Early Child Development and Effectiveness of Educator - Literature review Example

Early Child Development and Effectiveness of Educator Early Child Development and Effectiveness of Educator Introduction Early education and pre-schooling plays a vital role in the development of a child. It is at this stage where the childhood is exploring things outside his secured premises of home under the care of his /her educator. This paper contains the research about an educator’s impact and effectiveness on a child’s development. Erikson(1950) a known psychologist who contributed to the developmental psychology by deducing a theory that suggests that it is at this early stage that the child develops the flavor for freedom, learns to make choices from amongst the options and also learns that there are consequences to the choices that one has made (Hurlock, 1978). Therefore the educator holds a vital role in the development of a child. Once the child is mould in the early years his personality, thought process and reactions solidify. Uniqueness of an Effective Educator Colker in 2008 conducted a survey to find fill the gap in the available literature regarding the subjects. She interviewed 43 participants, to attain their views about the characteristics of early childhood practitioner. All the respondents where were from different ethnic groups along with differing genders, experiences and geographic locations. These participants met with question that required the answer in terms of the reasons or attraction that brought them to the field. These 43 participants provided the content whereas the analysis was done by Colker herself (Colker, 2008). All participants provided the content as such but the analysis was drawn by Colker. The participants felt that passion was important for an educator. Teaching is a career that is demanding and it requires fervor for teaching the children therefore, it is not a profession for those who are looking for a job. The study revealed that the participants expressed passion for being teachers as most of them singled out ‘enthusiasm for children’ being the key attribute. It is true to some extent for those who are not good with children around are not fit for the job (Colker, 2008). Another characteristic that was pointed out by the participants was perseverance. Although the words used by the participants differed as ‘tenacity’ and ‘dedication’. Regardless of the terms the respondents used they all agreed upon the concept that teachers had to be firm about their beliefs whether it was for the issued with education or to do with child development. Thus, the respondents in the study believed that children deserved better teachers who can handle red tape and conquer bureaucracy (Colker, 2008). It is imperative for a teacher to be able to take risks and be innovative in teaching the children. A teacher needs to bold enough to break the norms and introduce new ones when and where ever it necessary, that will contribute in educating a child. One respondent in the study expressed that she wanted to team teach in her pre-school where the idea of such kind was familiar to the school management therefore, to bring the idea to fruitarian the teachers had to research, carry out surveys with parents and bring in experts in order to win the approval of the administration. Meetings between parents and teachers were conducted to convince the parents for the program by expressing the benefits their children will acquire from the program. This program came to function after the rigorous efforts and is still functional in the school as one of the most popular programs (Villa & Colker, 2006). With the characteristic to take risks the opposite quality that is pragmatism need to be present in a teacher as well. A teacher must know when to let go and when to hold firm in order to help the in receiving better education. In line with this characteristic are stringed the qualities of being patient, flexible, creative and high energy (Colker, 2008). Magnitude of an Effective Educator Thus, it is important for the teacher to develop a skill set that helps in unfolding and being familiarized with early childhood needs. It is important for the child that the teacher is thoroughly aware of each Childs individual and psychological need. This aids in motivating a child to learn and grow better under the care of its teacher. The idea of motivation will also assist in the development of Childs expressive and social skill set (Doherty, 1997). Effective intervention education improves the child’s life possibilities. The early education for a child holds significance that is deeply rooted with dissimilarities in the health, economic outcome and education (Chambers, Cheung, & Slavin, 2006). It is also cost effective and beneficial for disadvantaged children. Science of economics and sociology suggests that children at the ages of three and five are keen learners. They exhibit complex social and cognitive capabilities. Thus, these capabilities form the fundamentals for future educational and developmental advancement. Therefore the need for proper support is required during the early years to mould the child properly because it will be with these learning the child will further enhance in his endeavors (Duncan & Shonkoff, 2007). This research was so strong in its grounds that on its bases a lot of early child development programs were introduced by the government. Thus, it is clear that the child is solely dependent for knowledge of its teacher. Therefore, teacher with vast knowledge in the subject or subjects will form the bases of the child’s knowledge of the subject. Thus, it can be said that children’s knowledge is greatly dependent upon the educator. Henderick (1980) analyzed that the children are sent to school with the concept developed amongst parents that their child will learn to interact with others which as a consequence will teach him to get along well with others. This concept is agreed upon by the teachers; therefore the teacher’s focus is directed towards teaching the child not only to make decisions but developed a sense to make the choices in a socially acceptable manner and finding fulfillment in helping in others (Hendrick, 1980). However, the research by World Bank in (1995) revealed that despite the importance and impact of the personality development during early years, the school curriculums were scarce in the required area along with lack of training in situational and stress handling (World Bank Report, 1995). It may be of concern that along with educating a child about the facts it is necessary to teach him or her about the ethics and moral values to be accepted in the society. Thus, lacking the teachings about ethics and morals to interact and be socially acceptable implies that a child was poorly educated, and these deficiencies will reflect in his character as an adult. Thus, it is at the early years that proper education, if not provided, can distort a Childs personality and he may have to face the consequences. Therefore, the researchers evaluate that an educator’s contribution to the Childs personality is vast to the extent of maintaining relationships and making decisions along with weighing the pros and cons of the decision. References Chambers, B., Cheung, A., & Slavin, R. (2006). Handbook of research on the education of young children. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum. Colker, L. (2008). Twelve Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers.  Young Children on the Web. Doherty, G. (1997). Zero to Six: The Basis for School Readiness. Ottawa: Human Resources Development Canada. Duncan, G., & Shonkoff, J. a. (2007). A Science based framework for early childhood policy. Harvard University Center on the Developing Child. Erickson, H. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York: Norton. Hendrick, J. (1980). The Whole Child: New Trends in Early Childhood. Missouri: C.V. Mosby Company. Hurlock, E. (1978). Child Development (6 Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Villa, k., & Colker, J. (2006). A Personal Story: Making Inclusion Work. Young Children, 1 (61), 96–100. World Bank Report. (1995). Training for Early Childhood Care and Education in Kenya. Nairobi: World Bank. Read More