Teachers’ perceptions and concerns about the implementation of the 2005 preschool curriculum in Tanzania

The aim of this study was to examine teachers’ perceptions and concerns about the implementation of the preschool curriculum developed over 10 years (2005–2015). This paper reports findings from an interpretive case study design in four preschool settings in Tanzania with 12 teachers and 8 parent participants. Data were generated using interviews and documentation. The research focus was on how teachers have implemented the 2005 preschool curriculum. The findings indicate that the implementation of the curriculum was problematic due to teachers’ lack of knowledge of a child-centred pedagogy. In addition there were no teachers qualified to work with young children, overcrowded classrooms, poor teaching and learning environments, and insufficient teaching and learning materials and facilities. This study recommends that to improve the current situation and attain quality provision of early education, teachers need to develop their professional knowledge through in-service training. The government policy planners need to provide initial teacher education, professional development, and conducive teaching and learning environments with available resources for effective teaching and learning practices.     

高职高专院校学前教育专业学生语言素养的培养

高职高专院校学前教育专业学生在语言素养方面存在自我认识模糊和心理素质薄弱等问题。培养学生语言素养的策略包括重视口语基本训练、注重词汇的规范使用、讲究学法灵活多样和培养学生的形象感受四个方面。     

关于提高学前教育专业钢琴教学有效性的思考

学前教育专业的钢琴课关乎学生的职业技能与职业素养,本文拟从钢琴课的教学要求、教学内容和教学模式三方面指出当前学前教育专业钢琴教学存在的问题,并结合教学实践,在加强钢琴教学的规范性、突出技能与实践运用、拓展课堂教学模式等方面,探索提高学前教育专业钢琴课程教学有效性的方法与途径,为学前教育专业的钢琴教学与改革寻求新的视野。     

Group size and organisational conditions for children’s learning in preschool: a teacher perspective

Background:?There is a limited amount of research about group size in preschool, and how it impacts on teachers’ working conditions and their ability to support children’s learning and knowledge development in line with curriculum intentions.

Purpose:?From a perspective on quality, this article examines the organisational conditions for children’s learning in preschool in relation to group size. The questions at issue are: how do teachers explain how they organise the child group and the learning environment in preschool, and why?

Sample:?The sample consists of 12 preschools from different parts of Sweden. The preschools selected for the study are stratified in order to represent small and large group sizes in Swedish preschools as defined by the Swedish National Agency for Education. The sample contains both urban and rural regions and represents districts that differ geographically, demographically, ethnically, and which include varied socioeconomic structures. The 12 preschools had children in three age groupings: 1–3, 3–5 or 1–5. The number of children in the participating preschools ranged from 12 children to 45 children, with seven of the preschools having more than 30 children in their groups.

Design and method:?The article is based on interactionist perspectives, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, a critical ecology of the early childhood profession, theories of children’s learning, and four dimensions of pedagogical quality. Together, these theoretical perspectives contribute to an understanding of the relationships between policy issues, educational goals, group size and teachers’ competence in organising and creating conditions for children’s learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with two teachers from each of the 12 preschools. The interviews lasted between 40–60 minutes and were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The analytical process was conducted in three steps and can be described as an analytical process of abduction. The four dimensions of pedagogical quality were used as analytical lenses to discern and understand critical aspects related to the teachers’ understanding of group size.

Result: Irrespective of group size, most of the children participate in different group constellations throughout the day, some organised by the teachers and some by the children themselves. Teachers’ competence to organise the children in such ways that good conditions for learning were created, differed between preschools, and depended on the teachers’ approach, which can be described as either intentional or unintentional learning.

Conclusion: Teachers’ organisational approaches influence the quality of the preschool and conditions for children’s learning in distinct ways.     

Effective special teacher characteristics: perceptions of preschool special educators in Greece

The aim of the present study was to evaluate six characteristics of effective special pre‐school teachers, similar to those used in the relevant literature. The study participants were all special teachers (n = 226), serving in Greek state and community pre‐primary educational institutions (i.e. kindergartens and day nurseries) for children with learning disabilities. Data were collected through a two‐part questionnaire sent to the targeted special teachers (response rate 100%) and through focused group discussion with teachers. Three characteristics emerged as salient features of an effective teacher: love for the children; competent pre‐service training and ongoing professional development; and professionalism and commitment. The remaining three characteristics assessed (i.e. effective communication skills, a well‐rounded personality, and instructional ability) were also judged to be essential. Based on each characteristic’s analysis, the paper discusses the implications of pre‐service and in‐service training for special teachers.     

学前教育专业大学英语课程建设的职业导向初探

大学英语教学要符合社会对大学生英语应用能力的要求。高校的英语教学要注重培养学生实际使用语言的技能。在学前教育专业英语课程建设中应有明确的职业导向:以培养幼儿英语教师为立足点,分阶段实施教学课程,全面提高学生的英语应用能力,注重专业技能培养。     

应用型高校学前教育专业课程实践整合的构想

为了实现应用型本科院校给幼儿园培养合格的、优秀的幼师的任务,它的学前教育专业课程设置需依据实践进行整合。这种整合具体表现在以下几个方面：联系幼儿园教学实际,整合相关理论课程;柘宽学前教育课程领域,增强学生的就业竞争力;加强艺术类课程的教学,提高学生的教学实践能力;加强和规范教育实践环节。     

瑞安市学前儿童体育活动的现状调查

本文以瑞安市学前儿童体育活动的现状为研究对象,运用文献法、调查法、逻辑法等对瑞安市学前儿童体育活动开展现状进行调查。结果显示：瑞安市幼儿体育价值观还是比较全面的,但还没有形成一个统一的认识、明确的体育目标,缺乏统一的活动内容和效果评价标准,幼儿教师培训、学习的机会偏少,缺乏专业的幼儿体育师资人才、体育活动场地不足,器材偏少等问题。针对存在的问题,提出相应的发展对策,旨在为瑞安市学前儿童体育活动提供参考和借鉴。     

高职学前教育专业人才培养现状与对策研究

“百年大计,教育为本。”我国是教育文化大国,随着人们生活水平的逐渐提高,国民对教育水平的要求亦逐渐提高。人们对孩子的教育更是从小抓起,因此针对幼儿智力教育的学前教育专业在我国逐渐形成规模和体系,我国学前教育专业成了近些年来的热门专业。因大学的扩招,很多高职院校的学前教育专业的学生文化程度和素质不一样,再加上高职院校受师资力量的影响,能够培养出来的学前教育专业的人才是非常少的。这不仅仅影响了高职院校的教育口碑,还不能保证为幼儿的学前教育培养一批高素质的优秀教育人才,严重影响了幼儿教学水平,影响了幼儿的智力发展。本文主要从高职学前教育专业人才培养的重要性、我国高职学前教育专业人才培养现状和高职学前教育专业人才培养的途径三个大的方面进行详细而深入的探讨。     

陇南市农村学前班存在的问题及对策思考

在甘肃省陇南市农村地区,学前班一直以来都是农村学前教育的主要形式。但是受各种因素影响,当前农村学前班存在诸多不容忽视的问题。就如何解决这些问题,提出一些对策性建议。