The country I am so interested in is Peru, but I really
could not find much about assessments there. It is a luxury for rural children
to even be in school so I chose my favorite system, which is Sweden. We have
had quite a few families from Sweden who chose our preschool because of the
similarities, we do not push academics there is more problem solving, discovery
and we spend much of our time outside. Although I must add we do more academics
than the Swedish system because our children enter the American public school
and would be at a big disadvantage if they were not prepared at the age of 5.
In Sweden formal school begins at 7 years old, this is when
children learn to read. The school system go’s through the age of 16. Sweden
has some of the highest literacy scores; the question is; is it because the
early years are spent feeling safe, socializing and playing? So when children
begin to learn they are excited? Or is it because they do not teach to the
test? I don’t have the answer but the system works in Sweden because it is
supported by the culture as a whole. Preschools are heavily subsidized so
parents pay a small amount so they can go to work, but quality preschool is
available to everyone. The government and the parents trust teachers for the
quality care they provide. Children feel safe and stay with their caregivers
for years, then are excited to learn as they develop. Often by the age of 6 or
7 in the US or UK children are already feeling failure and comparison, in
Sweden as they begin to learn they don’t have any of those negative pulls.
I found a great video in three parts, below is the last part
of the segment that address older children as well as preschool.
Early years education: Sweden versus the UK Part 3 (of 3)
As far as assessing young children
I have experienced several different ways. I have done an online assessment for
children in the CPP program (Colorado Preschool Program) for children who are
at risk; it provides parents with a reduced tuition rate and a standard assessment
using the Creative Curriculum tools.
By far my favorite are portfolios, although much more time consuming. We
first do an observation, and then tailor each child’s needs to an Individual
Learning Plan; we finish the end of the year with a portfolio of pictures,
artwork and anecdotal notes. The teachers put a lot of work into these and they
have a more holistic outcome because we include notes from our home visits and
several family partnership pieces. Like the Swedish system I feel that this age
should have such a focus on social and emotional development, along with that
comes cognitive, language, fine and large motor development.
Tina,
ReplyDeleteThank you for providing an insight into Sweden's education system. I found it quite interesting that here in the US play-based learning only extends to the preschool years and then kindergarten forward is all academics. It would be great to see child development become the fundamental principle in the US instead of academic achievement. We have been programmed to believe that the only way to measure a child's intelligence is through grading his academic skills and those results determine their intelligence. What was also quite important to note was that in Sweden they don't use grades until Grade 8 and then children begin to have problems because they are not accustomed to being graded. Do they really need to bring grades into their programs?
Hey Tina,
ReplyDeleteThis was great info. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Here in the Bahamas we have a saying that says " If the United States sneezes, the Bahamas will catch the cold." That is because the way of life is similar. Here we are all about the academics as well, and maybe that is just toooooooo much pressure for our little ones. This really is something to think about.
Tina,
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting to hear of a successful public school system who actually starts formally educating their children much later than their United States counterparts. I wonder how starting school at seven years of age (instead of the traditional five year old start here in the United States) would affect both literary and other academic markers here in the U.S. In my personal opinion, a late start when it comes to formal education would allow children to focus more on the emotional regulation and social interactive components of cogntive development, making them more equipped to handle the rigorous academic demands of the public school environment.