Article Link: http://www.exchangepress.com/article/the--importance--of-play-and-so-much-more/5022945/
Wonder (curiosity), self-discovery, problem-solving, interaction, exploration, and play — that’s what Bev Bos taught me. Reading and writing come after these approaches to learning are established. Children learn best when they can make their own choices and set their own goals. Because each child is unique, multiple channels of learning must be celebrated. Bev also encouraged families and teachers to be joyful in their engagement with children as they observed and participated in this developmental and educational process.
Some of the phrases Bev used will remain permanently burned on my brain:
Childhood amnesia. If we actually could remember our childhood, we would not do to children what we do to them. Early childhood (ages birth to 8) would still be viewed as a unique period of development with play recognized as being at the core of how children learn best.
We made a mistake calling it preschool. The word school conjures up images of teacher as expert, children as sponges only absorbing information and not being a source of information, the use of desks, listening valued over conversation, quiet environments, and little movement. These descriptors are far removed from what an early learning environment ...