labeling-based curriculum.’ Not coincidentally,
the latter can be delivered without substantially improving our teaching force.
Inexperienced or poorly supported teachers are directed to rely heavily on
scripted lesson plans for a reason: We can point to a defined objective, and
tell ourselves that at least kids are getting something this way.
“…One major study of 700 preschool
classrooms in 11 states found that only 15 percent showed evidence of effective
interactions between teacher and child…We neglect vital teacher-child
interactions at our peril. Although the infusion of academics into preschool
has been justified as a way to close the achievement gap between poor and
well-off children, Robert Pianta, one of the country’s leading child-policy
experts, cautions that there is “no evidence whatsoever” that our
early-learning system is suited to that task. He estimates that the average
preschool program ‘narrows the achievement gap by perhaps only 5 percent’…
“…Contrasting the dismal results of
Tennessee’s preschool system with the more promising results in places such as
Boston, which promotes active, child-centered learning (and, spends more than
twice the national average on preschool), lends further credence to the idea
that preschool quality really does matter.
“…when I’ve visited Finland, I’ve found it impossible to
remain unmoved by the example of preschools where the learning environment is
assessed, rather than the children in it. Having rejected many of the
pseudo-academic benchmarks that can, and do, fit on a scorecard, preschool
teachers in Finland are free to focus on what’s really essential: their
relationship with the growing child.
“Here’s what the Finns, who don’t begin formal reading
instruction until around age 7, have to say about preparing preschoolers to
read: ‘The basis for the beginnings of literacy is that children have heard and
listened … They have spoken and been spoken to, people have discussed [things]
with them … They have asked questions and received answers.’ “
I talk to my grandchildren. A lot. They talk to me. We like
to tell stories.
It’s good for me, and I’m pretty sure it’s good for them.
Copyright
© Richard Carl Subber 2016 All rights reserved.
