.jpg) |
| A kindergartner uses a computer at a literacy station in class. (AP Photo/ Chronicle-Tribune, Jeff Morehead) |
"We have a big problem here. Children are expected to do more than ever before at a very young age. What we recall as the precious skill building and playful days of kindergarten are gone. Creating a heavy academic environment early in life with little time to play is already developmentally inappropriate and most likely damaging."
by Valerie Strauss, The Washington Post,
4 May 2015
Last year I published a post titled “A very scary headline about kindergartners” about how youngsters in Oregon performed on readiness tests — and how upset adults were with the results. Since then, I’ve published a number of other posts (see list below) showing just how kindergarten has changed in the era of test-based accountability, emphasizing academics rather than socialization and learning through structured play. Here is a new piece about the problems with today’s kindergarten, written by pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom. She is the author of a number of popular posts on this blog, including “Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today,” as well as “The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class” and “How schools ruined recess.” Hanscom is the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England.
Read more »
Last year I published a post titled “A very scary headline about kindergartners” about how youngsters in Oregon performed on readiness tests — and how upset adults were with the results. Since then, I’ve published a number of other posts (see list below) showing just how kindergarten has changed in the era of test-based accountability, emphasizing academics rather than socialization and learning through structured play. Here is a new piece about the problems with today’s kindergarten, written by pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom. She is the author of a number of popular posts on this blog, including “Why so many kids can’t sit still in school today,” as well as “The right — and surprisingly wrong — ways to get kids to sit still in class” and “How schools ruined recess.” Hanscom is the founder of TimberNook, a nature-based development program designed to foster creativity and independent play outdoors in New England.