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Children's early development and the need for quality pre-schooling:

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 Internationally there is a strong push for educating children from an early age, as early years are very impactful in teaching and learning. Teaching and learning do not mean only blackboard, chalk piece, textbooks and exams, in contrast, there is more to it.

In India, there are many interventions towards early literacy, but the discussion or research about how to teach reading-writing to young children need to be more focused to cater to each age group. The primary objective of reading is not to rote learn and present in the exam, but the primary objective of reading is meaning-making. Through the construction of meaning, it is also expected that the reader should think critically about the thoughts and information expressed in the text. Currently, if we look at our classrooms these aspects are completely neglected in the prevalent skill-based literacy instruction.

Skills-based instruction vs. whole language:

Skills-based instruction is a traditional theory of learning to read, it says that children learn a complex skill like reading by first making sense of the smallest components of the language (letters) and then progressing to larger components (sounds, words, and sentences). Children learn to read by decoding the language. There is another approach called as "whole language" it says that Reading instruction that can be called "whole language" teaches children to create meaning from a transaction/interaction of information and the reader's existing knowledge. Whole language involves an interchange among reader, text, environment, and the reading process. Whole language means that all of language (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) in an integrated form must be presented to students if they are to learn to read and write.




Disbeliefs about the concept of early literacy and preschools:

There are many disbeliefs about the concept of early literacy and preschools among parents as well as educators. It is believed that once the children know the alphabet, they become literate and start reading and writing almost automatically, which is practically not possible, and we have seen reading challenges in primary grades because of this disbelief.

There is also a misconception that children cannot read and write without a thorough command of the letters of the alphabet. In many preschools, it is believed that children learn the alphabet only with a book and a pencil. With the slate and chalk piece. There is also a stressful emphasis put on cursive writing at an early age. In reality, there is more in terms of learning reading and writing. The children learn through play, exploration, reading, and observation.

Learning the alphabet doesn't have to mean memorizing flashcards or endless workbook pages. There are many fun and hands-on ways for children to learn their letters. 

It is not denied that alphabets should not be practised, it is necessary but in a systematic and practical learning way. It is necessary to teach the entire alphabet properly in pre-school so that children can pick up reading-writing quickly in primary school.

There is also disbelief that any literate individual can teach children to read and write, with little or no training. In contrast, if we look at the early childhood education field, one requires so much technique and know-how in order to engage with the children.

 

NEP 2020 and Early Childhood Education:


The NEP 2020 has discussed early childhood education, which is welcomed by educators and practitioners in the field of Early Childhood Education (ECE). The NEP 2020 has prominently mentioned ECE, which has remained a relatively neglected field in previous policy documents. 

Additionally, the ECE is now supposed to extend from ages three to eight. The policy also suggests that there should be continuity between the ECE curriculum and Grade 1 and 2 curricula. Though these proposed changes have the potential to transform early learning in India, a lot will depend on how we actually implement them. One needs to look at the larger infrastructure like, capacity building, a robust curricular framework, engaging teaching and learning material, learning outcomes and their measurement indices, assessment techniques, tracking of learning progress, etc.

There is a focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic in NEP 2020, which is also the foundation for literacy and numeracy skills. One of the reasons why reading, writing, and arithmetic have been given so much importance in the NEP 2020 is most likely influenced by the targets India has set under the ‘Sustainable Development Goal 4’, which pertains to quality education. This says that by 2030, it has to be ensured that all the youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy. And also it says by 2030, it has to be ensured that all girls and boys should have access to quality early childhood development, care, and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.

 

Emergent Literacy Approach proposed in 1960s.

‘Emergent literacy encompasses the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that a child develops in relation to reading and writing throughout the early childhood period, starting at birth and before the onset of conventional reading and writing instruction (usually at school entry). Emergent literacy includes such aspects as an oral language (both speaking and listening), understanding that print can carry meaning, as well as basic alphabet knowledge, and early phonological awareness. (Savethechildren).

In western countries, this alternative approach to teaching literacy called the Emergent Literacy Approach was proposed in the 1960s. Like any other developmental process, mastery of emergent literacy skills paves the way for later mastery of more complex literacy skills in early primary grades and eventually reading with comprehension. This approach considers literacy development as an integral part of children’s overall development. It proposes that children need to develop some critical ideas related to printed language and the process of reading and writing much before the formal introduction of the letters of the alphabet.

There are many ideas expressed by the emergent literacy believers, some of these ideas such as written language is just another form of the spoken language. What we speak can be written and can be read later. And when somebody writes a book and when we read it, we try to understand what the person has written. The writing has many uses. For example, to make lists, to write letters, to label objects, etc.

It also suggests that the spoken language contains sentences. Sentences contain words. Words contain sounds. It is possible to manipulate the sounds in words. It is possible to link them with a symbol.

 

The program announced in India for literacy development- 

A National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission:

 

As per the report by India’s Ministry of Education, as of 18th MAY 2020, the mission called ‘National Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Mission’ will be launched, for ensuring that every child in the country necessarily attains foundational literacy and numeracy in Grade 3. For this, teacher capacity building, a robust curricular framework, engaging learning material – both online and offline, learning outcomes and their measurement indices, assessment techniques, tracking of learning progress, etc. will be designed to take it forward in a systematic fashion. This mission will cover the learning needs of nearly 4 Crore children in the age group of 3 to 11 years.

 

To conclude:

Literacy skills are very important, ‘Early interactions with books and print not only support future reading skills but also frame lifelong attitudes towards reading and writing. If these interactions are positive, fun and enjoyable (like taking part in a read-aloud or listening to a caregiver tell a good night story), children are much more likely to develop a strong interest in and motivation for reading as well as a positive attitude towards books in general. Reading interest predicts the amount of future reading a child will do, which in turn predicts future reading skills’.

It is important that children are given more opportunities to get well versed in numeracy and literacy skills in preschool. The researchers believe that the children who begin school with less prior knowledge and skill in relevant emergent literacy domains, most notably general verbal abilities, basic phonological awareness, familiarity with the basic purposes and mechanisms of reading, and letter knowledge, are particularly likely to have difficulty with learning to read in the primary grades. That’s why preschool is called a ‘school readiness program’ or foundational education.

 

Sources:

1.      https://idronline.org/nep-2020-and-early-childhood-education/

2.      https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1624868

3.      https://www.savethechildren.org/content/dam/global/reports/education-and-child-protection/edu-elm-13.pdf

Further reading:

1.      https://www.readingrockets.org/article/learning-read-and-write-what-research-reveals

2.      https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/learning-toolkit-blog/5-fun-ways-to-help-your-child-learn-their-abcs.html

3.   Skills-Based or Whole Language Reading Instruction? A Comparative Study in the Improvement of the Reading Comprehension of High School Students. PUB DATE 1998-08-00 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED422562.pdf

 

About the writer:

Maaz Mohammed A.Q

The writer is an Alumni of Azim Premji University, has a mix of work experience in the corporate and education sectors. Having completed MA Education from APU, currently working on large scale education program deployment in India. The writer can be reached through the email- reach.clf@gmail.com

The write is a co-founder at Credence Learning Foundation which is an independent education news and views blog.

You can download our android app by clicking this link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.justwebsite_info.Credence_Learning

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