02 Mar How To Choose the Right Pre-School
How to choose the right pre-school for your child
Chithra Nair has some valuable advice for parents who are choosing a pre-school.
The Global Oak Tree Scholars (GOTS) International School’s Head of Pre-Primary said the number one thing parents should look out for is the smile on children’s faces.
“When parents walk into a school, they need to see how the children there behave and act,” said Chithra, who has been with GOTS International School since 2018.
“Parents need to also see the warmth from the teachers and that there is love around the kids. How the kids interact with the teachers, that’s a dead giveaway.
“These are good first impressions. You cannot hide how a child reacts. If you see all that is positive, that is a good sign.”
She added the next thing to look out for is what the school can offer and how they go about doing so.
“Make sure that there is empowerment to the child, a lot of play, the children are allowed to have free time, and there is discipline,” said Chithra, who ran a kindergarten early in her life.
“If you hear that the school is doing these things, then that’s the right place for the child.”
But why the importance of play?
Play-based learning is an innovative approach to learning that teaches a set of strategies critical for success in the 21st century.
One way of doing so is by asking open-ended questions such as how can we, what can we, how do you think this will work or what will you predict will happen?
This way, there are no yes or no answers.
Students drive their own learning through inquiry as well as work collaboratively to research and create projects.
‘Play’ includes projects such as gardening, baking and cooking, dancing and singing and other activities which can promote critical thinking and creativity.
“At GOTS International School, we believe in play-based learning. We use activities to help the children remember the lessons,” said Chithra.
“It is not the old school way of rote learning and the children are very involved in each lesson.”
Play-based learning can be seen as an extension of a famous quote which over the years has been wrongly attributed to Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn”.
GOTS International School involves the young ones in every lesson.
“The children have fun activities before the lesson starts, sometimes a video pertaining to the lesson.
“There will also be a song for them to learn. We do not believe in only the coach speaking. The children must be involved,” said Chithra.
“Everything is done through an activity, be it a song, a game, a puzzle. When we finish teaching, we follow up with an assessment on the day itself to gauge if the scholar had understood the lesson.
“We also teach the young ones to be brave to ask questions and speak up. There is no such thing as a ‘stupid question’.
“We want to build thinkers and play-based learning helps.”
To learn more about GOTS International School, our curriculum and unique teaching methodology, call our education consultants at +6011-3906 6866, WhatsApp https://wa.me/601139066866 or visit www.gots.edu.my
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