What to look for in an Early Childhood Teacher?
As they grow up, it’s important to instill the right values and principles in children in order to help them mature into healthy adults. Early childhood teachers play a very important role in that process, at a very important time in the early development of your child – they will help point your little one in the right direction through play, equipping them with the necessary tools to cope with and process the environment in a healthy way and prepare them for various challenges that will come later in life. All of this means that every childcare educator has to be passionate, exceptionally well trained and be able to approach each individual child in a way that will benefit that child most.
Play as a learning basis
Play is an incredibly important activity in a child’s development. Not only do they get to vent some of that fascinating energy they have, but they also learn a whole lot about the world around them. They will, for example, learn how to solve various problems and see how one thing affects another, develop motor skills, create bonds and friendships and build their self-confidence in the process. Furthermore, their imagination will run wild as they pretend to be various persons in various situations, something that is immensely important for their creativity.Over the last few years, more and more studies have emerged that show how play-centered education is much more beneficial to children than education processes in a traditional classroom. For example, a study by Australian scholars from 2015 showed that learning through play helps children expand their vocabulary more and acquire grammar quicker. This is just one of the reasons why childcare educators in various kindergartens all over the world are switching to this more relaxed style of teaching.
Guiding and monitoring
But the fact that the mere act of playing entices children and makes them so focused is incredibly important when it comes to imparting knowledge on them. This is because they are more than willing to cooperate, are very attentive and completely open to new ideas, which is something good early childhood teachers have to know how to subtly use. Obviously, they have to be properly trained for this, so education becomes one of the main qualities of a good preschool teacher.Play is an incredibly powerful tool when it comes to teaching children. Children have to be allowed to explore and choose how they want to play, but they can also receive a little bit of help to reach the desired goal, to learn what we want them to do, and they will surely get there in the end. This is where early education teachers are the most important: they have to be able to help children reach the aforementioned goal without disrupting their focus on play. That way children still have that all-important sense of discovery when they finally accomplish something. Guiding them can be done, for example, through role-play into which the teacher will subtly infuse lessons about a particular subject. One of the most important qualities of a good teacher is, therefore, to be able to recognise when to insert that small nugget of information that will help the child learn and grow on its own.This approach is also a great way to teach them self-confidence and show them what attitude to adopt when facing an obstacle in life. If done correctly through play, learning things like these will not be stressful but a rewarding experience.
Creating Champs
All of this, and much more, has been thoroughly implemented at MindChamps for years now. First of all, their preschool teachers have to go through intensive ongoing training which lasts up to 200 hours and makes sure the teachers stay in touch with the latest research and updates of the curriculum..The style of teaching they use is focused on play and everything associated with it. The teachers here use the unique principle of the so-called crafted play to empower children and help them grow and learn how to solve all kinds of problems. You can see how that works in one of 21 MindChamps centres around Sydney. So, book a tour and bring your little ones along with you!All of these principles have culminated in the creation of the MindChamps reading programme whose curriculum was in development for more than a decade. Using the latest approaches and the results of the newest studies on how children learn, the programme takes the main elements from theatrical studies and research on play-based learning and adapts them to children between ages 3 and 7. Not only do children’s love of reading develop rapidly this way, but they also develop an interest in literacy and appreciate a good book because of the active role they play in the learning process.With 98% of parents rating this programme as good or excellent for their children, there can be no doubt that this is the kind of early childhood education all teachers should adopt.
Conclusion
First and foremost, an educator has to be passionate about early education and growing little minds. However, they also have to stay in touch with the latest pedagogical developments and keep track of new teaching methods that are being developed. In this respect, knowing how to facilitate quality playtime is the most important role of an early childhood teacher.Play allows children to discover and learn things at their own pace, never experiencing any stress or anxiety in the process. They only have to be gently guided in the general direction of a given goal. This kind of learning is beneficial on so many levels because it allows children to develop social skills while playing with their peers, as well as build a healthy attitude towards encountering problems and solving them. Not to mention the good it does for their confidence. MindChamps has been at the forefront of early childhood education for years now, making sure that every teacher meets the strictest standards. With our programmes and curriculum, you can be sure your little one will get the best possible foundation for growth and development.
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