A lot has already been made of the significance Risley and Hart very convincingly attribute to the vocabulary development of toddlers in the first three years of their lives. Not only does the achievement gap that results from the dearth of vocabulary seem to relatively accurately predict the trajectory of their lives, but possibly more interestingly, as discussed in chapter nine, “Importance of First 3 Years,” it seems to form the basis for their intelligence. Hart and Risley demonstrate that students’ “IQ scores were strongly associated with the size of their parents recorded vocabularies.” Of course, there is no surprise that children’s IQ’s relate to their parents’ IQs. However, to loosely demonstrate that simply using more expansive vocabularies can set the perfunctory limits of a child’s intelligence speaks wonders to the impact of early, childhood education. In this light, early childhood education seems not to just be an important, but the most important component of a child’s education. This would prove especially true for children of impoverished families where the expose could make a world of difference.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Vocabulary, sure. Intelligence too?
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It is interesting to look at the importance of early chilldhood education because it is rarely emphasized in my school. The focus is on the MSA testing grades (3-8 for our school). However, I hear stories from the preschool and kindergarten floor about children that are not ready for school. Frequently, I hear teachers complaining about children unable to get along with other students. I even have heard stories about children not being able to use restroom facilities. How can children in low performing schools raise their academic standards when high expectations do not begin in the beginning of their schooling? How can we expect children to perform in third grade when they do not possess the skills to acquire literacy skills in kindergarten because they have not acquired basic school readiness skills? How will be begin to adopt better policies on school readiness? Who is responsible?
ReplyDeleteAaron,
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting thought. I agree that early childhood education has the potential to greatly impact students' lives, especially for students from low-income communities. But Alli raises a strong point as well-- are five year old children actually ready to be thrown into a school environment? Why not send all students to school, from birth-on, in order to expose them to more vocabulary and more positive affirmation? Of course, it's a ridiculous question, but where do we stop? We've already pushed the limits of Kindergarten. At some point, the responsibility has to fall back on the parents. So I ask, what can we do to educate new parents in low income communities about the importance of reading books to their children, and keeping books in their home? How can we demonstrate to parents that the first three years a baby's life can shape his life forever? Just some thoughts, if anyone is looking to start an NPO =)
Aaron,
ReplyDeleteThis was a surprising yet not-so-surprising finding of Risley and Hart. On the one hand, my mind is telling me: duh, of course your parents' IQ and the vocabulary your parents use around you at such a young age affect both your vocabulary AND your IQ. However, the lack of an emphasis our society puts on early education, and on the education of parents on the importance of reading to and talking to their kids, seems to ignore this finding. Like Lydia said, there is a point at which we have to say to parents, "look, you simply have to read to your child, talk to your child, and be your child's main educator." However, I have heard of very few programs that seek to educate parents (except for the Harlem Children's Zone, which we saw in class), and I've seen a lack of conversation in our society in general on the importance of these first three years.
I agree, Lydia, that you someone should start an NPO to challenge the way education treats early education and the education of parents. If that doesn't happen, though, there has to be some sort of publicity movement to share this information with the general public. This information needs to passed along to everyone.
The debate between preschools that encourage academic rigor rather than spontaneous interaction is a common debate in my child psychology class. The commercials of children reading challenging books at young ages is appealing, but programs that teach students how to perform academic tasks beyond their developmental stage can be detrimental. While I would love for more emphasis to be placed on early childhood education, I am concerned that it would become overworked and overregulated to assess whether students are prepared to enter elementary school. Early childhood education involves a balance between knowing how to help children discover information without a heavy focus on mastering the information. Piaget argues that parents and educators should be sensitive to the child’s readiness to learn rather than focusing solely on acquiring a skill. A focus on broadening the curriculum presented in preschools, specifically concerning vocabulary, may be more appealing than simply focusing on elementary school readiness. Additionally, parents from low socioeconomic backgrounds should be able to access preschools that foster academic development rather than being limited to childcare facilities.
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