The garden is thorny: Teaching kindergarten in the age of accountability

Abstract

Teachers today are faced with myriad expectations. Whether preparing children for school learning goals, state assessments, or building social skills, it seems that teachers are being asked to do more every year. Perhaps the most palpable effect of the standards movement has been the academic "trickle down," whereby our youngest learners have been exposed to a more academic, teacherdirected curriculum in many of today's kindergarten classrooms. The evidence is strong; kindergarten has become the new first grade. This article explores the apparent conflicts and tensions evident in many of today's kindergarten classrooms. In addition, recommendations are made to preservice teachers and school administrators in response to the challenges teachers face today in the current educational climate and the supports needed to ensure developmentally appropriate teaching. In this qualitative study four conversant and experienced kindergarten teachers were investigated over the course of a school year as they lived within the context of a changing curriculum, increased demands, and new expectations. This study looked to capture the lives of teachers and their abilities to develop and integrate strategies that consider the developmental nature of children, challenges of classroom diversity, and the imposition of standards and mandates.

Examining How Stakeholders at the Local, State, and National Levels Made Sense of the Changed Kindergarten

“…In terms of what is occurring in the kindergarten classroom, while there seems to be an emerging consensus around the benefits of children experiencing both developmental and academic learning experiences, most studies appear to demonstrate that practices emphasizing teaching to the whole child through a range of instructional practices are being or have been eliminated from the classroom (e.g., Lynch, 2015; Minicozzi, 2016). For example, Bassok et al (2016) analyzed data from two kindergarten cohorts that participated in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K:1998 and ECLS-K:2011) and found a large increase from 1998 and 2010 in the time kindergarten teachers spent on academic skills instruction as well as giving children more standardized assessments while spending less time on child-selected activities, music, and art.…”

Attempting to fracture the neoliberal hold on early educators’ practical conceptions of teaching: A case study

“…Such rhetoric seems to mimic what others have documented in that there is an inherent belief that no matter the context, both politically and systematically, DAP should be the central focus of the classroom teacher (Goldstein, 2007;Minicozzi, 2016). Yet, prioritizing a theory of practice rooted in much of the same individualistic logic found in neoliberalism, such as "to be effective, teachers must get to know each child in the group well … from the information and insights gathered, teachers make plans and adjustments to promote each child's individual development and learning as fully as possible" (Copple and Bredekamp, 2009: 9), exemplifies how these graduate students appeared to be unaware of their own participation in a system of governance that "connects individual freedom to capitalism, where individuals can be 'successful' and achieve what they want through the accumulation of wealth" (Smith et al, 2016: 124).…”

“…While often framed as a counter-discourse to the standardization of early childhood (e.g. Goldstein, 2007; Minicozzi, 2016), the danger with DAP is that it “normalises teachers’ pedagogical practices to those that are time-tested and proven to be both efficient and effective in delivering the outcomes that are necessary for market competition and branding” of the teaching of young children (Loh and Hu, 2014: 20). While DAP may speak back to calls for standardization and increased accountability, it does so through “notions of preparation for compulsory schooling” while ensuring teachers, administrators, and children’s families that such practices are “laying the foundations for lifelong learning” (Ailwood, 2004: 30).…”

“…By framing ECE as a governmental investment in children, such programs are to produce successful learners who become earners and consumers that will repay the state for these initial costs by requiring less governmental support and paying taxes through employment in later life (Ailwood, 2008; Heckman, 2000; United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, 2016). This, in turn, positions early educators as technicians who are to teach all children the same sets of knowledge and skills needed to succeed in elementary school and later life (Minicozzi, 2016) and creates a range of challenges for those within ECE who call for and seek out democratic teaching practices that strive to address the sociocultural worlds of the children in their early education programs (Pérez and Saavedra, 2017).…”

Kesiapan Guru TK Menghadapi Pembelajaran Daring Masa Pandemi Covid-19

“…Pada tahap induksi digambarkan sebagai tahap yang sulit, karena kesulitan yang ditunjukkan berupa disiplin kelas, motivasi anak, kebutuhan murid yang berbeda, hubungan dengan orang tua, evaluasi, dan tugas berat yang harus dilaksanakan. Hal ini sependapat dengan Minicozzi (2016) bahwa guru taman kanak-kanak memiliki beban yang banyak atau bahkan lebih sulit mempersiapkan pembelajaran dan perkembangan anak usia dini. Untuk itu, sebagai guru sebaiknya memiliki kesiapan yang cukup untuk menghadapi kegiatan mengajar belajar dan memiliki kepercayaan diri yang paling utama (Maiza & Nurhafizah, 2019;Roza et al, 2019;Zubaidi, (2020).…”