Since starting the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program in January, I learned more things than I could’ve ever fathomed. Our instructors, Jill Hammer and Miss Pat Bates have been so supportive throughout the ECE course; they are our pillars of strength on the personal front. In every class, they demonstrated how the first five years are really crucial in the life of a child. What a child learns in the first five years become the building blocks that support everything they will go on to do later in life.
Below are 3 things I learned from the Early Childhood Education program:
1. Instill a love for learning
The program has really opened my eyes to the importance of nurturing effective learning curves in children. From the youngest of ages. Even the smallest positive and negative reinforcements can have such enduring effects on a child’s development and in shaping their personality. I also learned that everything a child does—from crawling, crying, standing and speaking in words and sentences—can be categorized as a developmental milestone.
Learning about these milestones during the program will help me work with children of different age groups and help me support their overall growth when I graduate. I’ve also learned about a wide range of tools and systems that encourage children to learn and develop love towards learning.
2. Collaborate with parents and teachers
The ECE program has helped me understand the importance of building effective relationships with parents and the community at large. Since the early education of children cannot be comprehensive without the help of parents and the community, it is very important for Early Childhood Educators to establish a mutually beneficial, rewarding and encouraging relationship.
3. Use experiential learning techniques
One of the most amazing things I’ve learnt is the value of collaborative and experiential learning. Its effectiveness when used in ECE. I’ve learned a range of techniques to induce better learning in children by utilizing a variety of experiential learning methods that take the children into experiences rather than treating them as passive spectators.
The knowledge I’ve gained through the ECE program has been novel. I’m excited to use all the things I learned from the Early Childhood Education program while I work with children.
Check out a video of Early Childhood Educators career.
