Have you ever heard people make the argument that it makes no sense to teach Science and Social Studies to infant level students since we have to focus on teaching them to read and write first?
Indeed I've heard a few infant teachers passionately make that argument and often they are very dedicated towards teaching their young charges the fundamentals of reading.
Very early on in my teaching career I met such a teacher and every day, for most of the day you could hear her drilling her students in phonics. I never did check since I was only at that school for one term but I'm certain that many of her students became readers. (She later left teaching to promote her own phonics programme.)
As a young teacher I often thought about the notion of the need for Science and Social Studies when teaching five and six year olds. Surely it made sense to dedicate ones time to reading and when that has been mastered time can then be spent on 'less important' subjects. However, if that were the case why would the Ministry of Education insist that Science and Social Studies be on the schools' curriculum for infant students. Could curriculum developers be on such a wrong track?
Then I thought about it...if students are going to learn to read and write the question is just what are they going to read and write about? Naturally it would be about what interests or intrigues them. And what interests a child?
- games, family, animals, friends, funny stories -
Basically, the world around them. And what subjects naturally explore the world around us? Science and Social Studies of course!
Furthermore, how would you describe an educated person? If one were to say a fluent reader then that response is undoubtedly one-dimensional. A truly educated person goes beyond, to include an articulate individual who is able to function well in society by analyzing, evaluating and positively responding to the world around. And to delay the child's opportunities to reason and explore life is to delay or hinder their mental development and consequently their ability to function at a higher level intellectually. Particularly at a stage in their lives when their brains are like sponges.
So is it really fair to exclude those subjects?
I argue that the subjects of Science (including Mathematics) and Social Studies are actually the fundamental subjects that indeed drive reading and writing. So rather than being subjects of a lesser god I propose that Science and Social Studies are the core subjects that allow genuine learning to flourish.
Indeed I've heard a few infant teachers passionately make that argument and often they are very dedicated towards teaching their young charges the fundamentals of reading.
Very early on in my teaching career I met such a teacher and every day, for most of the day you could hear her drilling her students in phonics. I never did check since I was only at that school for one term but I'm certain that many of her students became readers. (She later left teaching to promote her own phonics programme.)
As a young teacher I often thought about the notion of the need for Science and Social Studies when teaching five and six year olds. Surely it made sense to dedicate ones time to reading and when that has been mastered time can then be spent on 'less important' subjects. However, if that were the case why would the Ministry of Education insist that Science and Social Studies be on the schools' curriculum for infant students. Could curriculum developers be on such a wrong track?
Then I thought about it...if students are going to learn to read and write the question is just what are they going to read and write about? Naturally it would be about what interests or intrigues them. And what interests a child?
- games, family, animals, friends, funny stories -
Basically, the world around them. And what subjects naturally explore the world around us? Science and Social Studies of course!
Furthermore, how would you describe an educated person? If one were to say a fluent reader then that response is undoubtedly one-dimensional. A truly educated person goes beyond, to include an articulate individual who is able to function well in society by analyzing, evaluating and positively responding to the world around. And to delay the child's opportunities to reason and explore life is to delay or hinder their mental development and consequently their ability to function at a higher level intellectually. Particularly at a stage in their lives when their brains are like sponges.
So is it really fair to exclude those subjects?
I argue that the subjects of Science (including Mathematics) and Social Studies are actually the fundamental subjects that indeed drive reading and writing. So rather than being subjects of a lesser god I propose that Science and Social Studies are the core subjects that allow genuine learning to flourish.
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