By Sam Gliksman, eSchool News, July 3, 2013 — In this article, Mr. Gliksman strongly encourages teachers to: “Take a stroll down to the lower grades in your school. In fact, the lower the better. Spend a few minutes observing the dynamics in class. Note the energy, laughter, and enthusiasm … the genuine thirst for learning. Then ask yourself: Why can’t it be that way throughout school ?”
He goes on to list eight ways in which learning can be enhanced by importing kindergarten structure to higher classes:
- Play – Play is a highly effective method of informal learning that requires imagination and creativity.
- Create – Creativity is becoming lost in the shuffle of the current “back to basics” school movement.
- Socialize – We understand that young children are social by nature and encourage them to mingle.
- Discover – Children are curious and love to explore the world around them.
- Experience – Effective learning occurs when children build new understandings based on experiences that help them construct new knowledge.
- Express – Mixing different forms of media and communication is an essential component of kindergarten class.
- Move – Children need to move. We all need to move. It’s healthy for both body and mind.
- Relate – In kindergarten we strive to make learning as meaningful as possible. Learning has meaning as defined by its relevance to the lives of students. If children can’t relate to it, then it won’t hold their interest.
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