Education has been evolving since day one and in the 21st century, we have discovered active learning, or learning by doing, a concept first introduced in the early 20th century by Rudolph Steiner, a European educator who pioneered the active learning approach. Look at any of the Waldorf Schools and you will see this system in place; students stay with the same teacher throughout their education and it is the student who actually writes their own study books! Active learning demands the learner to play a proactive role, choosing the topic of a project, working with others to put together a project presentation for the rest of the class.
Start Young
In order to fully equip the young learner for adulthood, social skills need to be developed, while morality and specific characteristics are modelled. A 3-year-old, for example, would be encouraged to play with toys and share them with others and with fully qualified UK teachers at the helm, the kids develop beliefs and social skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. If you look at the list of Thailand international schools, you will see that most are K-12 schools, which start with an early learning program, as this is the best time to introduce a child to such a learning approach.
Early Learning Objectives
There are no academic goals in the early learning program; rather the kids are allowed to develop in a secure and caring environment, while being introduced to the social side of school. The focus is on creativity and imagination at an early age, with lots of story-telling, dancing and fun activities; enquiry is encouraged, which primes the young learner for an active learning program where they become competent self-learners.
Physical Development
Growing children need to be active and movement plays a big role in the daily activities and small motor skill development is another focus. Music becomes a part of their lives and teachers model the right behaviour, with scheduled sports sessions 2-3 times per week. The kids participate in a wide range of exercises in the form of songs and games that are designed to engage the young learner, while also allowed to focus on things they enjoy. Here are a few good reasons to hire a private tutor for your child.
Morality & Fair Play
The young learners must understand what is right and wrong, equality and fair play are always modelled and the children learn about sharing and respecting other people’s property. Decent moral values are not really ‘taught’, rather they are modelled by the adults, which leads to balanced human beings.
Equality
An international early learning program would already be very diverse, with children from Europe, the US and Asia, all learning together and this is the perfect environment for equality to thrive. The children understand that everyone has a voice and while we might look different and have different cultural beliefs, we are of the same species and have equal rights.
The Ministry of Education in Thailand takes early learning very seriously and when you enroll your son or daughter into an early learning program, make sure that is follows active learning principles, which is the best platform for the 12 years of formal education.
