Early Childhood Education

The United States is one of the countries with the most developed early childhood education in the world, emphasizing child-centered education. In early childhood education, it is mainly through the day-to-day activities of kindergartens and the full development and use of family and community educational resources to educate children in a comprehensive and harmonious development, which has the characteristics of early childhood education that are different from other countries.

1. Emphasize the individual and advocate freedom

American education is individual-centered, emphasizing individuality, emphasizing individuals, and focusing on individual free choices. In the eyes of Americans, children are active and creative. Self-realization is the natural development process of children themselves. Adults only need to provide conditions. Americans pay more attention to the natural development of children's self-awareness, and encourage children to express their thoughts and emotions freely and naturally. American adults try to make children discover the ability of their own existence.

In American kindergartens, there are few group activities. Teachers always arrange activities according to children's different personalities and abilities, and encourage children to choose their favorite games and activities. Teachers also encourage children to engage in multiple activities in a short period of time, allowing children to develop and create freely, in order to cultivate children's flexibility and creativity. For example, in painting, teachers do not pay attention to the content, form and skills of children's paintings, but let children play and imagine freely, so American children often paint their bodies and faces with paint. There are their masterpieces everywhere on the walls, doors, and floors at home. Although these "works" are rough and adults often don't know what they are, parents will definitely not be angry, let alone hinder and prohibit them, but It is to watch the children perform with a smile and let them give full play to their creativity and imagination.

2. Respect and affirm children

In early childhood education in the United States, adults believe that children should be treated with the same equality and respect as adults. If children can directly call their elders by their names, adults will also respectfully call children Mr. or Miss. Through these simple details, children can feel this kind of equality. In addition, when going out as a guest, if the host brings out something for the child to eat, let the child do everything independently. When carrying out various game activities, teachers respect children's selection and operation methods of game materials, pay attention to creating a relaxed and happy game atmosphere for children, protect children's enthusiasm for games, and appreciate children's different views and ideas. Accept it, and also praise them for their reasonable imagination and unique design. In the United States, parents never hesitate to praise their children. As long as the children make a little achievement, the parents will praise them a lot. The most common sentence American parents say to their children is "You are awesome!" confidence. After children are praised, they value their own reputation more, so they will be more careful to maintain their reputation and keep others' praise of them.

3. Pay attention to the vertical development of children

American education focuses on the cultivation of process and ability, especially the cultivation of children's imagination and creativity. They believe that participation is the most important thing in all activities, and the knowledge, feelings and abilities that children have learned in various activities are the most important.

Preschool teachers in the United States will try to avoid evaluating children, neither praising nor criticizing, because they know that criticizing a child will stimulate him, and praising a child will stimulate other children. Therefore, there are no score sheets or report cards in kindergartens in the United States, but there will be a learning report, the main purpose of which is to let parents[微博] know the progress of their children's learning in kindergarten, to see which aspects need to be strengthened, and which aspects are important for elementary school. After that need attention.

4. Diversified education in kindergartens

Multicultural education originated in the United States and is a basic concept of modern American education. In American kindergartens, there are many children from different countries and ethnic groups, so the American preschool community emphasizes that children should not only learn their own traditional culture, but also accept other cultures. In terms of curriculum design, the American early childhood community believes that the curriculum objects of multicultural education are all children. The curriculum should consider each child's interests and experiences, and reflect each child's family background, language and culture.