Kindergarten: Definition and History PDF

►Kindergarten: Definition Kindergarten is a school or class for young children, usually aged 3 to 6 years old that prepares them for first grade or primary education by developing basic skills and social behavior through games, exercises, music, simple handicrafts, etc. ►History of Kin...

►Kindergarten: Definition Kindergarten is a school or class for young children, usually aged 3 to 6 years old that prepares them for first grade or primary education by developing basic skills and social behavior through games, exercises, music, simple handicrafts, etc. ►History of Kindergarten Friedrich Froebel & the Establishment of kindergarten The term ‘kindergarten’ is derived from German. The German word ‘Kinder’ refers to children, and ‘garten’ refers to a garden; so the meaning of kindergarten is ‘garden of children’. The ‘kindergarten’ term was coined ‫طاغ‬/ ‫ طل‬in the nineteenth century by a famous German child educator Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel or Fröbel. Friedrich Froebel is called the father of kindergarten and his approach influenced early childhood education around the world. Froebel began his career as a teacher at the Frankfurt Model School in 1805. This school strictly adhered ‫ميتزمح ىيغاٌح‬to the teachings ‫تعاىٍم‬and philosophy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, a well-known German educator ً‫ ُمست‬/‫ تستٌي‬at the time. Johann’s philosophy advocated ‫ ُمنسسح ه‬for children to participate actively in their education. All of his findings convinced ‫ أقنع‬him that the best way to get results from ّ ٌ Pestalozzi’s direct observation and action children’s education is to employ ‫ٌُظف‬ approach. This realization inspired him ‫ ىرا اإلدزاك أىيمو‬to create a plan for toddler education based on the philosophy of both Pestalozzi and the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel was born in Germany in 1782. Friedrich’s mother died when he was nine months old, and his father took over the care of him and his two brothers. His father, on the other hand, was careless with his children 1 and had little time for them. To compensate for the neglect, little Friedrich spent a lot of time alone in the gardens around his house. This activity marked the beginning of his passion for nature, and it would go on to influence the institution for which he is best known. Froebel began his career as a teacher at the Frankfurt Model School in 1805. This school strictly adhered to the teachings and philosophy of Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, a well-known German educator at the time. Johann’s philosophy advocated for children to participate actively in their education. When Froebel left the school in 1806, he took this approach with him to become a private teacher to three sons of a Frankfurt noble family. Parents of the children he taught gave him a small plot of land to use as a garden. Between 1808 and 1810, Froebel held numerous teaching sessions with children in his garden. All of his findings convinced him that the best way to get results from children’s education is to employ Pestalozzi’s direct observation and action approach. This realization inspired him to create a plan for toddler education based on the philosophy of both Pestalozzi and the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Froebel founded his educational institution in 1817, but it was not well organized. In 1837, Froebel established the first-ever school for toddlers in Bad Blankenburg, which he initially called the ‘Play and Activity Institute’. Friedrich Froebel is called the father of kindergarten and his approach influenced early childhood education around the world. It should be noted that the German citizen Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel was an intern educator at Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi founded Swiss school and met with other educational thinkers of the time. Froebel dedicated his life to educating children and developing methods to maximize human potential for the next 35 years, until his death in 1852. 2  Jean Rousseau is another who is credited ‫ تم اعتماده‬with being a founder of early childhood education – and he did provide some substantial contributions ‫اسياماخ‬ ‫جٌىسٌح‬. Many of Rousseau’s educational principles are still used in today’s classrooms. His viewpoint was that education should be child-centered and provide unlimited experiences that are sensory-driven and practical. His belief that measuring, singing, drawing, and speaking should be incorporated into education is the reason that they are present in schools today. In 1840, Friedrich Froebel established the first kindergarten, Garden of Children. Froebel invented the term kindergarten to represent his vision for early childhood education: ―Children are like tiny flowers; they are varied and require care, but each is beautiful on its own and glorious when seen in the community of peers.” Actually Forebel renamed his previous school ‘Play and Activity Institute’ to ‘Kindergarten’. ►The Objectives of Kindergarten 1. One of the major objectives of kindergarten is teaching children how to maintain interaction ‫ تحفع اىتفاعو‬. 2. For kindergartens, making children able to interact with one another, play games and participate in activities that are comfortable with others are important objectives. 3. Building children’s communication skills, especially in listening and having conversations. 4. Kindergarten focuses on the idea of socializing. 5. With the help of kindergarten teachers or instructors, children will be able to acquire appropriate language skills, acquire vocabulary and be able to apply it to a great extent. 6. In kindergarten children will acquire basic ideas about culture, customs, religion, etc. 3 7. Hygiene ‫نظافح‬/‫ طحح‬and children will learn from kindergarten how to take care of themselves. 8. One of the main purposes of kindergarten is to make children able to read, write and do arithmetic ‫عيم اىحساب‬. 9. Kindergartens are determined ‫ ُمظ ّممح‬to make children suitable for the next stage (primary education) of their learning. 10. Kindergarten’s take challenges to express children’s creativity, for example, through dance, movement and art. 11. Developing the skills of children that they need for reading, writing and mathematics. ►Main Characteristics of the Kindergarten System The main characteristics of a kindergarten system are listed below— 1. Safe, preserved, healthy, child-friendly and joyful environment 2. Presence ‫ًجٌد‬of child-friendly content for children’s entertainment ‫تسفٍو‬ 3. Presence of suitable sports equipment for children ‫ُمعداخ زٌاضٍح مناسثح ىالطفاه‬ 4. Full-time attendance ‫تٌاجد دائم‬/‫حضٌز‬of teachers and instructors 5. Presence of child-friendly teaching materials 6. Presence of basic elements of general schools 7. Presence of sincerity ‫ اخالص‬of all including teachers, instructors, staff 8. Teaching is not textbook based but sports or tendency based 9. Not to put pressure on children etc. ►Kindergarten Curriculum 1. Kindergarten curriculum focuses on the tendencies ‫ مٍـٌه‬and abilities ‫ قدزاخ‬of children. 4 2. In a kindergarten curriculum, there should be appropriate opportunities for reading and writing, as Froebel’s theory suggests. 3. Curriculum for kindergarten should be designed to develop children’s creativity and aesthetics ‫ جٌانة فنٍح‬. 4. Kindergarten should design a curriculum that helps in inculcating religious feelings in children. In Froebel’s kindergarten theory, he emphasized on God, and nature. 5. According to Froebel, moral barriers ‫أخالقٍاخ‬/‫ حدًد أخالقٍح‬need to be inculcated ‫ٌغسس‬ in children through various ethical stories ‫ قظض اخالقٍح‬. He believed that the child’s morality ‫ أخالقيات‬was also developed through nature lessons. From this it is understood that there should be an opportunity to acquire knowledge of ethics ‫ أخالقيات‬in kindergarten curriculum. 6. Mathematics is one of the most important and essential parts of kindergarten. Adequate and appropriate opportunities for learning mathematics should be included in the kindergarten curriculum. 7. The language of instruction in kindergarten will be mother tongue centered; the curriculum will be the same. 8. Recitation, ً‫تسمٍع شفي‬/‫ تالًج‬dance, song, etc. should be included in the kindergarten curriculum for the development of the child’s aesthetics. 9. Froebel recommends incorporating physical labor into the kindergarten curriculum through play and work. ►1870–1952 - Maria Montessori: Montessori Method Named after Maria Montessori, the first woman physician, this method, in its essence, deals with developing the personality of a child through sensory learning which includes touching, smelling, seeing, and tasting, rather than learning and reading. The 5 classroom includes such self-correcting material, the use of which is demonstrated by teachers and reenacted ‫ أُعٍد تنفٍره‬by children. The activities are more work-based rather than play-based ‫ األنشطح قائمح عيى اىعمو أمثسزز من مٌنيا قائمح عيى اىيعة‬in the sense that the focus is more on reducing errors and promoting concentration abilities among children. Also, since it aims to improve the concentration abilities of children, the classrooms and materials are aesthetically designed and give a home-like feeling to children. Montessori believed that early childhood learning required a two-prong approach‫جانثٍن‬/‫مدخو ذً شقٍن‬: Educate the child’s senses first, then educate the child’s intellect. Her approach was to view the children as sources of knowledge with the teacher or educator acting as a social engineer. Her hands-onً‫عمي‬/ً‫ تطثٍق‬approach to instruction views the learning environment being considered as vital as the knowledge itself has transformed ‫تحٌه‬ ّ academic success for many children who did not respond well to traditional classroom methods. ►Exercise: Suggest at least 15 MCqs about the content above. ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………….............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6