Experts Say: Put stress on play, not on children

Posted by on February 17, 2006

[posted from Public Education Network newsblast]

EXPERTS SAY: PUT STRESS ON PLAY, NOT ON CHILDREN

A new statement, issued by the Alliance for Childhood, condemns the increasingly academic curriculum in kindergartens and preschools, which is replacing child-initiated learning through creative play and hands-on activities. Experts say many early education policies are based on “unproven methods” and are “fueled by political pressure.” According to the statement, “Education is not a race where the prize goes to the one who finishes first.” Instead of strengthening the “drive to learn,” current trends in early education policy and practice heighten pressure and stress in children’s lives, which can contribute to behavioral and learning problems.” The statement expresses strong support for efforts to establish universal preschool, “provided that preschool programs are based on well-established knowledge of how children learn and how to lay a foundation for lifelong learning — not on educational fads.” The group makes five specific “calls to action”: (1) For early education that emphasizes experiential, hands-on activities, open-ended creative play, and caring human relationships; (2) For a reversal of the pushing down of the curriculum that has transformed kindergarten into de facto first grade; (3) For research on the causes of increased levels of anger, misbehavior, and school expulsion among young children; (4) For additional research that examines the long-term impact of different preschool and kindergarten practices on children from diverse backgrounds; and (5) For teacher education that emphasizes the full development of the child including the importance of play, nurtures children’s innate love of learning, and supports teachers’ own capacities for creativity, autonomy, and integrity. “The disappearance of play is a tragedy not yet fully explored or understood,” said Joan Almon, president of the Alliance. “Research and experience suggest that today’s children will not develop as well cognitively, socially, or emotionally as those whose childhoods were rich with play.”

http://www.allianceforchildhood.org/pdf_files/call_action_education.pdf