Important, Early Childhood Education Based on Pluralistic Culture

Director General of Non-formal Education, Ministry of National Education, Hamid Muhammad, Ph.D., says early childhood education was instrumental in the effort to prepare optimal child growth and development. As the foundation of education, early childhood education is also able to increase children's participation in education.

Given the importance, the government has established various policies and strategies to develop them. The policies is aimed at establishing education that is righteous, valuable, and relevant to the needs of the community. "The Government makes an effort to establish the availability of early education services that is accessible and affordable by all levels of society. In addition, the government also seeks to guarantee the certainty of each member of the public in obtaining services as a provision to continue their education to the next level," explained Hamid at the Faculty of Psychology UGM, Monday (17/5).

In a seminar on Early Children in Education Multicultural Perspectives: Multicultural Approach in Improving the Quality of Early Childhood Education, Hamid said the establishment of early childhood development in Indonesia besides to  comprehensively develop the intelligence potential and creativity of children, it also aims to prepare the children to attend the next level education. "Therefore, starting this year early childhood education development is established through an integrated holistic approach. In this case, it does not only emphasize on the educational aspect alone. Conversely, it also includes nutrition services, health, parenting, and child protection aspects," he explained.

He added, since Indonesia consists of many ethnic groups, religions and cultures, the development policy requires the internalization of the cultural wisdom values in the parenting process and child protection services. "Preparing children with multicultural conception as early as possible becomes very important to ensure a tolerant character of a child who has the confidence as an excellent and dignified nation," he explained.

Meanwhile, Supra Wimbarti, M.Sc., Ph.D., lecturer of Faculty of Psychology UGM, said the development of pluralistic cultural education in early childhood level is an urgent need to be done. The reason is that the awareness of self-existence has begun since the child is infantile. Along with age, the child will have a bigger social circle. "So, it is very appropriate if the pluralistic cultural education is associated with early childhood education, because at this period the basic values of humanity are laid," she explained. In her opinion, pluralistic cultural education can be given to children in many ways, such as through artistry. Storytelling is one powerful medium to transfer the values in family and society.

Topics include:

Choosing a Preschool     

Parental Involvement

Communicating with Parents/Conferences

Interactive and Dialogic Reading Techniques

Learning Styles and Multiple Intelligence

Managing Transitions

Observing and Recording Behavior

Pre-reading and Pre-writing

Academic Motivation

Kindergarten Readiness

Learning Through Play

Language Development                                                  

Cognitive Development

Motor Development

Power of Play

Toys

United Nations Conference Adopts Action Plan

Participants at a UNESCO-supported conference, held last month in Moscow, adopted to expand and improve comprehensive early childhood care and education, especially for the world’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. In their concluding document, called the Moscow Framework for Action, participants specifically requested that UNESCO reinforce efforts to promote and develop early childhood care and education. They also called on nations to partner with UNESCO to mobilize international donors to increase financial support for these purposes.

Using Open-Mind Portraits as a Springboard to Expository Text Writing

With a school-wide focus on improving students ' expository text writing skills, Ms. Rearick worried about her ith-grade students ' abilities to write text that explained what they had learned. She had tried a variety of informational topics; however, they all proved to be lackluster for her young learners. After reading Tough Boris (Fox & Brown, 1994), Ms. Rearick realized that the topic of pirates had piqued her students' interest. Inspired by their enthusiasm and inquiry, Ms. Rearick took the opportunity to develop a one-week mini-unit on pirates.

After searching the Internet and collecting all of the pirate-related books in the library, Ms. Rearick felt encouraged that her students would respond well to the subject and hoped it would generate myriad opportunities for discussion. She knew that connecting classroom learning with this pop culture topic would provide the motivational avenue to facilitate her students' expository, text-based writing development. Drawing about pirates might logically lead into writing about pirates.

Knowing her students' interest in drawing, Ms. Rearick was confident that the Open-Mind Portrait Strategy (Tompkins, 2008) would help develop her students' expository writing skills. She launched her pirate unit with a variety of motivating activities, graphic organizers, and creative projects. As a result of Ms. Rearick's student-centered planning and preparation, enthusiasm for reading and writing about pirates soon flooded the classroom.

Seven Ways to be Smart

 smart_childWhen considering children's intelligence, early childhood professionals have always looked at the whole picture. Psychologist Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory reinforces the fact that there are a lot of ways for children to be smart. Instead of asking, "How smart is this child?" a better question may be, "How is this child smart?"

Children learn how to get along with others and meet their own needs during the early years. These factors, along with many others, contribute to children's intelligence – something far too complex to be measured by a standardized test, or even by how quickly children learn to speak or walk.

Each of us possesses seven "intelligences," or ways to be smart, according to Multiple Intelligence Theory. Some of us are good at making rhymes, or singing songs, others are more adept at using hands. Every type of intelligence gives us something to offer to the world. The way each intelligence expresses itself in our lives makes us unique.

smart_childWe can help children enhance their individual strengths by recognizing multiple intelligences. But don't be too quick to label your child as a future accountant, artist, or athlete without giving her a chance to explore the world, work on her skills, and develop her own abilities.

Comprehending multiple intelligences means more than focusing on individual characteristics. Just imagine a grown person who could do nothing but write poetry, or solve algebra problems. But to do other things like drive a car or follow a recipe, a person needs to be smart in more ways than one.

Preparing Child for School

School Readiness
You should assist your child in having the kinds of experiences that will help them be successful in school at an early age. School readiness means being sure your child has the social, academic, independence, and communication skills that are required to do well in school. Talking, reading, and playing with others will help your child prepare for their school career.

Academic Readiness
Before beginning kindergarten, children need to know about their families, themselves, and the world. Children can start school with a lot of skills that teachers can build upon, if they have already had good learning experiences at home and with their parents. You can do the following things to prepare your child academically: 
• Try to read to your child every day and talk about what was in the story.
• Ñheck out books in the library.
• Sing songs and finger plays.
• Help your child to recognize his or her name in print by writing it in various places that will be seen by your child.
• Teach your child to write.
• Help your child to learn colors by pointing to and naming items like, red pencil, green rug, or yellow shirt.
• Puzzles and games that involve counting and problem deciding are good to learn by.

• Let your child write, draw, cut, and paste.
• Teach your child the alphabet song, and show them toys that will help him or her to better understand the alphabet.
• Choose childcare that teaches children with fun activities.
• Allow your child dance, sing, run, and ride bikes or tricycles.
• Visit with your child various places, like the store, playground, zoo, or an amusement park. Speak with your child about the things that they did and saw.

Social Readiness
Social readiness is also very significant. Children need to learn to be in harmony with other children, obey rules, share, take turns, and to leave their parents during school. You should do the following to prepare your child socially:
• Establish rules and give punishments when they are broken.
• Give your child a bedtime and a time for meals.
• Speak with your child about how to play and talk with other children.
• Teach your child to take turns and share.

Education Progress

Like anything else in life, there's a method to the special education process. It was created in order to help those people who deal with learning disabilities. In order to help you understand this method, here's a simplified version of the Special Education process.

1)Evaluation Request
Someone sees that the child is having difficulty in school and asks that testing be done to find out what's causing the problem. Such request can be from tutors or even parents. If the parents make the request, the district must agree to give a full and individual evaluation.

If the request has been sent by some other party, such as a teacher, the special team is gathered to consider the testing matter. No matter who makes the request, you as the parent, must give written permission for this testing to be done. Then you will be informed the results of the consulting.

If the council decides not to test you, it must inform about its decision straight forward. You can continue to pursue the option through a due process hearing if you wish.

2)Testing Results
You have a right to be mailed and informed about then council meeting results  beforehand. If you don't understand what is being said in the report, you have the right to have someone explain the results to you.

After the testing you will be granted the results given by the special team. If your child is found to have a learning disability, and you agree that he should receive special education services, then you must give written permission for this to happen.

Even if he is not found to be having any learning disability, anyway you will have evaluation of his capabilities.

If you disagree with the results either way, you have the right to have him tested by someone outside the school district. The district is to pay for evaluation, or state why it has been refuses, if had been.

3) Placement
If you and the school district agree that a learning disability was found, then you and the team will decide the best program for your child. Special Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be created in order to calculate the goals and potential during the coming year. It will also list the services your child will get and any special aids or helps your child can get, such as special transportation or speech therapy if he needs it.

Your child is entitled to receive his services in the "Least Restrictive Environment." That means that the services and products will be delivered in terms and to the right place. For example, he won't be placed in the resource room for help with math if he needs help only with reading. If he has a learning disability, he wont be asked to stay and repeat till he understands. In other words, he will only receive help in things he needs help in.

You should take the active part in the process of educating your child. If you know the process, you can make sure that it's followed correctly and that your child's rights are recognized. You just need to keep an eye of your child, but not to do all the work instead of him. Again, it all comes back to acting on behalf of your child, since he can't do that for himself. And, in the long run, he will be more successful because of you.