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HeronBridge Pre-Preparatory
Grade 000 – Grade RIt is indeed a privilege for
me to introduce HeronBridge Pre-Preparatory to you. Over
the years the teacher's role in the Pre-Preparatory
classroom has been defined in many ways and today thirty
year old descriptions are still valid when defining the
innumerable variety of tasks teachers have to perform.
Teachers perform the role of part lecturer, storyteller,
traffic director, conflict mediator, psychological
diagnostician, custodian and file clerk, not to mention
plumber, carpenter, poet and musician, as well as having
degrees in training in psychology, medicine and
sociology. This diversity is what makes teaching in the
early years so appealing. If you thought that for one
moment this list was complete we could include adult
educator, parent resource facility, chief purchasing
agent, treasurer, personal director and so on.
The nature of teaching in the early years is unlike that
of any other age group. Play forms the foundation of any
good Pre-Preparatory programme:
To deprive your
child the right to play is to deprive him of the right
to learn.
Play is the essence of creativity in
children throughout the world; it is universal and knows
no national or cultural boundaries. Educators and
psychologists have called play a reflection of the
child's growth. It is a self-satisfying activity through
which children gain control and come to understand life.
In a play rich environment the children will
learn about themselves; Learn what words to use when
asking for something; How to climb a jungle gym; What a
secondary colour is; How to read a recipe; How to be a
friend; Play helps children define who they are and
involves singing, creative activities, fantasy play;
sharing.
Play is therefore the cornerstone of
learning, the foundation from which children venture
forth to investigate and test. Curriculum takes on
expression through play; teachers plan curriculum that
includes play as a medium for learning and as children
grow they integrate and assimilate their play
experiences. What starts out as play and sheer fun is
transformed into learning experiences.
We
believe that through a play based programme we meet and
develop a whole child, a child who is Physically,
Emotionally, Cognitively, Socially and Spiritually ready
to face and meet the challenges of formal learning.
Mrs Glynis Courtney
Most of what I really
need to know about life and how to live, and what to do,
and how to be, I learned in pre-school. Robert Fulgham
LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
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