{"id":755,"date":"2016-01-14T15:00:29","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T21:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/?p=755"},"modified":"2015-11-09T09:33:31","modified_gmt":"2015-11-09T15:33:31","slug":"is-there-room-for-the-common-core-in-lutheran-kindergartens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.mlc-wels.edu\/wels-educator\/2016\/01\/14\/is-there-room-for-the-common-core-in-lutheran-kindergartens\/","title":{"rendered":"Is There Room for the Common Core in Lutheran Kindergartens?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by Rachel Arnold<\/em><\/p>\n

Like it or not, we live in a world where graduation requirements have been raised, where academic content has been pushed downward, and where teachers are expected to cover more advanced material in developmentally appropriate ways.\u00a0 No amount of complaining about push-down academics and bemoaning the influence of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) will change that reality.\u00a0 Our question should not be \u201cCan play and push-down academics co-exist in the kindergarten classroom?\u201d \u00a0Rather the question should be \u201cHow<\/em> can we as teachers ensure that play and push-down academics co-exist in the kindergarten classroom?\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be honest \u2013 it\u2019s absolutely amazing what students are able to learn in the kindergarten classrooms of today.\u00a0 As I sit in on a kindergarten math lesson, I observe students discovering multiple addends for 10, solving mental math problems, and working basic addition facts \u2013 and it\u2019s only two months into the school year.\u00a0 When I notice that their curriculum is aligned with the CCSS, I\u2019m not surprised.\u00a0 After all, the CCSS are geared at preparing students \u201cto enter a world in which colleges and businesses are demanding more than ever before\u201d (\u201cFrequently Asked Question,\u201d n.d., p. 4).\u00a0 Clearly, the students in this classroom are off to a great start when it comes to attaining internationally benchmarked standards that will allow them to \u201ccollaborate and compete with their peers in the United States and abroad\u201d (\u201cFrequently Asked Questions,\u201d n.d., p. 1).<\/p>\n

However, I\u2019m not completely immune to the frustration kindergarten teachers experience when trying to implement a curriculum influenced by the push-down academics trend.\u00a0 As I sit in on another kindergarten math lesson a few days later, I observe the blank stares on students\u2019 faces as they examine the first question on the math test in front of them \u2013 the question that assumes they can read numbers in their written form. \u00a0I see the disappointment when children are told that they must draw circles or triangles to represent the number five \u2013 it takes too long to draw dinosaurs with spots or family members with hair and glasses.\u00a0 I notice the kindergarteners\u2019 frustration when they are not allowed to use the counters or linking cubes for building airplanes or creating smiley faces \u2013 these manipulatives are for carrying out assignments, not for exploration.<\/p>\n

I understand why kindergarten teachers might agree with Miller and Almon\u2019s (2009) warning that \u201cKindergarteners are now under great pressure to meet inappropriate expectations, including academic standards that until recently were reserved for first grade\u201d (p. 43).\u00a0 I empathize with kindergarten teachers who believe that the 40 minutes of teacher-directed instruction and the 4 pages of practice items prescribed by their CCSS-aligned curriculums prevent their students from learning naturally through play and exploration (Winter & Kelley, 2008).\u00a0 I appreciate kindergarten teachers\u2019 legitimate concern that the deprioritization of play within their classrooms is preventing students from developing the social and emotional skills they will need for success later on in school and in life (Bilmes, 2012; Bodrova & Leong, 2003).<\/p>\n

However, those misgivings don\u2019t excuse kindergarten teachers from the responsibility of meeting raised academic expectations while still dedicating time to developing mature play.\u00a0\u00a0 Thankfully, early childhood researchers Miller & Almon (2009) offer guidance on how to integrate play and push-down academics within the classroom environment.\u00a0 They propose a balanced approach to kindergarten instruction: \u201cIn a healthy kindergarten, play does not mean \u2018anything goes.\u2019\u00a0 Nor is play so tightly structured by adults that children are denied the opportunity to learn through their own initiative and exploration.\u00a0 Kindergartners need a balance of child-initiated play in the presence of engaged teachers and more focused experiential learning guided by teachers\u201d (p. 44).<\/p>\n

Achieving the co-existence of play and push-down academics within the kindergarten classroom will not be an easy task.\u00a0 However, it is the task that has been set before us.\u00a0 May the Lord grant our kindergarten teachers perseverance in their efforts to that end.<\/p>\n

Rachel Arnold (\u201904) currently serves as the Special Education Coordinator at Bethlehem Lutheran School in Menomonee Falls and Germantown, WI.<\/em><\/p>\n

References<\/p>\n

Bilmes, J. (2012). Beyond Behavior Management: The Six Life Skills Children Need<\/em> (Second Edition). St. Paul, MN: Redleaf Press.<\/p>\n

Bodrova, E., & Leong, D. J. (2003). The importance of being playful. Educational Leadership,<\/em> 60<\/em>(7), 50-53. Retrieved from http:\/\/eds.a.ebscohost.com.emil.mlc-wels.edu\/eds\/pdfviewer\/pdfviewer?sid=9513b574-5a40-438b-8d2f-7faba69cb136%40sessionmgr4003&vid=2&hid=4111<\/a><\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions. (n.d.) Retrieved from http:\/\/www.corestandards.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/FAQs.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Miller, E., & Almon, J. (2009). Crisis in the kindergarten: why children need to play in school.\u00a0Education Digest, (1), 42. Retrieved from http:\/\/eds.a.ebscohost.com.emil.mlc-wels.edu\/eds\/pdfviewer\/pdfviewer?sid=4c3bbb70-7c54-4478-8ce7-0631e3921ec5%40sessionmgr4001&vid=2&hid=4111<\/a><\/p>\n

Winter, S. M., & Kelley, M. F. (2008). Forty Years of School Readiness Research: What Have We Learned?. Childhood Education,\u00a084<\/em>(5), 260-266. doi: 10.1080\/00094056.2008.10523022<\/p>\n

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