ERIC Number: EJ818818
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-4056
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Music and Physical Play: What Can We Learn from Early Childhood Teachers in Kenya?
Freshwater, Amy; Sherwood, Elizabeth; Mbugua, Esther
Childhood Education, v85 n1 p2 Fall 2008
Sharing classroom practices across international borders can add new dimensions to teaching methods, no matter where one calls home. With this idea in mind, the authors (two U.S. early childhood teacher educators and a Kenyan-born U.S. early childhood teacher) have corresponded for several years through e-mail with a small group of early childhood teachers in Kenya. They have asked those teachers about their classroom beliefs and practices in an effort to understand their perspectives about their field. In addition to the e-mail correspondence, the Kenyan teachers shared their classroom experiences and methods through videotapes. As they watched the tapes, the authors were struck by the children's and teachers' high level of physical activity while they played their musical outdoor games. The purpose of this article is to give teachers the opportunity to enrich their use of music and physical play with the strategies used by the Kenyan teachers. The authors present these strategies through vignettes that capture Kenyan early childhood teaching practices in a way that is meaningful to teachers outside Kenya. The vignettes they have constructed are based on a compilation of observations from the videotapes, their e-mail correspondences, and the U.S./Kenyan teacher's knowledge of life in Kenya. Each of the authors' vignettes is followed by an explanation of why they think the described experience is worthwhile for children. Next, they address what they, as teachers and teacher educators, have learned from the Kenyan teachers. Finally, they discuss how these strategies might be adapted for use in other countries.
Descriptors: Classroom Techniques, Play, Physical Activities, Music Activities, Young Children, Foreign Countries, Teacher Educators, Teaching Methods, Preschool Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Cultural Differences, Video Technology, Educational Games, Physical Development, Second Language Learning, Language Acquisition, Health Promotion, Skill Development, Holistic Approach
Association for Childhood Education International. 17904 Georgia Avenue Suite 215, Olney, MD 20832. Tel: 800-423-3563; Tel: 301-570-2111; Fax: 301-570-2212; e-mail: headquarters@acei.org; Web site: http://www.acei.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kenya
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A