Essay on 21st Century: Unlocking Potential With Early Childhood Education

Introduction

In the 21st century, there increased realization of the significance of Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Malaysian and all over the Asian continent has seen the tremendous growth of Education in young children. Government agencies, entrepreneurs, and educationalists have, in particular, reviewed the essence of providing quality education in early childhood for an increasing rate of return and reducing school dropouts at later stages. Experience in the first five years of schooling has been seen to be the most significant in the development of the brain in human beings. However, stressful and inappropriate experiences at this stage can alter the brain functioning of a child, which adversely affects the mental, cognitive, and physical health of a child. Therefore, to ensure that children develop the right mind to handle critical factors later in life, the most vital element at the ECE is the quality of the early childhood education practitioner.

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Characteristics of an Effective Early Childhood Education Practitioner

The knowledge, practices, and skills of ECE practitioner are essential factors in establishing how the young generation learn, interact with others and their preparedness in acquiring knowledge in later stages of schooling. In ECE, early learning guidelines provide the basis for practice and assessment. Hence an individual responsible for educating children is required to exhibit certain professional qualities and to enhance their ability to support young children's knowledge acquisition. Multiple characteristics define a competent early childhood education practitioner. Also, as a result of awakening, the vital need for facilitating early childhood education in Malaysia, various researches focusing on the qualities of effective educators at ECE have been conducted, and their literature documented. Effective early childhood learning is an evolving and complicated process that is determined by different factors. Some of the main factors that define an effective ECE practitioner include passion, creativity and flexibility, patience, sense of humor, and effective communication.

Passion The most significant characteristic of an ECE practitioner is passion and enthusiasm for learners. This value surpasses the pleasure of being with children. An effective ECE educator is interested in making a difference and having a significant impact on each child, mental, psychological, and physical development. They possess the urge to unlock the children's potential in learning and helping the learners overcome the obstacles they encounter in the process. Being an ECE practitioner is not an easy task. There are many challenges encounter in the process of opening up children's minds (Nueman, Josephson, and Chua, 2015). However, a competent practitioner draws motivation and satisfaction from the accomplishment in making a difference in the children's lives.

Creativity and Flexibility

For an effective ECE practitioner, planning for the methods of learning that engage and educate young children calls for a vital essence of creativity. Besides, tailoring the process of learning to fit each learner's needs is requires high flexibility. Despite the level of organization a person may have, an effective ECE practitioner must have the ability to cope with all glitches that may throw off a day. She has the willingness and ability to change a system within her environment for the success of her learners. Also, it takes creativity and flexibility to teach children from diverse backgrounds and facilitate their comprehension of ideas (Foong, Veloo, Dhamotharan & Loh, 2018). At ECE, learning involves various activities such as reading, writing, playing, and singing. An effective educator can create new ways of learning and also switch from one event to another without confusing the learners.

Patience

During ECE, most children come into contact with formal education for the first time. An educator has the responsibility to initiate the process of learning to a class comprised of different children from a diverse background. A competent practitioner hence needs to be patient with both learners and their families. Learners comprehend ideas at different rates, and some learners' behavior at this level can frustrate most practitioners. However, an effective educator has a long fuse of anger and frustration (Rao et al., 2014). She understands individual differences in her learners and patiently moves with all learners systematically without discrimination. She regards the challenges encountered as lessons to handle successive learners.

Humor

During ECE, the nature of learners' age characterizes them as rambunctious and having a limited attention span and less self-control. Constant learning makes the children lose concentration and develop a negative attitude towards learning. Still, an active ECE practitioner incorporates a sense of humor in learning sessions, which makes the learners remain the focus for a more extended period. A humorous educator makes learning exciting and comprehension easier for the learners since they can associate the fun with different concepts. Besides, an effective teacher understands the optimum humor to create through lessons to prevent learners from being carried away without grasping the intended message.

Effective Communication

Several studies have shown the importance of effective communication during the learning process. This refers to the ability of an educator to convey a message to learners in the best means possible. During ECE, effective communication is an avital factor. And effective practitioner possesses the necessary skills of working with learners and using vocabulary that fits their level. Effective educators communicate with parents about children's needs, achievements, and abilities. This gives the practitioner an easier time when interacting with the learners (Masnan, Mustafa & Hosshan, 2017). Effective communication leads to a positive and rewarding outcome for an effective teacher.

Literature Review

According to Masnan, Mustafa & Hosshan (2017), the effectiveness of an ECE teacher in the 21st century in Malaysia is measured in terms of both classroom and extra-curricular activities. In their research on characteristics of effective ECE teachers in Malaysia, Masnan et al. found that educators' effectiveness is measured in terms of their learners' outdoor activities and classroom performance. Practitioners who engaged in professional development programs displayed an improved level of knowledge, which enhanced their creativity while teaching. Moreover, another study has shown that children educated by highly educated teachers with exceptional training in Malaysia during early childhood education exhibited exemplary skills (Foong, Veloo, Dhamotharan & Loh, 2018). The practitioners in these environments were seen to intensify on children's language enhancement and cognitive development. In doing this, they followed up each learner's progress on each learning activity. Besides, a recent study on children's cognitive growth in preschools in areas including Bangladesh and Costa Rica significantly associated the improvement to practitioners' passion and commitment in their work (Rao et al., 2014). As public expectations for active ECE practitioners have changed, Nueman, Josephson, and Chua (2015) also found that effective teachers were able to handle children from different backgrounds and teach them effectively. Passionate practitioners were seen to connect well with learners' families. However, ineffective teachers were discovered to incorporate less play and other engaging activities during lessons. Hence, learners lost concentration after a few minutes during the lessons. Still, effective delivery by ECE practitioners was seen to be affected by other variables such as learning environment, resources, and level of education (Halfon & Langford, 2015). Most teachers exhibiting qualities such as passion, effective communication, humor, and patience with learners were mostly found in well-resourced schools.

During early children's education, success is mostly dependent on the quality of the teaching profession. Since the learners are at a tender age, they entirely rely on their teacher to provide learning materials and steer the learning process. Hence, for an ECE practitioner to be referred to as valid, she must possess some exemplary qualities that enable her to facilitate learning efficiently. Passion is an essential factor of a competent practitioner. She must be interested in and committed to her work. Besides, she can come up with new ideas and adapt the changes in the system and learning environment swiftly without affecting learners. Moreover, she can create a climate conducive to learning through entertaining learners and delivering content effectively and understandably. In Malaysia, like other parts of the world, several studies have been conducted in assessing the characteristics exhibited by effective practitioners working in early childhood education.

Observation Report

Communication skills are a vital factor in preschool teaching. Teachers' methods of communication significantly contribute to learners' active engagement in in-class activities. The purpose of this report was to observe communication methods used in preschool teaching by Ms. Low of the Maleka Expatriate School in Maleka, Malaysia. The report recorded the observed communication method applied by Ms. Low and her assistant in developing learning skills in 15 preschool learners of age 4-5 during a reception class.

I came to class 10 minutes before the children's arrival time and took a seat at the back of the course. At exactly 8:00 am, the children with the help of their teacher and her assistants got into class. Ms. Low and her assistance shown each child a seat and a desk and told them that the respective positions would remain permanent for the rest of the day. In the process of arranging seating positions, I observed a boy who was complaining of not seating next to his friend. Ms. Low noted the boy's discomfort and swiftly moved towards him. She gently looked into the kid's eyes.

Teacher: Juan, what is the problem?

Kid: I want to sit next to Huang. He is not my friend (pointing to the boy sitting next to him).

Ms. Low explained to Juan how the boy seated next to him was a good friend just like Hueng, and in a few minutes, the child was settled.

Ms. Low then stood in front of the class and greeted the children, "Good morning." However, the children had already started playing with each other and seemed unaware of what the teacher was doing. Since the class was spacious enough for 15 learners, some were already running up and down. Instantly Ms. Low smiled and started clapping her hands, and the assistant teacher did the same. The children noticed, and all joined in clapping while each was returning to their seating positions. Ms. Low called each child by name and told them to repeat her words in a song that she had them sing. When a child correctly pronounced his/her name precisely, the teacher would move towards him and gently touch the child's hair and, in a calm voice, said "well done."

After 20 minutes, all learners were settled, but some seemed to be distracted by my presence at the back. One child moved towards me silently and stood next to me. The assistant teacher came and explained to her that I was a visitor in their class. Feeling satisfied, the child went back to her seat. Ms. Low emphasized her words through gestures and body movements. In getting learners to imitate her clapping, she would say "let's clap our hands" and then started clapping, and children imitated her. Whenever a child started speaking, Ms. Low would pause her actions and listen to the child while moving towards him. She would respond...