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LATVIAN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION EXPERIENCE AS THE ESSENTIAL PRECONDITION FOR HUMAN SUCCESSFUL LIFELONG LEARNING
Anna Liduma
The paper contains some results of the empirical study, that was carried out in 2010/2011 school year with participation of 20 preschool children aged 5. They were divided into two groups. The aim was to analyse pedagogical and psychological preconditions of preschoolers’ development. Analysis of theoretical literature and empirical study showed the importance of early childhood for balanced development and helped to define physical, intellectual and social features of the age.
Results. In accordance with the normative documents of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Latvia, a program for children’s balanced comprehensive (physical, psychic, social) development has been worked out during the year 2002, perfected and repeteadly published in 2010. With the aim of mastering the program, the integrated content consisted of 12 subjects: the speech development, environment and public life, nature, literature, mathematics, drawing, modelling, application, designing, handicraft/ housekeeping (each lasts for 1 hour), sport (5 hours) and music (2 hours) promote the child’s well-balanced development. 18 regular integrated active playing lessons have been organized during 5 days, where a child worked both independently and with a teacher’s support. Reading and writing skills are developed during all games lessons time. The task of the integrated content is to prepare children gradually for school. Cooperation helps each child to express his/her ideas and feelings. Joint activities are encouraged. As a result, participation creates responsibility, which manifests itself in child’s productive activity. Lessons in the form of a game are organized to acquire the program content. Actively playing in the "actual development zone”, the child acts independently, but in the "proximal development zone” - the child is supported by an adult (Vygotsky, 1997).
By personal example and in cooperation with a pupil, the pedagogue carries out activities through which the child acquires the content, which is suitable for his/her age. Games’ activities and exercises with toys, creative movements which promote child’s wishes, creativity and the development of social skills are he preconditions for the successful child’s development. Through action the child realises his inbuilt need to investigate the world. Activity is stimulated by the need for self-actualisation. The child’s habits and self-regulation are gradually developed. So children can acquire significant civic integration.
Early educators and parents are in cooperation of the atmosphere of mutual trust, openness and respect. Current forms of cooperation are the
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following: personal interviews, the open sessions -two per year, information meeting for parents, holidays, singing with children, knowledge of nature hikes, museums, exhibitions, joint visits to the dairy plant, bakery, children's meaningful time organizing sites, etc. Behavioral culture children are taught 15 minutes daily tea breaks, traffic regulations, traffic controllers teach the child's age-appropriate activities. The final product of a child’s activity in pedagogy is his knowledge, experience and skills to work. The psychological aspect - a positive emotional attitude and satisfaction with achievements - is the final product of a child’s activity, as studies closely connect with real life and the child becomes closer to the aims of education for social integration. The result of purposeful systematic work is a preschool pupil prepared for an integrated upbringing that will follow in a multicultural environment.
Attitudes to Self, to others, nature, work and state as the integrated property of a personality form in the unity of one’s life experience, learning activity, feelings and will efforts and manifest themselves in one’s values, goals, ideals and norms. Attitudes keep being shaped and developed throughout a lifetime. Attitudes towards Self-formation of pre-school, learning your body, promoting the development of exercise every day. Formed the habit of responsibility, which gradually becomes a value to the child. Human development occurs gradually and is determined by endogenous (internal): heredity, prenatal and perinatal period, the influence of the internal conditions of the living and the exogenous (external): natural factors, the social environment and socio-economic conditions. (Puskarev, 2001).
Psycho-social development related to: the brain maturation, cognitive and emotional development, mental properties in (temperament, ability, character, interests, needs); changes voluntary (will) state, the socialization of personality.
According to Craig (2004) findings, 5-years-old child’s motor skills are rapidly developed and he/she knows how to use the stationery, therefore it is necessary purposefully an adult’s work and child’s activities in order to promote child’s writing skills. In experimental pre-school groups on maths, writing, drawing and music are used exercises elaborated by Liduma (2004). Coin games with the rules children learn as rules of behavior. Children are necessary to follow-up and evaluation of behavior and after that an internal, personal motivational readiness training is developed which is an important general psychological readiness for transition to the next age group (Nemov, 1994). Gradually the need for the success achievement purposefulness, Self-esteem, trust Self, Self-sufficiency is developed as well as the formation of people’s empathy in trouble, experiences, successes and failures. During the empirical research by conducting discussions with parents, it was revealed that they were aware the necessity of nature
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and environment study because more and more children take part in common out-of-school working forms.
In order to investigate all these matters 2 groups of 5-years old children were involved into the research in 2010/2011 school year.
The author of the research worked with the children of the first group for 3 years, but children of the second group additionally prepare for school after their kindergarten during the second part of a day. In comparison of two groups, it is possible to conclude that those children who attended the preparatory group since the age of three for three years, have better skills in all spheres. They can: successfully communicate with each other taking into consideration behavioural norms; skillfully write in their note-books, and are able to work independently and in a team. They are emotionally responsive and purposefully switch from one kind of activities to another one. All of them take part in sport activities with great interest given evidence that parents had understood the positive influence of sport exercises on children’s balanced development as children additionally attend corrected sport exercises as well.
The children of the second group one can characterize as rather got untied. Their writing skills are little developed. During painting they paint being in a hurry and carelessly. They are emotionally responsive. It is evident that these children are absent-minded and are busy by themselves, as they don’t pay attention to teacher’s words and often can’t start work. Selfservice skills are well learnt, they put their belongings in order.
Conclusion. Purposeful preparation of a child for school ensures balanced physical, mental and social development of children. The main means for child’s balanced development is personally significant content and diversified playing lessons. Balanced development is promoted by friendly relationships among children and equal cooperation and support on the part of parents and teachers. The joint activity of parents, teachers and children contributes to the development of children’s self-appraisal skills and formation of cultural identity. Making preschoolers prepared for school is a purposeful process, whereby personally significant activity is investigated by means of pedagogic support. Children under school age activity is positively influenced by a teacher’s personal experience using teaching aids, methods and forms, which suit the given age. One of the preconditions of such development is playing activity, including playing exercises, activities with toys, creative motions, which promote the development of volitional, creative and social skills in children in order to be successful in their lifelong learning.
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