In Week 4, you wrote a letter to the editor designed to educate members of your community about the critical role of child-centered curriculum and play in children's development and learning. For this
Letter to Editor
Letter to Editor
Andrea Hunter
May 31, 2020
Walden University
Greetings Editor.
It is with unquestionable gratitude that I take the allowed time to address the critical role of child-centered curriculum and play in young learner’s development and learning. The question may be asked, “Why is curriculum child centered?” One may even wonder why play is such a crucial factor in learning. Therefore, I will explore all of these concerns so that you are able to give the community, our families, as well as yourself a detailed explanation of what makes early education important.
First, a child centered curriculum offers learners the opportunity to be free and creative while learning and exploring and developing in their learning environment. While teachers facilitate their experience, provide resources, and also encourage social interactions. Children are in control of their experience, for the most part. This is important because mental health is also imperative in the early stages of development. Most people may not realize that learner stress should be alleviated as much as possible to avoid their inability to use and/or develop their necessary cognitive skills needed to comprehend and use other skills such as problem solving. When looking for a curriculum that offers this type of learning, one that comes to mind includes; The Creative Curriculum. This is a child centered curriculum used in a variety of early learning facilities and according to marquette.edu, “The Creative Curriculum includes developmentally appropriate goals and objectives for children within four main categories of interest: social/emotional, physical, cognitive and language” (marquette.edu, n.d.).
Secondly, a child centered curriculum also promotes the appropriate use of play in the classroom. Wardle defines play as, “"Play involves a free choice activity that is non-literal, self-motivated, enjoyable and process oriented. Critical to this definition is the non-literal, non-realistic aspect. This means external aspects of time, use of materials, the environment, rules of the play activity, and roles of the participants are all made up by the children playing. They are based on the child's sense of reality" (Wardle, n.d.). I truly believe that all children learn through play. I also believe that play can be confused and used inappropriately through misapplication which can also affect how learners develop and absorb material. If learning is always structured and not allowed to be explored accordingly, it is not as beneficial as it should be.
Editor, I also understand that there are some people who may question why there is play at all in the school whether it is in an early childhood setting or a primary setting. I also understand that some people just prefer more academics throughout the school day. Nevertheless, I will assist you with addressing the crucial role play has in all educational environments.
While I am all for academics in the classroom, I also understand that there are many opportunities for learning other than looking at text books and writing research papers. The community can and is also has a huge part in a child’s learning and can provide them with resources that will aid in major learning opportunities. For those who promote increased academics and/ or less, you may encourage them to acknowledge how play promotes creativity and alleviates stress. Stress can also cause damage to learner’s cognitive skills over time. However, according to Rivera, “Play in adolescence shifts slowly to "work" that continues into adulthood. Unfortunately, some people trade their "childish toys" for a "career," unwittingly setting aside the activity that fostered their creativity, enabled their growth, and taught them important lessons. Fortunate are those whose career is a form of play - mastery and continued building of competence-for which one gets paid!” (Rivera, 2009)
In closing, it is ultimately up to a personal preference of what one believes is best for each child, however, with appropriate research and the community-school connections, families can and should feel at ease with their young children learning through play. If there are still any people who may doubt the benefits of play, there are several more resources they can acquire or educators, such as myself would be happy to have them observe and/or volunteer in our classrooms to get hands on experience for themselves. As I stated previously, I greatly appreciate this opportunity to address these concerns with you and if there are any more questions please reach out at any time. I look forward to hearing how your community responds.
References
THE CREATIVE CURRICULUM. (n.d.). Retrieved May 24, 2020, from
https://www.marquette.edu/child-care-center/curriculum.shtml
Wardle, F. (n.d.). Play as Curriculum. Retrieved May 24, 2020, from
http://www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/article_view.aspx?ArticleID=127
Rivera, M. (2009, 10). The powerful effect of play IN A CHILD'S EDUCATION. The Education
Digest, 75, 50-52. Retrieved from
https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%
2F218192729%3Faccountid%3D14872
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