‘The beginning is the most important part of the work’. Plato
In an ever-changing and busy world, it is so easy to lose sight of which elements to focus on when educating our very youngest children. It is often viewed that above all else, the measure of a good education is the pace at which a child learns to read, write and master numeracy skills.
I would suggest that a quality education for young children must consider much more than the standard approach of rote learning. A well-planned programme of education develops the whole child. It is of course so important for children to join their reception and Year 1 class with a sound knowledge of phonics and of numbers but we must not forget the value of the development of a child’s character, supporting each to learn simple life skills, a love of learning, and, as a result, the building of lasting self-confidence. If children are to begin their education well, (as Plato suggests) it would be beneficial to carefully consider each child’s educational foundation.
I remember vividly my first day of teacher training in New Zealand and the emphasis on the importance of setting high expectations for all children, whatever their ability. This has stayed with me throughout my career. Expectation is an incredibly powerful tool. The last 20 years in education have shaped my opinion in this regard and now my rather simple philosophy is this; if influential adults in a child’s life expect a child to succeed, they will most likely succeed. I am not promoting the development of over-confident children, more developing children with quiet self-determination for success and a core of self-confidence.
In today’s society, the idea of making a mistake is perceived as a weakness. Children must be given the opportunity to make a mistake as they grow and learn. They must be able to try new things and to take risks without repercussion. I would suggest that many of the best learning opportunities in life occur when there is the freedom to explore, create, and experiment; we know that this is how the light bulb was created or penicillin discovered.
Looking into the future and the pace of artificial intelligence, I would suggest that it is those who have been taught to think creatively and to express their ideas confidently that will be the most professionally sought after. In my experience of teaching reception age children over many years, more and more children (much more than 10 years ago) are reluctant to take a risk and this is having an impact on their learning. Some children struggle to create and participate in an art activity for fear of getting messy. Other children struggle to learn to write (especially creative writing) because they fear making spelling errors. At Little Lessons, we have a helpful saying: ‘mistakes are our friends, they help us to learn’.
So what is the best way to prepare a child for the reception year? I would suggest that we look to empowering children with key skills for the future as a starting point. We encourage children to develop an ‘I can’ mentality, building resilience and encouraging each to try new things. We teach children to take risks, to make mistakes, and to learn from these. We teach them to concentrate for extended periods of time and to persevere when the going gets tough. We catch children ‘doing the right thing’ and we abundantly praise them for it. We praise children for trying their best (I have repeated the word praise for a reason!). We support children to develop their fine motor skills so that they are empowered to write, use a computer confidently, and can hold a pencil correctly. We let each child in our care know they are valued and respected; we take time to listen to each child and to teach each to use their voice to express their needs confidently. We work on phonics, writing, and numeracy skills in fun and creative ways. We teach children manners and how to respect the world and others.
As Plato reminds us, it is the beginning that is the most important part of the work. Perhaps some underestimate how imperative the start of a child’s education is and the difference that a quality teacher can make to the future for all children.