researching infant education
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re... : researching infant education 
07/09/2011 19:30 - Pre-school / Montessori
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I have two thoughts on what you are suggesting. Being a mum of a pre-schooler with speech delay I have no wish for my son to start learning Irish right now as he is just tackling the english language. Secondly, learning through rhyme and song and recitation does not encourage an understanding, just memorising. Memorising is necessary in places, but an understanding is paramount if your ultimate ambition is for the chid to develop superior literacy and/or numeracy skills. This is how it is tackled in the montessori class and in a very structed manner. I am unfamiliar with the froebel methods. Perhaps an additional emphasis in these areas in the class could be considered. Ultimately I believe that if parents are sold this type of educational approach it will be through fear of their children getting into college etc. and I feel it is too early to put the children under pressure to learn academics. I am a scientist/engineer by training and I choose the Montessori approach for my child, I feel this provides the most solid foundation for later school style academics.
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re... : researching infant education
07/09/2011 17:07 - Pre-school / Montessori
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What I am thinking of is a preschool that has a methodology based on literacy and numeracy. There are several methodologies froebel and montessori being two. Another would be literacy like irish and english taught in a fun way through rhyme and song and poetry and play and maths taught equally in the same way.. I would like to know what parents would think if this sort of methodology for their children if they went to that type of preschool. So it would develop speech and language in particular and maths literacy which for many years now has shown a steep and very worrying decline right across the primary and secondary system and the only way to tackle it, is at the youngest age posssible. Montessori and froebel don´t tackle academic issues like these. And I would like to know what parents would think of this type of education in a pre school. Thanks again for your response. ;)
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re : researching infant education
07/09/2011 12:17 - Pre-school / Montessori
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I would consider that a step backwards. I would expect that primary schools should be attempting to emulate the methods used in a Montessori school, not the other way around, and in many ways they have. In a montessori, children are encouraged to learn under their own initiative. Primary schools are not using teaching methods better researched and tested than those used in a Montessori school. The methods employed in a primary school are so different to those used to teach pre-schoolers that I expect it would be very difficult for a trained primary school teacher to make that transition. I presonally would prefer a teacher specifically trained to teach pre-schoolers and ideally in Montessori methods.
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re... : researching infant education
08/09/2011 09:42 - Pre-school / Montessori
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thanks for reply i will be observing in a montessori school in next 2 weeks so i am looking for ward to that. For the education with emphasis on literacy and maths wouldn´t be for children any younger than 4, so they would be going to school more than likely at that age anyway but might be a few months too young or might be too shy etc etc...and I thought what if literacy was introduced with maths for children literally just before they go to school... would that interest parents or would the other methods of montessori and play school for that age still be preferred i wonder... as it would be sessional so small numbers the problem with lack of grades has shown to be down to illiteracy and overcrowding/under resourcing etc etc...and getting in at a young age would be the best start for them...so would that make any difference i wonder????
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researching infant education
07/09/2011 09:57 - Pre-school / Montessori
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I am doing a thesis on infant education and I would like some responses into parents thoughts on infant education. For example if a school was to provide a literacy and numeracy pre-school, by a qualified primary teachier in subjects of English Irish and maths, in a play environment, would that be preferred to a montessori school for example? All replies greatly appreciated. Thank you
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