As a child in school, I remember saying to myself, “If I become a teacher, I would never do that to my students!” At a very young age, as young as a primary student, my philosophy towards education is already in progress. I envisioned myself as someone that can change these negative classroom experiences to a positive one. I want to help, in my own little way, to make learning in the classroom easy and fun. My childhood years was a critical time for me to grow and learn, and much of what I experienced in school and at home influenced how I would develop later and then as the person I am today. My personal philosophy of Early Childhood Education now is based on scientific researches that strongly support my beliefs. I would like to cite some theories inhere that I consider as one of my intellectual influences.
“One of the fundamental principles in early childhood pedagogy is the importance of play to children’s learning and development. The commitment to a play-based curriculum can be traced through theory and ideology into early childhood programmes in many different countries” (Saracho, et al. 2002, p. 188). As much as I respected the traditional way of teaching, I also want the child to feel that learning can be fun as well. I believe that when a child is happy, I can get my message across easily. I also believe that children learn through their past experiences, interactions with people, and with the environment. This belief comes from the constructivist point of view. “Vygotsky proposed that social interaction, especially dialog, between children and adults is the mechanism through which specific cultural values, customs and beliefs are transmitted from generation to generation” (Essa, 1999, p. 115). Piaget pointed out that the children not only develop and learn through a succession of developmental stages, but also through constructing their own knowledge as they interact with the