Early Childhood Education(ECE)

Outlines
ECE
Holistic Development
Brain Development
Jean Piaget
Multiple Intelligence
Early Childhood Education(ECE)
The National Association for the Education of Young
Children External link  (NAEYC) defines “early childhood”
as occurring before the age of eight, and it is during this
period that a child goes through the most rapid phase of
growth and development. Their brains develop faster
than at any other point in their lives, so these years are
critical. The foundations for their social skills, self-esteem,
perception of the world and moral outlook are
established during these years, as well as the
development of cognitive skills.
Holistic Development:
Holistic development essentially means the
development of intellectual, mental, physical,
emotional, and social abilities in a child so that he or she
is capable of facing the demands and challenges of
everyday life. 
Physical Development:

Development of gross motor skills – such as walking,

running, climbing, etc. 
Development of Fine motor abilities occurs in
response to conscious learning from five senses.
For example painting, cutting of vegetables, making a
clay model
Social Development:
From the age 2 to 6 child learns about his culture and
how to make social contacts and how to get along with
the people outside the home, especially of their own
age.
They learn to adapt themselves and how to cooperate
in play activities.
Emotional Development:
Emotional development involves learning what
feelings and emotions are, understanding how and
why they occur, recognizing your own feelings and
those of others, and developing effective ways for
managing those feelings. 
Language Devlopment:
Language and speech are integral parts of an
upbringing process.
Below the age of 5, children capture linguistic abilities
fast and bloom well. Since the brain develops rapidly,
it is necessary to stimulate sight, sounds, and speech
patterns. 
Children start with small words in their mother
tongue and slowly move on to complex sentences.
Mental Development:
Cognitive development involves:
Thinking
problem-solving
 understanding of concepts 
 Brain Development
From birth to age 5, a child’s brain develops more than at any
other time in life. And early brain development has a lasting
impact on a child’s ability to learn and succeed in school and
life.
The quality of a child’s experiences in the first few years of life
either positive or negative helps to shape how their brain
develops.
Continued…
At birth, the average baby’s brain is about a quarter of
the size of the average adult brain. Incredibly, it
doubles in size in the first year. It keeps growing to
about 80% of adult size by age 3 and 90% and nearly
full grown by age 5.
Continued…
The brain is the command center of the human body.
Nature provides billions of nerve cells

Neurons send and receive electrical messages between

the brain and body and also within the brain.
Neurons
Continued..
A newborn baby has all of the brain cells (neurons)
they’ll have for the rest of their life, but it’s the
connections between these cells that really make the
brain work.
Brain connections enable us to move, think,
communicate and do just about everything. 
The early childhood years are crucial for making these
connections. At least one million new neural
connections (synapses) are made every second, more
than at any other time in life.
Continued…
In the brain, synapses develop in response to the
experiences a body gets

Synapses that are not used are lost

The more a synapses is trigged the higher are the

chances that it will be preserved and the connections
between the neurons will be strengthen.
Synapses
How Brain connections Built
Children develop brain connections through their
everyday experiences. They built through positive
interactions with their parents ,Teachers, Peers by
using their senses to interact with the world.
Caring, Responsive Relationships: Loving
relationships with responsive, dependable adults are
essential to a child’s healthy development. These
relationships begin at home, with parents and family,
but also include child care providers, teachers and
other members of the community.
Continued…
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Children who
experience more positive interactions in their early
years go on to be healthier and more successful in
school and in life. Unfortunately, the opposite is true
as well. Poverty, exposure to family violence and lack
of access to quality early learning experiences can
negatively impact a child’s early brain development.
Healthy Diet also play an important role in Brain
development.
 Elements Supporting Children’s Brain
Development
Experiences: like playing, talking and reading increases child’s synapses for
language

Quality: Quality experiences and environment for children are important in

their brain
development.

Caring Environment: Positive environment leads brain to release a chemical in

blood
that supports the learning process

Negative or fearful environment leads brain to release a chemical in blood,

which
Raise in anxiety level and it shuts down learning process
Jean Piaget
Stages of Development
Who’s Jean Piaget?
Place Of Birth:
Switzerland
Date of Birth: August 9th,
1896
First Appearance: at the
age of 11, he wrote a short
notice on an albino
sparrow – this is
considered as the start of
a brilliant scientific
career.
Piaget’s Theory:
Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor Stage (0 – 2 years)

Preoperational Stage (2 – 6/7 years)

Concrete Operational Stage (6/7 – 11 years)

Formal Operational Stage (11– 15 years)

Continued…
Sensorimotor Stage: (0-2 Years)
Major Characteristics and Developmental
Changes:
The infant knows the world through their
movements and sensations
Children learn about the world through basic
actions such as sucking, grasping, looking, and
listening
Infants learn that things continue to exist even
though they cannot be seen (object permanence)
Piaget’s Theory:
Stages of Cognitive Development
Preoperational Stage: (2-6/7 Years)
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
Children begin to think symbolically and learn to use
words and pictures to represent objects.
Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and struggle
to see things from the perspective of others.
While they are getting better with language and
thinking, they still tend to think about things in very
concrete terms.
Piaget’s Theory:
Stages of Cognitive Development

Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years)

Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
Children begin to think symbolically and learn to
use words and pictures to represent objects.
Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and
struggle to see things from the perspective of others.
While they are getting better with language and
thinking, they still tend to think about things in very
concrete terms.
Piaget’s Theory:
Stages of Cognitive Development
Formal Operational Stage (12 and up)
Major Characteristics and Developmental Changes:
At this stage, the adolescent or young adult begins to
think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems
Abstract thought emerges
Teens begin to think more about moral, philosophical,
ethical, social, and political issues that require
theoretical and abstract reasoning
Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general
principle to specific information
Application of Piaget’s Theory in
Education

“Learning Comes Through “Doing” – It is an

active process”
Application of Piaget’s Theory in
Education

Learner-Centered Philosophy

Activity is Essential

Individualized Instruction
Multiple Intelligence
We all are smart in different ways
Multiple Intelligence Theory
Intelligence
What is intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: higher
level abilities (such as abstract reasoning, mental
representation, problem solving, and decision
making), the ability to learn, emotional knowledge,
creativity, and adaptation to meet the demands of the
environment effectively.
Types of Intelligence
Every person may have different types of multiple
types of intelligence. Everyone can posses more than
one of its as Gardner divided the multiple intelligence
in to eight types
Verbal Intelligence
People with linguistic-verbal intelligence:
Remember written and spoken information. Enjoy
reading and writing. Debate or give persuasive
speeches. Are able to explain things well.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Logical-mathematical intelligence refers to the
capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out
mathematical operations, and investigate issues
scientifically
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
Bodily kinesthetic intelligence is the potential of using
one’s whole body or parts of the body (like the hand or
the mouth) to solve problems or to fashion products.
Spatial Intelligence 
Gardner defined spatial intelligence as the
intelligence of visual thinking. People with this
form of intelligence can manipulate three-dimensional
shapes in their mind’s eye. They’re able to recognize
patterns, identify fine details, and have excellent
observational skills.
 Musical Intelligence (“music smart”)
Musical intelligence refers to the skill in the performance,
composition, and appreciation of musical patterns.
Interpersonal Intelligence (“people smart”)
Interpersonal intelligence is the capacity to understand the
intentions, motivations, and desires of other people and
consequently to work effectively with others.
Intrapersonal Intelligence (“self smart”)
 Intrapersonal intelligence is the capacity to understand oneself, to have an
effective working model of oneself-including owns desires, fears, and capacities
and to use such information effectively in regulating one’s own life.
Naturalist intelligence (“nature smart”)
Naturalistic intelligence involves expertise in the
recognition and classification of the numerous species
—the flora and fauna—of his or her environment.
High Scope Approach
Continued…
A Renowned approach in ECED is the high scope.
It is an Active Learning approach.
Active Learning is a natural process by which the
young children explore the world by:
Observation, moving their body, using five senses and
making things happen with object around them.
Continued…
High / Scope is an approach that was initially
developed by Dr David Weikart in 1962, to serve
children at risk of school failure in Michigan, USA.
He along with three other professors rook a step and
targeted children of age 3-4 years for early intervention
to prepare them for future success.
They developed a curriculum based on Piaget’s Theory
“Learning by doing”
Active Learning in Early Years
The central belief of HighScope is that children
construct their own learning by doing and being
actively involved in working with materials,
people and ideas.
Teachers are as active and involved as children in the
classroom.
They plan(Teachers) thoughtfully provide materials,
plan activities and challenge what children are
experiencing and thinking.
Ingredients of Active Learning
Material
Manipulation
Choice
Language from Peers
Support from adults
(MAMACHOLASU)
Continued…
Materials: Appealing to all the senses and are open
ended
Manipulation: Children ,handle examine, combine
and transform materials and ideas. They get hand on
and minds on discoveries.
Choice: Children choose materials and play partners,
change and build on their play ideas, and plan
activities according to their interests and needs.
Continued…
Language from peers: Children communicate verbally
and nonverbally — thinking about their actions,
expressing their thoughts about what they
understand, and modifying their thinking — as they
learn and explore.
Support from Adults:Children gain knowledge and
develop creative problem-solving skills with the help
of well-prepared adults who support a child’s current
level of thinking and challenge them to advance to the
next stage, also known as “scaffolding.”
Learning Disabilities
Learning disabilities or learning disorders are
umbrella terms for a wide variety of learning
problems. A learning disability is not a problem with
intelligence or motivation and kids with learning
disabilities aren’t lazy or dumb. In fact, most are just as
smart as everyone else. Their brains are simply wired
differently and this difference affects how they receive
and process information.
Continued…
Health and Nutrition
Continued…
Food we consume daily contains vital nutrients essential for
our body it includes:
• Carbohydrates
• Proteins
• Vitamins
• Minerals
• Water
 Continued…
• Carbohydrates (60% intake): Crabs are primary source of energy and are
found in fruits, vegetable and grains.
• Proteins:( 10% diet intake): Proteins are important source of energy but
its not used for energy but for building tissues.
• Vitamins: are needed to build and maintain our cells.
• Minerals: Minerals are inorganic and found in food. They are useful in
maintaining our body’s systems.
• (calcium hardens bones, electrolytes are used to transmit nervous
signals. Iron is needed in blood to carry oxygen)
• Water (8 Glass Daily): Water is essential for metabolism. It is needed by
every system and cell to function properly.`
Thank You for listening
patiently