1

Running head: MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

My Early Childhood Education Philosophy

Naomi Wethern
College of Southern Idaho
Evin Fox
Foundations of Early Childhood Ed
Fall of 2014

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

Abstract
Working in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field is different from all other education
fields; it takes an incredible amount of patience, understanding, and passion. While most of these
traits are something a person is born with, a large amount of knowledge, which is not necessarily
innate, is also a necessity. That knowledge includes how children learn, the importance of
culture, and how to reach children of all different learning styles and abilities. I feel that I have
the natural ability, passion, and desire to be an Early Childhood educator and now I hope to
acquire and understand the knowledge to be the best teacher possible.

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

My Early Childhood Education Philosophy

The Uniqueness of ECE
Early childhood education is unique from older elementary and secondary education in
that it starts at the beginning. In other fields, they teach children who already have an
understanding of the basics and build on those to be the student and person they will become.
In ECE we start from the beginning. In the early stages of ECE we are teaching skills such as
feeding themselves, how to politely and appropriately interact with other children, and even
helping develop their attention span. Then as they get a little older we start teaching academic
basics such as colors, shapes, letters, and numbers. Then in the late stages of ECE we start with
more complex tasks like reading and math. In other education fields the children already have
these building blocks at least understood if not mastered. This concept is part of what makes
ECE so challenging but it is also what makes teaching early childhood education so important
and exciting. The uniqueness to Early Childhood Education is also a huge responsibility.
Philosophies of Early Childhood Education
There are a few philosophies in particular that have helped shape my thoughts on ECE
and who I want to be as an early childhood educator. The first theory, from John Dewy, is that
learning can and should be fun but not just fun. There needs to be a reason behind the fun of an
activity. Going outside and digging in the mud just because its fun is not a useful teaching tool.
However, going outside and digging in mud to talk about soil, bugs, or how plants grow is not
only fun but a great way of making science fun and accessible to young children. Maria
Montessori is another ECE figure whose theories, ideas, and practices have had a large impact on
my ECE ideals. One of her most impactful ideas was that when a child is unteachable and
struggling to learn, the fault usually lies with the adults not the child. Are we offering the right

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

environments and opportunities? Another valuable theory of Montessoris was that children can
and should do for themselves. When talking about Montessori, Mooney said, She cautioned
teachers to remember that children who are not allowed to do something for themselves do not
learn how to do it (p.42, 2013).
Developmentally Appropriate Practice
According to Bredekamp developmentally appropriate practices (DAP) are Ways of
teaching that engage childrens interests and adapt for their age, experience, and ability, to help
them meet challenging and achievable learning goals (p.19, 2014). There are a few main aspects
of DAP: meeting children where they are and helping them reach their learning goals. Although
it is important to help children learn, grow, and develop its also very important to bring
curriculum and learning to a childs level and ability and not make them try to conform and reach
for the curriculum. Being an intentional teacher plays a huge role in using DAP. Intentional
teaching really comes down to always having a how and why in everything you do as a teacher.
For example when doing circle time, the kids sing a song and dance. Why? Is it because their
dancing is cute or because the dancing helps release energy and the song is about the letter of the
week. Letting kids have fun is perfectly acceptable but an intentional teacher will be able to use
those fun moments as a vital teaching tool to help implement developmentally appropriate
practices.
The Important Role of Diversity in Early Childhood Education
Cultural diversity plays a large and multi-faceted role in ECE. We must keep in mind that
sometimes children's, and even their parents, behaviors can be culturally based. The child that
will not look you in the face when speaking or the parent upset when teaching toddlers to self
feed, while these behaviors may not fit in with our cultural norm they may for some. Teachers

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

need to be aware of each childs cultural and family make up to help every child reach their fullpotential. Bredekamp said (2014), Ignorance of childrens culturally determined behavior can
lead teachers to make inaccurate assessments of childrens competence and ability (p.184). Not
only is it important to make some accommodations or adjustments for a childs culture it is very
impactful to use childrens culture in your lesson plans. We need to understand and accept
childrens cultures not only to reach each child to the best of our ability but also to teach the
children to know, understand, and accept each others differences, whether cultural,
developmental or other wise. I also think its important to keep in mind, when talking about
cultural differences, that although culture is usually tied in with ethnicity that isnt always the
case. For example, in my family my husband is in law enforcement and the military so our
family structure and awareness of the outside world is different than other families. So my
kids family culture may be different form other children in their class and this may sometimes
require some adjustments on the teachers part. On the other hand the teachers are also able to
use these cultural differences in their lesson plans and have had my husband come in to the class
and talk about safety and calling for help. Understanding the family and cultural differences of
each student and making adjustments as well as incorporating them in curriculum is a very
helpful tool in any ECE classroom.
The role of curriculum and play in an ECE classroom
I think curriculum and play are a culmination of all of the other aspects of ECE. First we
need to keep in mind the uniqueness of our role and goal as early childhood educators. It is vital
that the curriculum and lesson plans help the children learn and master the basics so they can
have a successful school career. Secondly, when setting up and executing curriculum and when
encouraging play it is important to have knowledge and understanding of how children learn and

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

develop. You can not help children meet important milestones if you dont have knowledge of
when and why they happen. Thirdly, and possibly most importantly, we must keep curriculum
and play developmentally appropriate. The curriculum needs to address each and every student
right where they are not where I want them to be. Lastly as develop the curriculum we need to be
very mindful of the cultural make-up of the class. Using curriculum and play I should be able to
reach each and every student no matter what culture, language, or level of development. While
curriculum is very important we can not loose sight of the importance of play. We need to let
children be children let them play, make messes and even make mistakes. If I am using all I have
been taught and all of my ability I should be able to use all the noise, mess, and mistakes to help
my students be the best they can be.

MY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PHILOSOPHY

Works Cited
Bredekamp, S. (2014). Effective practices in early childhood education: Building a foundation
(2nd ed.). United States: Pearson.
Mooney, C.G. (2013). An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky
(2nd ed.). St.Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.