Comparing Early Education Then And Now

De’Niqua Campbell
September 13, 2011
Compare Early Education Then & Now.

As I think back on the younger years of my life, I can remember my early education years as being fun, and slow pace. From what I can recall the learning techniques were a lot different than the learning techniques today. Though it hasn’t been that long ago, there are many things that have changed over the years. I can remember doing the basics, covering writing my name, coloring, cutting, pasting, tracing, and reading. Now they’re teaching math in kindergarten along with computers, when I was in elementary we started those things in second and third grade. The methods of learning have advanced tremendously. I personally feel that being that things are so advanced now, that can either hurt or help the kids, why? Because the downfall of advancing is some kids are not mentally able to cope as fast as others so they fall behind, on
the other hand it could help them to get prepared quicker for what’s to come next.
Being that I was born the end of December I had the chance of staying an extra year in Head Start because I wasn’t old enough to start school. So with me being in Head Start an extra year it helped me out a lot because once I started kindergarten I was reading on a first grade level, not only was I reading on a first grade level I already knew how to write my name correctly, count to one hundred, recognize shapes and know my colors. One thing that I liked about the technique of teaching back when I was in school was how hands on we were, now that technology is a huge role in society now it’s hardly any hands on activity’s involved in the schools. The influences I see from the historians are numerous amounts of their methods are still being used in the schools. For instance; John Amos Comenius, he was a true believer of language
development, in the schools now they have teachers that teach on language development. Also, Johann Pestalozzi, felt that learning should be at one’s own pace, I see that in some school they allow the kids to learn at the pace that they are comfortable working at. I’ve noticed that the three forms of knowledge are very familiar in elementary schools. Rudolf Steiner, who believed children should develop a balanced mind, body and spirit also found that importance of childhood consist of developing the inner strength, which I feel that as kids we should learn about our inner strengths not only at school but also at home as well. I feel that the teaching environment has change because now you see more younger teachers where when I was in elementary we had the older women and men who was very passionate about the students and the students academics they were very warm and secure as for the younger teachers now are kind of more there for the money I feel and come off as somewhat stand offish. Storytelling, puppetry, imaginative play, domestic activities an artistic hands on activities are some of the following I experienced as a child in school, whereas they have these things in the school now but they would rather turn to the computer for the majority of the curriculum. All an all my early education learning has enhanced my learning ability; I’m not so sure I can say that about the kids that are coming up in this day an age.