Which Early Years Curriculum?

Gabbitas Dubai Rep — Tue, 25 Jun 2019 12:41:40 +0000

Knowing which early years curriculum is right for your child is a key decision that can feel very overwhelming for many parents. We profile three of the most popular – Montessori, EYFS and Reggio Emilia.

Montessori

This is one of the most popular nursery school curriculums. It is extremely popular in the States and across Europe as well. Developed by Maria Montessori in Italy in the early twentieth century, it is a child centered learning approach that believes in the child being able to move freely within the learning environment. The child would be supported by a teacher and be guided in well ordered ‘work cycles’ in a prepared environment to encourage their development.

The tools the children have at their disposal are usually wooden and are placed on shelves at child height. There are many tactile elements to a Montessori classroom. For example a child would start learning their letters by feeling a sandpaper example of that letter. The apparatus that the children use is fundamental to the Montessori approach and is a defining characteristic of a Montessori nursery.

The only problem is that Montessori education has been open to lots of interpretation. It is often used here in conjunction with another curriculum such as the EYFS so for the purist adherent to Montessori education, it is often hard to find a nursery that is strictly Montessori in its practices.

EYFS

This stands for Early Years Foundation Stage and is starting point for the British National Curriculum. This very much focuses on purposeful play with seven overarching areas of learning:

Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

There is very little left uncovered here and is seen as a good set of principles for nurseries to follow as it covers all the bases. Whilst less holistic than say Montessori or Reggio Emilia it can easily be used in conjunction with those curriculum and it is fair to say that it has adopted many of the principles of those other curriculums.

Reggio Emilia

The Reggio Emilia curriculum, found in some nursery schools in both the UAE and the UK, recognises that children are born with an innate sense of creativity, which needs to be nurtured. It is an educational philosophy that makes children very much part of their own learning structure. Part of the Reggio Emilia way is to realise that it is important within their learning to allow them to make mistakes. This allows them to be free of the fear of failing and thus explore original thought more often.

Parents are an important part of the Reggio philosophy as are seen as partners and advocates for their children in association with the nursery. This is a hands on approach to learning rather than a child passively listening to a teacher. There is an emphasis on light and space within the nursery, the environment being an important part of a child’s learning.

Which is right for your child?

There are many nurseries who have begun to develop their own educational approaches. However, the majority of them are used in conjunction with a more well known curriculum such as EYFS. Sometimes the more progressive approaches (Montessori & Reggio Emilia) can put parents off as it is not something they might have experienced in their youth and there is a distinct lack of rote learning that lots of parents understand and believe in. However, be reassured that these educational approaches are extremely well researched and have strong pedagogical studies behind them. It is a case of finding out exactly how well a nursery follows these educational philosophies.

Parents often ask how well these different approaches fit into the next school. It is easy to say that in all these different curricula your child will be extremely well equipped to enter the next phase of education. There is no disadvantage moving from any of these wonderful, child focused, learning environments to the British, US or International Baccalaureate curriculae.

Looking for professional advice on which early years curriculum is the right fit for your child? Our team of advisers can help, get in touch today.

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When should your child start school?

Gabbitas Dubai Rep — Thu, 05 Jul 2018 06:57:22 +0000

Original Source: Yalla Abu Dhabi

With the summer fast-approaching, September will be here before you know it, which means that now could be a very good time to start thinking about schools. But, with many schools opening their doors for children as young as three, how do you know if your child is ready for ‘big school’? Fiona McKenzie of Gabbitas Educational Consultants answers your common questions…

When should I start thinking about my child’s education?

The earlier the better. Not only because of the diverse choice available in the UAE, but also because it can be competitive to get a place at the best nurseries and schools. So don’t leave it too late! This is an exciting opportunity for you to start thinking about the best educational path for your child, so whilst it can seem overwhelming, don’t forget to trust your instincts about what type of environment would be a good fit.

What age should my child start nursery?

Children can start at a nursery from a few weeks old and a nursery environment can be a great solution for a working parent plus an enriching early learning experience for your child. It makes sense to look for one close to your home or work to keep life simple but it is important to get a sense of whether the ethos is a good fit for your family.

Once your child reaches 3 years old it becomes a bit more complicated. It’s at this stage that you need to start thinking about which early years curriculum is most suitable and whether your child makes the move up to a more formal school setting or stays in the nursery environment.

What age should my child start school?

The UAE is pretty unique since many schools open their doors to children as young as three but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the environment is right for your child at that age. In many countries across the world a child wouldn’t start school until 5, 6 or even 7 so there is not necessarily a right or wrong age to start school. It very much comes down to personal choice, although there are some other factors to think about.

You might want to consider your child’s month of birth. For example, summer-born babies can be quite behind their peers in terms of development so another year within a more supportive nursery setting might be the right approach. This can also be relevant for other areas of development such as potty training.

Other children may benefit from a new environment within a school setting, they may have outgrown their surroundings and be ready for a new challenge. Therefore, for them, moving to big school might be a better fit at any earlier stage.

But, it is important to mention that school will naturally have a more ‘formal’ environment where children will need to wear a uniform and the timetable will not be as flexible as a nursery setting, this more pressurized environment is not suited to all children at 3 years old.

So, how do I know what is the right decision?

Only you can make that choice and you will know which is the right setting for your child. There is nothing to suggest they would be taught anything more at school than they would be at nursery. Whether in FS1 or Pre KG or nursery, there will be huge emphasis on learning through play. Ultimately there should be no academic competitiveness when it comes to starting school and your child should be encouraged to develop at their own pace.

It is important that you do your research and you will need to decide which curriculum you would like your choice to follow. Do also think about location, budget and ease of transition back to your home country. All of these are important factors to think about at this stage!

Gabbitas works closely with families to work through all of these issues and help the family identify what they are looking for and then to advise which nurseries and schools can help to meet those needs.

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early years Archives - Gabbitas