The Importance of the Early Years: A Foundation for Healthy Adult Development
In the last decades, neurological research has shown that the early years play a key role in children’s brain development and that 90 % of brain development occurs before the age of 6. There is no doubt that children’s early experiences, the bonds they form with their family and community and their first learning experiences at school, serve as the foundation for their future social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.
We need the community, the early childhood education programs, to collaborate with the university to inform us on best practices. How can the university ensure that we continue to investigate issues that are most relevant to child development?
The Importance of Training University Students in the Early Childhood Education Programs on Innovative and Research-based Practices
Quality early childhood education programs are staffed with well-trained teachers who know how to support students’ self-regulation skills, nurture their creativity and curiosity, and foster an environment of playful learning. Teachers have the ability to transform schools into healthier and more innovative and collaborative environments and create optimal conditions for children, families, and their communities. Universities in turn must observe how different teaching approaches impact outcomes, so that the research remains relevant to what in fact is having the most impact in developing teachers who can promote the skills that all children need in the 21st century. Creativity, empathy, conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, and critical thinking are among the skills that children need to develop early on. We are no longer in industrialization era where children are sent to school to be trained to be factory workers. University students need to be trained in that holistic approach so they can apply those skills into their own practice. “The world no longer cares how much you know; the world cares about what you can do with what you know” by Tony Wagner.
The Importance of Changing the Way we Teach at the University. Redesigning our Curriculum
The university has an amazing opportunity to transform our society by changing the way we teach. We need critical thinkers, collaborators, and empathetic leaders. We need people who can both transform and continuously learn from our education system and continue to solve issues as they arise.
At SEK Institution, University Camilo Jose Cela and SEK international schools, we believe we can make an impact globally by acting locally. We believe we can transform our education system starting in the early years, and that we can transform the future of higher education by bringing the best research-based practices into the classrooms (through both University and SEK international schools) and having those experiences in early childhood education drive the curriculum and conversation at the university level as well. We believe we can create a true laboratory of best practices, experimentation, and innovation by collaborating across institutions, disciplines, and removing barriers between the early education programs at SEK international schools and the university.
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