SEA-TEACHER ALUMNI INTERNATIONAL ESSAY COMPETITION 2019
Name : Nurul Ezkanandyta
Major/ University : Early Childhood Education, Indonesia University of Education
Outbond University : Far Eastern University, Manila, Philippines. SEA-Teacher Batch 5th
Intern School : Padre Gomez Elementary School, Kinder-Headstart
Sustainable Education Development: Kinder-Headstart Program for Gifted
and Talented Children
Sustainable Education Development: Kinder-Headstart Program for Gifted and Talented Children
Department of Education Philippines on The Kindergarten Curriculum Framework (KCF) draws from the goals of the K to 12 Philippines Basic Education Curriculum Framework and adopts the general principles of the National Early Learning Framework (NELF). Five (5)-year old children shall be given equal opportunities for Kindergarten Education to effectively promote their physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development, including values formation, so they will be ready for school. Those development area helps children receive the opportunities to learn from school with play-interest area. DepEd of Philippines also has program for Gifted and Talented Children on Special Education, Kinder-Headstart program. Kinder-Headstart used English as the mother tongue language of learning, for learning session teacher used English language and for Regular used Filipino.
Kinder-Headstart is a comprehensive child development program that President Johnson launched Head Start in 1965 as part of a national “War on Poverty” specifically to break the cycle of failure experienced by many low-income and poor Americans. By providing young children and their families with health care, social provides education and support services to children and their families. Philippines adapt the education program and it is a federal program that aims to promote the school readiness and healthy development of at-risk children. After the authentic assessment of formal and informal on students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities (The United States Elementary and Secondary Education Act (NCLB on VBCPS Office of Gifted Education and Curriculum Development 2012).
Focuses on whole-child development, including health and cognitive and social-emotional development. Kinder-Headstart which are firstly founded in United State America are based on on constructivism, integrative, thematic, collaborative, inquiry–based, and reflective teachingin play-based approaches with application of the Developmentally Appropriate Practices (DAP); these support the principles of child growth and development, and the learning program development and assessment.
In Padre Gomez Elementary School (PGES) Manila, Philippines focused on Special Education (SPED) which has program for Gifted and Talented Children (3-5years old) for Kinder-Headstart about education and nutrition program in extensive this is the period of greatest growth and development, during which the brain continuously develops most rapidly and almost at its fullest. School responsibility to provide best nutrition for students with bad poverty to get best quality in education. Kinder-Headstart program in Philippines aimed to remove hurdles facing disadvantaged children and enable them to start school on equal footing with middle-class peers. High-quality preschool has shown the potential to enhance children’s learning and development, especially among low-income and at-risk children. On supervised recess Padre Gomez should prepared food for children who has difficulties as nutrition program.
Kinder-Headstart in PGES used Child-centered curriculum and handled by Special Education teacher, that is developmentally appropriate and which immerses them in meaningful experiences promotes the holistic way by young children grow and develop and recognizes the role of families and communities in supporting the child through various stages of growth and development. For the example, during and Science subject about Matters (Solid, Liquid and Gas) and for the first meeting teachers talking about shape and Changes in Matters. The real media and things all around them such as Alcohol, water, ice cubes, etc. Teacher let the students to explore and observed by their senses (See, touch and feel) and gave time to the children to express their minds children might know about the purpose of things. Teachers provided pictures, video and real objects for children to hands-on experienced.
Curricular themes in K-Headstart is Myself, My Family, My School, My Community, More Things Around Me, the classroom provided the learning activities with multimedia technologies, interactive radio, audio/video clips, clip arts, television. Afterwards curricular themes are provided to subject (Mathematics, Science, English, Makabayan, and Filipino). Each subject contains curricular themes and developmental domains to support learn area for children. It means, if teachers prepared about Mathematics Subject on the semester (Padre Gomez has 4th Quarter) children are expected to understand and demonstrate knowledge, thinking skills, and insights into patterns of mathematics, concepts of numbers, length, capacity, mass, and time through the use of concrete objects or materials, and to apply these meaningfully in their daily experiences. Children are provided with varied manipulative activities to help them see relationships and interconnections in math and enable them to deal flexibly with mathematical ideas and concepts but still in children’s area.
The characteristic of Gifted and Talented Children in Kinder-Headstart A and B in Padre Gomez Elementary School based on observation during SEA-Teacher program is children learned quickly, have a good memory, have a range of obsession, had strong views and opinion, show a string sense of leadership, show unusual and original responses to problem-solving activities, Independence in work and study, Excellent memory, Varied interests (multipotentiality), Advanced comprehension, Flexibility and creativity of thought processes, Accelerated rate of thinking. Also possible Concomitant Problems during learning session with dislike for routine drill, egoism/ selfish, individualist.
Perhaps on Developmental domain in Socio-Emotional Development (Pagpapaunlad ng Sosyo-Emosyunal at Kakayahang Makipamuhay). Compared to when they began Headstart, at the end of the program children are better able to inhibit their initial impulses and respond correctly in more trials on the pencil tapping task, suggesting their executive functioning skills improved. Children demonstrate more social skills, and more positive approaches to learning by the end of the program.
The solution based on characteristic Gifted and Talented children, the professional development of teacher in teaching skills for SEA-Teacher as intern teacher practice newly acquired competencies to prepared challenging learning activities, and varied problem solving activities, exposure to a wide range of topics and ideas, opportunities for high-level thinking and problem solving; “time to think”. Those way delivers the lesson interesting and easy to understand.
Each subject were prepared with components such as topics, objectives, teaching-learning activities, teaching-strategic approaches, resources, assessment, Differentiation as a modification by teacher to accommodate pupils, varied levels of prior knowledge, cognitive skills, habit in mind, learning styles or interest of content and spread headed with activities and task, videos, picture, and also real objects. Preparation for media and also drill task to evaluate after the learning session.
How teachers delivery the lesson could motivated student during learning and assembly or circle time to habituate the routine. In PGES Kinder-Headstart, they didn't have circle time. Although they were arranged about National Anthem, Pray, days, current weather (Flip Charts) and dancing time, Counting absents, Exercise. Routine made Pupils accustomed daily activity in classroom. Then teacher choose Leader of the day (Rolling each day) and pupils might controlled opening until they were ready to started the lesson.
To discipline and handle the class situation as teacher learned to should be consistent to students to give credits with “Star Stickers” as appreciation and “Red Dots as warning for children. Teacher used pieces of papers with red colors. Kinder-headstart classroom teacher, Teacher Joyce told to use the Red Dots, teacher might to consistent and also tried to made children self-reminded the behavior or what they does/do, without tried to made children does anything because of "Teacher", or made student discipline because teacher saw him/her. From the first meeting, teacher explained about Rules and Consequence. Consistent mean, teachers also told parents to be strict while gave pupils warning, but still made pupils obey parents and teachers. No threat words, but real action and still in children's area. Before lesson started, teacher gave student times to explain about Classroom Rules. For the example, there was a rule "Be a caring friends". Pupils reminded the rules and they explained about each rules. Then, they would be understand to aware and being a caring friends along the learning process.
Preschool teachers should prepared classroom quality such as their classroom management, sensitivity, and interactions with children have been well-researched and found to affect children's cognitive and socio-emotional development (Mashburn et al., 2008). Indeed for sustainable development education for Kinder-Headstart as Head Start teachers may differ, as they need to constantly provide proof of the quality of their programs. Kinder-Headstart, can improve academic, social, and lifetime outcomes. Also involved parents on the program to spend with their children engaged in learning activities. PGES has program included the parents to joined cleanliness program, nutrition and helps teacher to prepared the children daily portfolio. The final assessment PGES revealed significant impacts of Kinder -Headstart on children’s math, language, and social emotional skills prior to kindergarten entry and highly motivated kids have a greater advantage in life, Kinder-Headstart program could be pilot of Sustainable Development in Education area.
References
Barnett, Friedman-Krauss. 2016. State(s) of Head Start. United States. The National Institute for Early Education Research
Mashburn, Andrew J.; Pianta, Robert C.; Hamre, Bridget K.; Downer, Jason T.; Barbarin, Oscar A.; Bryant, Donna; … Howes, Carollee. (2008). Measures of classroom quality in prekindergarten and children’s development of academic, language, and social skills. Child Development, 79, 732–749. doi:10.1111/j.1467- 8624.2008.01154.x
Department of Education Philippines. 2016. Standard and Competencies for Five Years Old Filipino. Republic of the Philippines
SEVA Council of Gifted Administrators. 2012. Characteristics of Gifted Learners. Washington DC.