Definition:

• Group settings deliberately intended to effect developmental chnages in children from birth to the age of entering the first grade (Gordon, A.M & Browne, K.W)
• The care and education of children from birth through age eight and includes serving the families (Teacher Education Partnership Commission)

Why we need early childhood education?

• Recognition of the importance of early years e.g. be prepared for primary education, tabula rasa
• Increasing demand for child care and changing enrolment patterns e.g. no one take care of the child at home
• Changes in family life e.g. both parents are working, living away from relatives
• Benefits of early childhood education e.g. learn basic skill for primary education, develop social skills

What is in the early childhood education?
Malaysia National Preschool Curriculum

• Language and communication development
• Moral and spiritual development
• Cognitive development
• Socio-emotion development
• Physical development
• Creativity and aesthetic development

World (general)

• Language development
• Spiritual development
• Cognitive development
• Emotional development
• Physical/Motor development
• Creativity development
• Social development

OH WOW! I’ve been abandoning this blog for a month!! ;p I’m back! Was having such long holiday since December and now… It’s time to go back to school this weekend. Classes will start this weekend. This semester subjects are Foundations of Early Childhood Education and Special Education Needs and Learning.

*LOL* Almost finish the course and we just started with the foundation ;p This is supposed to be the first class in first year. What to do? Not enough student back then.

Got my academic calender and I feel like want to faint -.-” There is practically no holiday at all this year. Since our classes are on weekends and we are supported learning students, in other words almost all of us have day jobs during the weekday, there’s almost no weekend for our semester break or even exam break, so this one whole year will be no break at all. Full swing!

Usually we will have a weekend break when having semester break or study break but not this year. For this semester at least we have but after that, there is none until Raya break which happened to be public holiday -.-” makes no difference.

What to do, if there’s break it will mean we won’t be able to complete the course in time. I need it to be completed the latest this year end. Sigh…

Anyway, I wonder who our new lecturers will be since all the previous lecturers left already. Hmmm…

Happy 2010! WOW! I haven’t check this blog since my last update in December 2009! ;p This is my first login since 2010. Still in time to wish you all a happy new year hahaha…

I’m having one long long holiday now… Class will only resume after CNY since I’ve done the subjects my seniors are doing now last year by joining the full time class.

Might be finishing this year end or early next year. Time really flies…

Where am I heading after finishing? Not so sure yet, might go into degree in Australia if everything goes as planned. Will I be in this field by then? Maybe yes, maybe no, depends… If I am going to stay back there, then I’ll most probably have to go into this field. We’ll see…

I know… It’s been ages for me to not update anything here… Been pretty busy, work, exam, assignments and various activities and events. Today will be the exam for Technology for Young Children. This exam was supposed to be last week but was postponed because our class started 2 weeks late. There wasn’t study break at all for this subject.

Two weeks ago was the exam for Art & Craft for Young Children.

I’m so lazy to update this blog for now too ;p Hmm… Should I just close it down?

Anyway, Happy 2010!

WOW! I haven’t update anything in November! Actually there’s few more posts to post for November but didn’t have the mood to do it and now… Exam will be coming this Thursday for Art & Craft for Young Children.

I only have one subject for semester 9, Technology for young children that will end in 1 week time. Time really really flies! As if the semester just started and now it’s ending. Exam will be after Christmas.

Last semester’s result was out and it gave me a bit of surprise, it’s not what I had expected. Oh well…

This Sunday is supposed to be the first class for the 8th semester but got shocking sms telling us that the first class will only start in November. Aiksss… Such long holiday =.= 3 weekends of no classes.

If this is happening, it will be our exam will be delayed too. This will mean all those plans that had been planned such as going off for holiday and so on will be affected. Not that I have plan already, just that I’m worry that we won’t be finishing in time.

WOW! I haven’t been updating this blog for more than a month -.-” Too busy with assignments and now preparing for exam this Sunday.

Only have one subject this semester but I didn’t post any note for this subject because it’s a lot! Lots and lots of theories. ARG!

That’s all for now. Will update on the other subject once I’m done with my exam.

Scribble stage:

• Begin at about one and one half to two years of age
• Their first marks is group of aimless lines
• May be pleased with this scribbling and get real enjoyment from it
• Does not have control over hand movements
• Does not realized that she is producing these scribbles
• At some point, children will find connection between their motions and the marks on the page
• Gain control over the scribbling motion
• Go in direction desired
• Great deal of enthusiasm
• Can now scribble in lines, zigzags, or circles

Symbolic/Basic forms stage:

• Age range 3-4 years old
• Basic forms like rectangles, squares, and circles develop from scribbles as the child finds and recognizes simple shapes in the scribbles
• Finds muscle control and hand-eye coordination to repeat the shape
• Drawings are more organized
• Make basic forms by controlling the lines
• Control scribbles, making loops, circular shapes, and lines that are distinguishable and can be repeated at will
• Ask to have their names out in their works so it can be taken home or displayed in the room
• Early basic forms stage is when children can draw oval or circle, curved line or arc made with the same swinging movement of an arm used in the early scribble stage
• Later basic forms stage is when children can draw rectangles and squares. They can purposefully draw separate lines of any length desired

Representative/Pictorial stage:

• 4 years old and most 5 years old are mostly at this level
• Pictures or first drawing are different from scribbling in that they are not made for pure motor enjoyment
• The basic forms perfected in the preceeding stage suggest images to the child that stands for ideas in the children’s own mind
• Symbol is the visual representation of something important to the child, it maybe human figure, animal, tree, or similar figure
• Realized the relationship between the objects drawn and the outside world that drawing and painting can be used to record ideas and express feelings
• Human form is often the child’s first symbol
• Scribbling something of importance to the child
• Other common symbols include trees, houses, flowers, and animals
• In early pictorial stage, a child works on making and perfecting one or many symbols, covering sheets of paper with many examples of the same subject, may be a collection of unrelated figures and objects, sampling of child’s many tries at making different symbols, searching for new ideas, symbols change constantly
• In later pictorial stage, a child draws symbols easily and more exactly, producing a series of many symbols, draw one at a time with few or no mother marks on the page, and draw letters of their name.
• By the time they are 5 and half to 6 years olf, children generally are ready to make a pictures of many things in their experience or imagination
• Each child has special way of drawing which is refer as schema. It can be usually in drawings of 6 years old. The child express their own personalities with schema.

Touch:
The sense of touch can teach children many important concepts. Provide various materials with different textures help children reinforce knowledge about the physical appearance of people, animal, and objects.

Sight:
Works with sense of touch. Children feel and see the materials. Can see the similarities and differences in size, colours, shapes, and textures when working with different materials.

Colour Concept:
Learn about colours, how to mix colours, and how to make colour darker or lighter. Children will be aware that colours are not set things but things that the children can changes based on their likings or needs. Colours also help children express their mood.

Language:
Expand vocabulary about creative materials and processes.

Reading readiness:
Hand-eye coordination is important for future schoolwork. Many reading experts feel that good hand-eye coordination helps a child learn to read. Art activities can aid in exercise and develop hand-eye coordination and left-to-right tracking.