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1.How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

I sincerely believe community resources are good for children and their families to learn and explore. In the Chengdu No.3 kindergarten museum, I can see the history of the Chengdu No.3 kindergarten. Also, zooming in on different furniture and appliances from a child's perspective gives us a clearer understanding of children's vision. This helps adults understand why children feel and think the way they do.

Also, in the A4 museum, I can feel and understand child-centeredness, children are curator in museum, through their ideas to design and set up the environment. I think that is an excellent way of showing our belief and love to children and making children can learn from each other.

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

I can see that professional training is different between Hong Kong and Chengdu.

In Hong Kong, our learning and training might emphasize a more Western approach, integrating diverse pedagogical theories. At the same time, Chengdu may incorporate local educational philosophies and practices that reflect Chinese cultural values.

However, I can still see some similarities, including practical experience. We also have practicums during our study time. Through our discussion, we believe practicum gave us valuable experiences that will support us in becoming future educators.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today

The biggest takeaway from today’s visit to the kindergarten and university underscores the crucial importance of collaboration between educational institutions and community resources. Educational practices can also be significantly enhanced by integrating external resources. Observing children’s interactions with museum exhibits offers valuable insights into effective teaching strategies that promote active learning. Additionally, understanding the varying professional training approaches can inform personal development as an educator, encouraging a more comprehensive and inclusive teaching approach that incorporates diverse methodologies and community engagement.

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For the museum that we had visited in the kindergarten it provide a lot of history about the the importance of having early childhood education. Also, it had talked about the importance having play based learning. Besides, insides, it shows different toys and a huge setting to chair and table for people to use children point of view to understand their adult world. This can help us to have understanding about children thoughts. About the A4 museum it is open to public, it show different story books that made by children, people can have more understanding about actually children have many potential and they are very creative. Adult always did not believe that children are able to do different things, this museum help children express their ideas, thought and stories that they wrote and publish to the public. For example the book of GA GA country, the 3 girls had made the book by themselves by creating the gaga words.

I think the most differences about Hong Kong and Chengdu is about the course. In Chengdu their course include art, drawing, singing, dancing, video editing. All the these skills are important for student to apply in their future career. Their course are some focus on the practical skills. Also their practicum is different from us that they will go to have practicum for 3 months but our program will divide in to different short periods. Besides, in Hong Kong it more focus on the theories and academic.

I think the biggest takeaway aways is about i have more understanding about children have many potentials, we should not limit their ideas and creativity. We should allow children to create and sometimes we even can learn from them. For example in the A4 museum the children's story books had really inspire us. I didn't expect that children can make a story book when they are in 5 to 9 years old. Including different pictures and words, also they can use the story book to community other childre that they haven't meet before. I think it is really impressive.

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In the morning, we visited a kindergarten and there is an orange tree on the school campus, every year children will take the oranges and give to every teachers and staff in the school, it encourages children awareness of numbers and a habit of sharing through counting members and oranges. They also use grasslands and slopes promotes children to bravely embrace challenges. Art portraying cranes listening attentively mirrors adults listening to children. I also learned that education aligned with nature and life experiences is deemed most effective. Understanding children's development through their games and encouraging broad perspectives can combat feelings of depression. Implementing "teacher's games" prompts educators to reflect on their approaches and ask thought-provoking questions to enhance children's thinking abilities. Providing help for children based on their needs and emotions, not just what adults think they need, is crucial.

In the university we visited today also shared many different things of their program. Like it is compulsory for them to attend music and dancing class while study ECE and in Hong Kong it is a CCC for us. And students there only need to do a total of 3 months practicum with 3 years of studying in the master program, while in Hong Kong Yew Chung we need to have a total of 4 months of practicum within 4 years. In Hong Kong we are more focus on academic development and in ChengDu they are more focused on diverse learning. The A4 Art museum also shown me a lot of amazing and funny art and ideas made by children which impressed me so much.

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Reflection topic:

1. How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

There are 2 museums that we visited: a history + toy museum in The Chengdu Kindergarten No.3 and A4 Children’s Museums. The first one shows why that kindergarten was the first kindergarten that does the play-based approach. To have a hisyory of over 100 years old, while having such advance method and understanding about how kids can learn better that way. Not much know about, despite it being supported by government to build it, however it is not opened to public. On the other hand the A4 Children’s Museum is opened to public and really work with children who are on the countrysides. Allowing them to have a chance to develop their imagination and storybook making. We can see how kids are so creative beyond our imagination, especially the bigger projects like Gaga Universe made by 3 girls. This really allows parents to support and give confidence for the kids to express it through drawing and words and filed into a book. It shows that the museum really wanna work closely with parents for the well-being of the kids

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

The biggest difference is that they do not learn a specific concentration but they learn everything and even more than us. Learning dancing, singing, media editing, artwork, and even drama. Knowing that these skills are essential to become a kindergarten teacher. In contrast, our pre-service teacher have more practical experiences than them. Which I think it is important to have the ‘work’ skills in kindergarten.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today?

The pre-service teachers in China is very impressive, as it is a compulsory class. We don’t have this much skills. And I am really impressed about the A4 Children’s Museum’s idea. To make it in a ongoing project to allow kids to be expressive in many ways. The level of project is super big and they are even able to work with different provinces.

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1. How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

The community resources (e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergarten; Since 1920, they have been implementing unit and themes and its advanced. Now they use their previous activities and materials for reference, and they also don’t have strict curriculum. Every season, the themes changes and the materials and ideas they can see from the previous activities, they can adapt and use it later.

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

In Hong Kong, the professional training in kindergarten is the ratio with the child is less like  1:11 while in Chengdu, the professional training in kindergarten; there are many educators with the children so they can look after them and don’t have to worry too much.

In Hong Kong, for professional training is based on our interest courses such as Infant and toddlers, and SEN and so on and We do have different topic /courses we get to explore and learn. Moreover, we have practicum every term according to our years to experience the role of the teacher, environment and different philosophy. Meanwhile, in Chengdu, they have courses, such as dancing, traditional art, culture dress, and setting up environment and they have 3 months practicum.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today?

My biggest takeaway of today is the museum themed local kindergarten. Museum themed local kindergarten because she said “Children naturally able to think critically on how to make it better instead of giving instruction by the teachers. Activities doesn’t have to be instructions, it’s like a provocation for children to let them see and observe the materials and let them play and decide how they want to play

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1. How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

The community resources (e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergarten; Since 1920, they have been implementing unit and themes and its advanced. Now they use their previous activities and materials for reference, and they also don’t have strict curriculum. Every season, the themes changes and the materials and ideas they can see from the previous activities, they can adapt and use it later.

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

In Hong Kong, the professional training in kindergarten is the ratio with the child is less like  1:11 while in Chengdu, the professional training in kindergarten; there are many educators with the children so they can look after them and don’t have to worry too much.

In Hong Kong, for professional training is based on our interest courses such as Infant and toddlers, and SEN and so on and We do have different topic /courses we get to explore and learn. Moreover, we have practicum every term according to our years to experience the role of the teacher, environment and different philosophy. Meanwhile, in Chengdu, they have courses, such as dancing, traditional art, culture dress, and setting up environment and they have 3 months practicum.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today?

My biggest takeaway of today is the museum themed local kindergarten. Museum themed local kindergarten because she said “Children naturally able to think critically on how to make it better instead of giving instruction by the teachers. Activities doesn’t have to be instructions, it’s like a provocation for children to let them see and observe the materials and let them play and decide how they want to play

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Image 1: The toys the children used to play in the past.

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day 3: reflection (chhetri rusma, 20016524)

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day 3: reflection (chhetri rusma, 20016524)

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1. How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

In Chengdu No3 Kindergarten, they preserved the long history of scholars, the curriculum, and what the children used to play in the past (image 1). This allows the visitors to look back and reflect on the history of the kindergarten and how advanced they were from that period.

While the A4 Art museum, it gives a space for children’s thinking to come alive using books. Children come to the museum, give their ideas and the adults help them turn it into a book which gives the children express their creative thinking, appreciation, and stronger self-esteem. It also offer window and mirror concept, and their storybook is being valued in the community.

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

The professional training in Chengdu requires the students to take compulsory art classes, dancing class, mental healing and self-awareness class etc. They also have also a lot of opportunities to work with various kindergarten based during their practicum.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today?

My biggest takeaway is that we know that children are creative, but there are always going to be a moment where their ideas and thinking sparks the adult’s mind. I believe the museum is the perfect space for everyone to understand the children’s point of view, for children to share their stories, and value their opinions in the community.

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After I visited the A4 children’s museum, I feel that it is really good for children. No matter is learn or relax. In the museum, children can learn, be creative to express themselves, and have connections with other children’s. I think it will good for them to develop in the future. And for the Sichuan normal university, I think the school is biggest than our college a lot. I am wondering I can study here. I saw that have many different shop and places for relax, I think students who can living here are lucky, because it is convenient for them to study. Like reduce the time to transportation. And for the kindergarten in the morning, the thing make me most impressive is the child-level table. It makes me clearly understand why we need child-level when we take to them and why sometimes children will do something we don’t understand. I leaned it and I will try my best to use it in future when I’m talking to working with children.

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Museums in Chengdu like A4 Museums, people set up a children section, which is for children to create their own art from urban areas and rural areas to express themselves feelings. There is one concept really inspiring, the six caps of thinking. Children should be rated as an ignorant child who cannot do anything. Children are the future and we should guide them but not limit them to do what they want.

In Chengdu, bachelor students take 5 separate weeks and a three months straight internship across four years of study, compared with Hong Kong like education university, students do a full year of placement in kindergarten, which is a lot different between two places. Students in Chengdu take 5 periods of internship to get a diverse experience from five different kindergarten, perhaps even include different styles and theories- based kindergarten to give students a sense of the preferable environment. In Hong Kong, students might just able to have chances in two or three different kindergarten and most of them likely follow the same syllabus. This give students an opportunity to get deeper involvement in the same school and understand the process.

In today’s talk in the morning session kindergarten, there is a question really inspired me to think of myself. Children sometimes do not have a sense or appropriate solution when they face problems. We should not just tell them to think without any tips or guidance for the first due to children do even not what is the solution.

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1. How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

They will let them make their own book, let them express their feelings and thinking, they make their own cover page, content, they can let more caregivers know what they think and what they need, understand more and support them to do more creation.

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

Chengdu have more chance for students to work on different kindergarten, they have a lot of time to experience and explore how did the ECE system work and how did the full time teacher plan their lesson. Another different is that they have to work on many different type of work, for example they need to learn how to use art to express their world, dance for healing.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today?

Teacher should try to have a lesson which is plan for their students, try to feel what the are the children feel when they are having lesson with the teacher, try the feeling that getting disturb by teacher asking what they are building and they cannot build like that…

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Today we went to A4 art museum, I saw a lot of storybooks created by children with all kinds of interesting stories, which opened my eyes to their creativity.

It shows children's artwork in the museum, providing a platform for young artists to showcase their creations and gain confidence.

Children take the initiative to create their own storybooks, giving them a lot of freedom to develop their potential, so we see a lot of great work.

The professional training in chengdu, offer a wide range of activities, such as dancing and mental healing, for students to experience and learn, have many opportunities for students to try and explore.

And the professional training in Hong Kong. However, in Hong Kong, there will have different elective courses for students to study, such as STEAM courses, which will teach students how to design activities with STEAM elements, also provide different books and information for students to think about.

After today’s tour, I thought children are more capable than I thought, their creativity and imagination are great. For example, the children's work, full of energy and new ideas. When I saw a storybook created by a child in the A4 museum, I was instantly curious and interested in the child.  It turns out that by providing a platform for children to develop, their imagination and creativity can be stimulated.

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Maryam student id :23016081 Day 3 reflection 

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Maryam student id :23016081 Day 3 reflection 

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1.The kindergarten museum had a-lot of resources and things like old textbooks and  piano which was around 88 years old , moreover they told us how many famous educators were before and then they told us that about the philosophy of chinese scholars and they said that the kindergarten is ranked 3rd and it used to be the first. This museum is like telling us about the curriculum and how teaching works in ancient time.

2.In chengdu the professional development is really good as they require the students to definitely join the activities like music dancing and mental healing these are very essential for teachers to learn as it helps them develop as an individual but for hong kong they don’t prioritise these things as they mostly focus on exam oriented task and not the children’s holistic development

3.My biggest takeaway of today was the importance of culture and how there are different teaching methods in different ECE course around the cities , like chengdu has the compulsory activities requirement so its really amazing

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To begin with, the kindergarten has wonderful facilities and it is based on free play. The kindergarten has 110 years history, there were museum inside too. Which has an amazing history. There were some old educators and each of them wrote sentence talking about the education. There were 88 years history of the piano in the museum, which was inspiring. Moreover, professional training in Hong Kong often emphasizes international standards, language proficiency, and exposure to global markets. In contrast, Chengdu's training may focus more on local industry needs, practical skills, and regional economic development. Cultural factors and economic contexts also shape the training approaches in these two cities. To conclude, I have learnt in different cities they have their own standards on learning. And I got this opportunity to learn more about ECE.

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First, foster ongoing relationship between preschools and museums, regularly communicating to adapt activities based on children’s interest and needs. And it is how community resources incorporated into the kindergarten. The next question is about the different between the professional training (preservice) from Hong Kong and Chengdu. Taking the Education University of Hong Kong as an example, it use a whole year to do the internship, and about the Sichuan Normal University, they have total 5 weeks and 3 months internship, and they will change different kindergartens each weeks, so they have a lot of opportunities to internship. About the last question, I think my biggest takeaway of today is I know more about the China history of kindergarten and the history of Shu Ke Kindergarten.

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Note

Today went to Chengdu No.3 kindergarten, normal university and A4 art space. First, No.3 kindergarten built a museum into school space. Which let me gain more understanding about the educational philosophy of Chinese education scholars. Moreover, the school teacher mentioned about child perspectives. Tell us to stand on their side just like the 1.6M chair and table we saw.

Chengdu professional training are more comprehensive students can go to different type of kindergarten such as Waldorf, local kindergarten, community, etc. also compare to Hong Kong, Chengdu teachers put lot of effort on children physical development.

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Today we went to a local kindergarten with a museum, Sichuan Normal University and a children's museum. For the community resources incorporated into kindergartens which showed the history and some sites showed a children perspective. This museum also can let people know the importance of kindergarten nowadays. For the professional training different between Chengdu and Hong Kong, Chengdu will have a longer intership, 5 weeks across 4 years.  For Hong Kong, there is a year to let us finish the internship. Also they have more courses like hand-writing, dancing. The biggest takeaway is teacher should have a children's view. In Chengdu No.3 kindergarten, there are a 160cm tall table and desk which is let teacher to understand the children. In the A4 museum, their idea are supporting and helping the children to finish their thoughts, not asking them what they want to do.

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Community resources, such as museums, are incorporated into kindergartens in several meaningful ways :

Different generations of educators bring varied teaching approaches, which can be informed by resources available in museums, promoting adaptability in teaching styles.

Since there is no standard curriculum, teachers can draw from museum resources to create their own lesson plans, tailoring activities to the interests and needs of their students.

2.In Chengdu, professional training for early childhood education (ECE) teachers includes compulsory classes such as arts, music, stories (connected), dancing, mental healing, self-awareness, voiceover course, setting up environment, designing teaching aids, and improving event organization abilities. These classes are designed to provide a comprehensive skill set for ECE teachers in Chengdu.

On the other hand, in Hong Kong, ECE teachers have the flexibility to choose electives based on their interests and career goals. These electives may include diverse needs, infant-toddler education, and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) education. Additionally, ECE students in Hong Kong are required to undergo practicum each year, tailored to the specific classes they are enrolled in. This hands-on experience allows students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world educational settings.

3. I learnt about the importance of cultural and physical growth and the need to adapt teaching strategies and how we can adapt in a natural way for children progress .

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1. How is the community resources(e.g. museum) incorporated into kindergartens?

I  believe having such community resources such as museum is something we should treasure because we don’t see a lot of museums in schools. Having museum incorporated into kindergartens is very beneficial because museum can play a vital role in rebuilding and transforming curriculum and education better.

2. How is professional training(preservice) different from Hong Kong and Chengdu?

Professional training in Hong Kong is more about practicum. We only learn from practicum and no other special classes that we can learn to make us more prepared.

Professional training in Chengdu is different from Hong Kong because the students receive a lot of trainings in practicum and in campus because they have variety of courses.

3. What is your biggest takeaway of today?

My biggest takeaway would be the museum in the Chengdu no.3 kindergarten because I learnt about their history and how the school gave so much importance to the children’s play even at that time.

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The educational strategies and activities shown a well-rounded approach to early childhood development. By incorporating elements like check attendance with putting different shapes of pieces in the fruit card board and engaging in art projects. The curriculum not only enhances children’s cognitive skills but also fosters a sense of belonging and understanding of others' importance.

The emphasis on practical experiences, such as measuring water and exploring daily tasks to teach basic knowledge, contributes to real-world learning and fine motor skill development. Like the squeezing water balloon to imitate squeezing milk from a cow. Use different colours and texture to attract children interest.

Furthermore, initiatives like encouraging emotional well-being through activities like the "Haha mirror" and promoting physical development through exercise tips demonstrate a holistic approach to nurturing children's growth. The integration of creative elements, such as using colors and shapes to teach math concepts, showcases an innovative and interactive method of learning that not only educates but also inspires curiosity and exploration.

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The educational strategies and activities shown a well-rounded approach to early childhood development. By incorporating elements like check attendance with putting different shapes of pieces in the fruit card board and engaging in art projects. The curriculum not only enhances children’s cognitive skills but also fosters a sense of belonging and understanding of others' importance.

The emphasis on practical experiences, such as measuring water and exploring daily tasks to teach basic knowledge, contributes to real-world learning and fine motor skill development. Introducing concepts like healthy habits through visual aids and interactive activities.

Furthermore, initiatives like encouraging emotional well-being through activities like the "Haha mirror" and promoting physical development through exercise tips demonstrate a holistic approach to nurturing children's growth. The integration of creative elements, such as using colors and shapes to teach math concepts, showcases an innovative and interactive method of learning that not only educates but also inspires curiosity and exploration.

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I think the difference between local and private kindergartens is about the classroom environment. For local kindergarten, their classroom had clearly identified into different area with different decoration. The area have different visual aids that can stimulate children to think and have hands on activity. Also, inside the toilet the teachers had decoration some pictures for children  to understand about the reason why they need to wash their hands and different poo poo situation. Besides, before they enter the classroom it have some area that match with their classroom theme and some area for children to express their emotions. In local school each classroom will have a theme, but for Waldorf they do not have a specific theme in each term. Also, their classroom has less visual aid, their classroom is more simple and plain.
The biggest thing that I took away today is the teachers really pay attention on childre interest, encourage children to think more, observe about the environment. Teacher will according to children interest to design more deep activities for children to have more understanding. Also, j really appreciate teacher had designed different visuals for children.

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What are the difference between local kindergarten in chengdu and Hong Kong ? What is your biggest takeaway of today?

There are a lot differences between local kindergarten in chengdu and Hong Kong. The first thing I observed is the space of the kindergarten. Local kindergartens in chengdu is very spacious, while in Hongkong there is very limited space. For me personally, I believe that children should have spacious environment to move and play freely which is very crucial for their active learning. When there is enough space for children, they will be able to have hands-on experience and that allows them to explore, experiment and interact freely.

The visit in kindergarten today was really insightful. When we were taking tours in classrooms, there were different areas for children to engage. I could feel, how the teachers work hard to cater children’s needs. Teachers created real life learning experiences for children to experience. Teachers allow children to play freely and children can feel that they are capable of doing anything.

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1. What are the differences between local and private kindergartens (Waldorf) in Chengdu? What is your biggest takeaway of today?

After visiting the local kindergarten (Chengdu No.5 kindergarten), I think both of their schools want what's best for children's growth and development and parents' collaboration for children’s support. This Local kindergarten is inquiry based and their children  philosophy is how children can understand themselves and around them. Children are capable of learning by themselves and construct knowledge alongside teachers. Also for Private kindergarten is based on the children’s interest and nature. And they are also capable of learning by themselves.

Compared to both the kindergarten, private schools have natural light and lights dim where they think it helps children to be safe and comfortable. At the local kindergarten, they also have natural lights but the lights are very bright. The classrooms of each kindergarten are different.They both have spacious areas for children to explore,and  in local schools, there are so many art works, materials displaying (showcasing) their works on the walls. Every corner has different subjects such as language, math, etc. while in private, it’s simple and free.

Today's takeaway is that I liked it when she said we learn when we are teaching others. As it helps me to reinforce my understanding and see from different perspectives. Also, it helps me to understand more deeply and be able to have different ideas.

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What are the different between local and kindergarten?

Private kindergarten have more natural place for example, farming area, sand area, most pf there toys are made by wood and lines instead of plastic. Their classroom is full of wood. Teacher always sing a song and speak without using the speaker. The local school is more about observation but the private school is more focus on playing.

The biggest take away:

I can do more lesson that is based on student interest and observation for example where is the line in our life, encourage them to let go and set up many area to let them explore their world such as express their feelings by dropping the balls in the box

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Q: What are the differences between local kindergarten in Chengdu and Hong Kong?

In my opinion, Chengdu’s environment, teacher-children ratio, and curriculum differ significantly from those of Hong Kong. Hong Kong, due to limited space and time, did not allow children to engage in farming and outdoor play. Additionally, the classroom size in Hong Kong is larger compared to kindergartens in Chengdu. Consequently, children in Chengdu have ample opportunities to develop their gross and fine motor skills through outdoor activities and nature exploration.

Furthermore, the teacher-children ratio in Hong Kong is 2 to 3:1X (2 to 3 teachers: 1X children), with some kindergartens having two to three class teachers, however most having only one class teacher per class.

Q:What is the biggest takeaway of today?

After the onsite visit to a local kindergarten in Chengdu, I have valuable insights into its curriculum and setting. The emphasis on hands-on learning and outdoor exploration stood out, fostering children's creativity and motor skills. Classrooms are designed to be engaging and interactive, with ample space for collaborative activities. The teacher-to-child ratio allows for personalized attention, enhancing individual learning experiences.

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Day 2 Reflection - Leung Huen Ling Tiffany 

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Day 2 Reflection - Leung Huen Ling Tiffany 

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After visiting Chengdu No. 5 Kindergarten, I believe the teaching strategies and goals are different from in Hong Kong. Teachers in Chengdu provide a complete learning environment with a variety of materials for children. Furthermore, children can autonomously initiating thought by observe, they can generate or co-create a new concept. The technique of asking questions and then expanding the study of activities on this topic, this method is more child-centered, similar to international kindergartens in Hong Kong rather than local kindergartens. This can help children develop their creativity and critical thinking skills. Furthermore, the school emphasises parental involvement and cooperative community at school. For example, visit the museum once every two weeks. Teachers in Hong Kong will provide the samples for children to as reference, and children will adhere to a uniform learning model. For example, they use the same template for some theme paintings, limiting the child's creativity and autonomy.

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I think there is quite alot of difference in chengdu local and private kindergarten as for private kindergarten they mostly rely on using natural materials and everything is made from scratch and there is effort put in it. But however for local kindergarten teachers prepare alot of materials and resources for the children such as i saw alot of areas like art area maths area where they had materials related to that using paper and different craft supplies that arent related to the nature. Moreover the local kindergarten playgrounds are more of the normal playgrounds not anything related to nature so i think that that is the biggest difference that local kindergarten focus on overall children's growth and prepare as many resources and is very vibrant and colourful area.but for the private kindergarten they mostly like to have children develop by themself and let them explore and find their interest on their own without teachers involvement .

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Today, I visited Chengdu No.5 Kindergarten and participated in an interactive workshop. In the morning visit, I went to 3 kindergarten classes.

In my opinion, the biggest difference between Chengdu kindergartens and Hong Kong kindergartens is the spatial and environmental layout. The classrooms are large and there are various corners/areas for children to explore. In a one-day class in Chengdu No.5 Kindergarten, walking around the school is one of the activities that I think is rare in kindergartens in Hong Kong.

I saw the teacher set up some sensory exploration areas to stimulate the children's brains, such as the simulated milking of cows. There are performance areas and plant areas in the classroom. I think the teachers make good use of every space in the classroom, so that the children can take the initiative to explore and discover.

In the afternoon, the theme of the workshop was about the logic of human growth. There may be performance goals, end goals, or dream goals. The Life Balance Wheel is one of my favourite interactive sessions that helps me think through eight important points in my life.

My greatest achievement is to see the teaching characteristics of Chengdu kindergarten and see how the teachers create a rich teaching environment. How to help yourself find a clear purpose in life.

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Today we went to a local school in chengdu, and there are many different between the local school there and Hong Kong. We can find that the teachers there are really creative and they are really listening to the child voices. When I was visiting here, I can see the teachers did many decorate in their classroom, and all of the decorations I think it need to take a long time to finish them. And also when they talk about the reason why they decorate like that, they will say it’s because they can hear some ideas from children. That makes me feel so amazing because when I was having practicum  in Hong Kong local kindergarten, I never heard something like that and the teacher will always use something that they made before. Therefore this visit really make me feel so different.

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The three kindergartens that we have visited so far share one common thing, importance of building good and efficient parent-teacher relationships, parent-children relationships and parent-school relationships. Today, we have visited a local model kindergarten which emphasises in children interests and nature environments. This is a big difference between Hong Kong local kindergarten and ChengDu. Hong Kong local kindergarten brings all the props and activities into the classroom. Many of the activities are teacher-directed. In ChengDu local kindergarten, they observe children’s interest to let them direct the plan. For example, the teacher observe a child interested in different insects and want to know their names. The teacher asked children to observe the insect’s characteristics and create an ID card for them. They are more likely focus on children hands-on experience and the connection between nature and children.

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Today, we had visited a local kindergarten in ChengDu. I think it was very different from the local kindergarten in Hong Kong. The space for children learn and play was a totally different, in ChengDu children had a big area to explore, but in Hong Kong most of the kindergarten was very small and there are almost 30 children learn and play in a very small place. Moreover, there are one big difference was their learning toys, in the kindergarten we had visited today, most of the learning toys was make by their class teacher by using the recycle materials, but in Hong Kong most of the learning toys was buy from the shops, I think that the toys which was buy was less opened, because the toys was already fix, but if the toys was hand made children can base on their interest to had some changes and teacher can based on the theme to create the most stable toys for children to learn through playing. So I was a very special experience for me to learn and understand about the different in Cheng Du and Hong Kong local kindergarten.

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After visited the local kindergarten in Chengdu, I think it’s really different with Hong Kong. The first thing I think is the learning environment, I saw in the 3-4 years old classroom, teachers provide different kinds of materials for children to explore and play. For example, I saw the art corner, teachers provide different art materials for children to explore and create art, also teachers made the sample of art work to inspire children. Compared with Hong Kong, I think most of the Hong Kong kindergarten provide less chance for children to explore different materials freely, and create what they want. Most of the time, Hong Kong teachers just limited the art materials and creativity for children, they always require children to follow their instruction to draw, make all the children’s art work be the same. Thus, I think the environment of Chengdu and Hong Kong kindergarten is really different, including the children’s exploration and freedom. And the biggest take away of today I think is I learned some tips to create lessons for children to learn. I think one teacher in Chengdu local kindergarten presentation is quite interesting, she shared one experience that children discovered leaf has hole and they think it’s insects made. And then, she did different kinds of activities to extend this discover such as storytelling, building and making a house and ID for insects, so I think I can refer to this teaching method with children in my future work.

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After today visiting the local kindergarten, I think it is totally different from the kindergarten that we visited yesterday. This local kindergarten is quite similar to the YCIS, and it’s a project based approach kindergarten. Teacher and children work together to explore a topic and the children can have a deep self exploration to the topic. Teachers also will noted down the children responses, encourage children to find out how to interact with this topic. They can focus on one topic and have different experiences, different to Waldorf. This kindergarten also have many art work to decorate the classroom, simple visual aids to guide the children and allow children have different exploration.

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After visiting this local school, I think the different between the private kindergarten and the local kindergarten are about the local kindergarten will teach some communication skills to children and they will use different topics to let children learn more, for example, they will trough the fruit topic to teach children that everyone in the classroom are one big family. All are to be friendly to others. And in K2, teacher teach children how to measure and facilitate communication through the use of threads. And the private kindergarten is more focus on nature. It is the difference between these two kindergarten. About the biggest takeaway of today is we can through some games to let children learn more about the Daily knowledge easily, for example, they can learn how to know the age of a tree through play. And learning can be very fun.

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The difference between private schools and public schools is focusing on different relationships. Private schools are more tend to focus on students own. Learning by themselves, play by themselves and play freely without any structure and syllabus. Students use natural resources to build their  own toys. Students can actively participate in activities and be the boss of the activities to design what they want.

On the other hand, public schools are more rely on parents and school relationship. Teachers always invite parents to get involved with school activities and encourage parents to give guidance for students learning. Parents become the most important bridge between the school and the student, which students become a passive receiver instead of an active provider.

The biggest take away from both different system schools, every system is trying to help students to achieve a better holistic development. Public schools provide more sensory areas to children to support their learning while private schools provide a better environment to student to develop their self learning.

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To begin with, I can see the difference between local and private school in Chengdu. In local school, their classes are more organised and have more materials in the class for each student to touch. Moreover, in local school, they have pictures, toys and storybooks in the classroom. They have their own beds in their classroom. Furthermore, in private school, the teachers allow the children to play by themselves. Although they are playing in a wrong way, the educators will not stop them if it doesn’t harm them.  They have more sand and nature play. To conclude, I have learnt that the educators in Chengdu allows the children to have a free play and more focused to nature.

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After visiting the local kindergarten school and workshop,  I knew more about ChengDu kindergarten education. Comparing to the kindergarten applied Waldorf approach , the local kindergarten more focus on communicate with the family, share their own opinions and how to collaborate with the community. Parents have some regular conversations with teacher who can know children more. However, the local kindergarten has less nature areas for children to play. In Waldorf’s kindergarten, there are more nature activities and places for children to explore. Today, I have learned a different education style in Chengdu. They have different themes in the classes, which can let children learn about the theme with some daily practice. Also the teachers will try children's play or activities which can let the teachers understand children more.

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Today, we visited Chengdu No.5 kindergarten. It was a fun and knowledgeable experience. I learned that teach is need to be daily, when children have no ideas about we are teaching, is the good way for children to learn. About children learn, their first step is know about themselves. They need to know more about themselves, than they can know what they want or need, it also can help them learn other things.

So, about the storage in the classroom. We may have so many materials and things for children in the classroom, if we don’t tidy up, it will be messy. If we tidy up very clear, than children will be not easy to find the toys to play or find the materials to learn. So, when we tidy up, we need to keep the environment clean and children can easy to get in the same time. It’s one of the thing I learned today.

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The difference between Hong Kong local kindergarten and Chengdu local kindergarten is that the classroom areas in Hong Kong are very small and they have lack of outdoor area, while Chengdu local kindergarten have very large outdoor areas and their campus is absolutely bigger than Hong Kong.

I was inspired by the learning environment that provide by the teachers, they use innovation to design the classroom, making use of every area of it to implement concepts, when children come up with creative ideas or questions that they curious about, they listen and respect to them, and make create learning materials to grow their passion on learning. I like their ideas of teaching children about how to distinguish the rubbish, they use four cute pigs to represent recyclable, other waste, kitchen waste and harmful waste, which make these concept easier for the children to understand.

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What are the differences between HongKong local school and Chengdu’s local school ?

In HongKong local school they have their own curriculum where children have to meet the criteria . The children don’t have free play time as they have to focus more on the curriculum which means the children won’t be able to show their creativity .The local school in Hongkong is not spacious which make children not to play free around due to the room being crowded. The local doesn’t also has enough resources to provide such as art work or materials for children .

As for the Chengdu local school , They believe that children are capable learners, showcasing their talents and capabilities through a flexible routine that encourages self-care, confidence, and responsibility. The school focuses on nurturing curiosity, creativity, and happiness in children, with a particular emphasis on art, colors, and using resources creatively. They believe in allowing children to make errors and learn from their mistakes, fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for all students. Parents are actively involved in decision-making through PTA meetings, home visits, and regular checkups on nutrition and living habits. Overall, the school places a strong emphasis on holistic development and individual growth, creating a positive and nurturing environment for all students.

Takeaway : I learned that by engaging with children to understand their curiosity, we can help them enhance their creativity.

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day 2: reflection (chhetri rusma, 20016524)

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day 2: reflection (chhetri rusma, 20016524)

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What are the differences between local kindergarten in Chengdu and Hong Kong?

I will be comparing the differences between local kindergarten practicum i did in hong kong and the school we visited in chengdu.

Firstly, the clear differences between local kindergarten in chengdu and hong kong is the space. the space in chengdu kindergarten is much more spacious for children to do their play in different corners of the classroom and outdoor. there are a lot of arts displayed which as in hong kong, there aren’t much space enough to display all the arts or create several big art projects.

Secondly, the free play is limited. what i mean about this is the toys the children use during free play, the children in my practicum mainly used toys that ARE open ended, but lack of use of creativity and the use of materials such as wool, wooden and silk etc in play.

Thirdly, the activities seem to be project based and extend the activities to connect to other parts of the theme such as the height to the wind (image 1) and worms and ants. It uses many materials instead of just a paper and paint for art activities.

Fourthly, it is the involvement of parents. both values the importance of including parents bond with their children and the connection with the children. however, it is hard for most parents to spend time with their children in hong kong and may not join most of the excursions or volunteer work. while in china, they have to due to the government law.

What is your biggest takeaway of today?

the biggest takeaway is the dedication of the teachers they put to make the children’s voices and mind be heard regardless in hong kong or china. they care about the children and have the same goal of helping children explore more about themselves and the world around them.

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Q: What are the difference between local school in Chengdu and also Hong Kong?

The biggest thing from first glance is the environment. They have loads of tools and things for kids to play both indoor and outdoor. Not the space difference but the materials provided and spaced made used for it. Outdoor, there are several areas for kids to explore during free play. Indoor it is full of objects that are DIY by teachers and kids that are related to the theme. While for local school in HK are mostly just toys that are specially played in one way, instead of loose parts.

Another is the passion of the teachers of local Chengdu kindergarten. It is seen that the kids really do allow kids to explore within the controlled environment, while learning together. It can be seen how the relationship between teacher and kids are close-knitted, calling one another in a soft voice and jot rushing them. Going to have went to different local schools in HK, it is seem like the ECE teachers there very focus on completing tasks, having a routine, and keeping the class together. It is something the HK ECE teacher can learn from.

Teachers in Chengdu also used a lot of time to make props and decorate the class even after work hours. Good in a sense of making it look pretty for children and parents, but it shows that they won’t have a good work life balance. It would affect their mental health.

The teachers in Chengdu also research and used creativity of how to make the craft and experience fun for the kids. HK local ECE teachers would prepare with the quickest method, while resulting in a copy paste craft. While Chengdu local teachers keep it expressive for the kids, showing different kinds of artworks. And for the Chengdu local teachers to come up with so many innovative ideas shows their love to making sure the kids have the best experience. They also emphasise the importance of skills that can be used in future life, instead of academically. Like building using tools or cleaning for oneself or toilet skill.

I hope to use these good aspects from the visit to the local school to my ECE teaching future career.

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Note

Today we went to chengdu local kindergarten, after we entered the school building. I saw there are many gross motor development areas, also we visited K1 to K3 classrooms. Where have various theme activities areas such as lines, trees, supermarkets, etc. which is related to play-based learning, practicing children inquiry skills and fine motor skills. Compare with Hong Kong kindergarten, chengdu local kindergarten are more larger than us. Chengdu children can enjoy more physical activities, teacher willing to hear children opinions and thoughts and based on their own ideas to develop deeper understanding like caterpillar discovery. Building a house, make a road for caterpillar, let children explore by themselves.

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The uniqueness of Waldorf is children have a lot of opportunities to explore about the nature. For example their classroom include a lot of wood , natural materials. Also, their classroom  makes childre  feel like they are at home that they feel safe, warm and able to build bonding with teacher. Besides, their classroom include kitenchen that children  and teacher can have some cooking activities. In addition, in Waldorf approach all of the activities that teacher engaged with children  are related to their daily life and they routine of the class is slow, allow children to do it step by step. In  addition, children are in a mix-age class that children can learn how to communicate with the younger children. Also, the older childre  will learn how yo take care about the younger children.
The biggest thing that i takeaway from today is both school has engaged lot with parents. Both of the school will have some activities that parents can join with their children. Also, the first kindergarten that we went, parents are able to rent the farm from the school and have some school activities like go hiking on weekends and celebrate the festival with children  and teachers together. Besides, the things that I had inspired is the environment of the infant toddler centre, they made a conformable environment for children and it won't stimulate children's emotions. Also, they valued children emotions.

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After visiting the Chengdu Waldorf centre, I have a better understanding of Waldorf approach, it focus on the child’s independence and their interaction with natural environment. In Hong Kong, we don’t allow children to climb up the tree as it seems dangerous, and we don’t allow them to lay on the ground as it might make their clothes dirty. But in these approach, children have freedom to do anything they want and without any strict, and I like the way that teacher teach the children about sequence, they use songs to invite children to transit to next activity, which make the times move smoothly and silently.

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In the morning, I saw some children will climb the tree, and I was shocked. In Hong Kong, most of the parents will think that is dangerous, won’t let children do it. But in here is free play for children and it one of the choice for them. Based on it may have some levels of dangerous, so teachers have some limits for children when they playing. Like the highest they can climb and how many children can go on the tree in the same time.

In the afternoon, I learn that if we want children feel relax and safety, we can make the environment like home first. In there, children won’t learn the academic, what they will do are they daily things. Like make the foods together, wash the things, and play. About the toys, we the provide as simple as we can, because it can improve their imagination.

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Today we visited the Chengdu Waldorf Kindergarten And the Oak mMother Tree Infant And Toddler Center. I think it is very memorable to have the opportunity to visit these two places.

I noticed that free play is the core in Waldorf Kindergarten, but there is no specific theme for activities in kindergarten.

What impressed me during the 1-day trip to the kindergarten was the free activities, such as outdoor activities. Cultivate children's imagination, creativity and mobility through free activities. Teachers provide materials and environments for children, such as sand, stone, wood. There have cabin, swing, climbing frame in the outdoor area.

Close to nature, environment creation and children's relationship is closely linked. There are life lessons, sensory lessons and free play lessons in kindergarten.

Teachers give children a lot of love and acceptance. Cultivate children's independent personality and independent thinking to help her/him better independent learning and healthy development in primary school.

In the afternoon, we visited the Oak mMother Tree Infant And Toddler Center, which is to create a home for the child's body And mind and nourish the child's mind and body. It is a childcare center in a family environment.

Prepare lessons according to the seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter), bringing different qualities into the one-day process.

Focus on real life, around eating and sleeping, and then arrange time for other life topics. After listening to the introduction of the founder of the organization, I understood a very important point: the simpler the toy, the greater the development space and creativity of the children.

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After visiting both the kindergarten and infant toddler center which applied the Waldorf approach. It makes me know more about mainland current education at Waldorf.

For the first kindergarten, teachers allow children to play freely and focus on physical development. Waldorf is encourage them learning through play and connect with nature. There are some farms to let children explore and connect with nature. Also, the school provide toys made by wood, hope children can connect with nature. For the infract toddler centre, teacher talked about the relationship between parent, teacher and children. I understood more about the situation in mainland.  The one biggest takeaway of today is giving the children a home-style in infant toddler centre , this ideas can let children more easily trust and integrate to the school.

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Today we went to Waldorf curriculum kindergarten, and get more insights about what a Waldorf day and what will they do.

Waldorf let children use wood materials play and learn, all of the toy are open-ended. Teachers designed all the toy and create children creatively and cognitive development. Children play these toys can helps them create problem solving skills and critical thinking skills, as the oak mother teacher said, every child can use these toy to develop their own idea, unlike a tertiary goods you can only play the model they sale. After today visit Waldorf kindergarten, I saw 0-3 years old can clear up all toys and teacher will let children walk down from staircase by themselves.

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think the one of the uniqueness of Waldorf approach is most of the environment that is natural. Whatever it is a kindergarten or infant toddler center, most of the toys, the equipment and decoration are made by wood. In the kindergarten, some of the toys are made by wood and they are handmade by the parents. And about the second question, I think the biggest takeaway of today is if we want to let children trust the teachers and the infant toddler center, teachers have to let children feel that the infant toddler center is their home, let them feel that this is their warm home.

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Today I went to the Waldorf School and the oak mother tree infant toddler center.

Waldorf School:

The school set up behind a farm, their parents and children and farming there. The most interesting thing are there is a big stone that write down school song, the stone was give by a parent. Another thing is teacher will sing a song together that lead children go back to the classroom, their activities pass smoothly, when a child cannot control himself in the lesson, teachers will keep sing the song and look at him, they always sing during the lesson, this is a new experience for me to learn more about Waldorf education.

Centre :

I learn more about what is the relationship between teacher with teacher, teacher with themselves, child with teacher, child with child and child with themselves. Besides, the family environment is important too.

The most special thing in Waldorf is that they always sing during the lesson time and they always speak in a gentle tone.

The things that I learn is I have to think about the relationships, it is very important that the relationship between teacher and myself.

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The biggest and the most uniqueness thing of Waldorf approach is free play and self directed learning. In Waldorf approach, teachers do not have any concrete syllabus to limit children’s learning direction. Children are more focus on self learning from play and learn from daily life routine. Children copy teachers’ duty and practice it while they are playing. The kindergarten in morning session focus on beats, everything should a beat and a regular beat to children to form a sense of security. The infant centre in the afternoon session focus on relationships, adult self reflection, children to children and children to adults, etc five relationships which can build a comfort zone to children. Also give children enough time in aged 0-3, which can let them grow in their own speed. Waldorf approach is quite abstract to Hong Kong style learning and teaching. Hong Kong teachers have to do a weekly theme for children to learn week by week, and by the certain weeks children can be assessed the level of learning. However Waldorf approach does not assess how much letter children know, teachers can tell by children reactions and play.

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The uniqueness of Waldorf approach in Waldorf kindergarten and Mother oak centre are that both of them are nature-based, family collaborative and has safe and appropriate materials.  In the Waldorf approach, the space was spacious for children to move around and play. Each of the classes has their own space to play during their play time which is nature based. I love how the teacher uses their quiet tone to let children know it’s time to eat their snacks which was calming and they don’t raise their voice to call their names and invite them to come to the teacher. As I observed the environment in this kindergarten, all the materials were safe and natural and wooden materials. The light in the classroom was from natural light and dim light in the classroom. The kindergarten provides a rhythmic environment for children. I was able to see the teacher and parents' collaboration in the kindergarten. And also with the children, they are independent and able to speak what they want to ask or need. They learn through play. As they don’t have classes in the kindergarten, they use songs, materials and activities to learn by themselves. In the Mother Oak Centre, I love the outdoor area where there are different patterns of stones on the floor for the children's sensory stimulation. They also have nature based and the materials are handmade. Also, they have light color materials for children in the classroom as it makes them feel safe,  secure and comfortable rather than the pop up color. The children are also independent here, they cut and make food in the morning with their teachers.

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Day 1 Reflection - Leung Huen Ling Tiffany 

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Day 1 Reflection - Leung Huen Ling Tiffany 

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After visiting two Waldorf kindergartens, I discovered that the technique relies heavily on nature and wood products to encourage children to explore and learn. In the classroom, teachers allow the children to play freely, and they build and construct new ideas using various items, such as rocks - they may imagine that this is a car and walk around it. Another goal of Waldorf education is to assist children develop cooperative relationships with others in order to do things that they desire to complete together, so improving their communication and social skills. The second Waldorf Kindergarten's purpose is to establish a sense of warmth and caring while transitioning from daily home responsibilities to participation in progress and development.

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My perspective on the Waldorf  approach was greatly influenced by the first Waldorf school. They have a strong sense of independence, and instructors support their independence. The children are aware of whether or not they are prepared to take the chance. The instructors are extremely composed and sing the directions and facts in a calming tone. Waldorf’s approach on education is an artistic process, and through showing the children to approach their work with care and beauty, children learn to love learning for their own sake. And I observed that closely today when Children were receiving  positive reinforcement from their teachers rather than coercion.

From the second Waldorf school, I learned how the school is nature based and prefer natural handmade materials for children to play with. Those materials greatly encourages children to use their imagination. The school also focuses on four elements which are family life, family relationship, family culture and family environment, and that really makes the environment family-like which helps children feel safe and secure.

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Maryam student id : 23016081 Day 1 reflection of Waldorf approach  

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Maryam student id : 23016081 Day 1 reflection of Waldorf approach  

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Today i learnt that Waldorf approach is focusing mainly on nature and they use all the materials are related to the nature like woods, sands and rocks . Children engage in free play and most likely do what they find interest in or what they are curious about. This can help them foster social skills, creativity and imagination. In thr kindergarten they also have a big farm they need to take care of where their family and the children both need to water it everyday and look after it. Moreover they also teach children to wash their own utensils and to cook, this is a wonderful approach as it teaches children to be independent and self reliance. Thr holistic approach helps them nurture emotional , intellectual, and encourages them to connect with the environment. Overall i really think that the approach helps children develop as an individual.

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Today we had visited two Waldorf approach kindergarten or child care centre, I find that it was very different from the kindergarten at Hong Kong. As my experience Hong Kong kindergarten was very force on children discipline and there are many rules for children to follow. But today in my observation, under Waldorf approach, children can play and learn in the ways that the like, which can support children on their creativity development.

There are one point that I feel very surprised is the kindergarten here children do not have any academic lessons, they really learn from play and they had a lot of time to play in natural, which I don’t think many Hong Kong kindergarten are able to do this. In Hong Kong just a limited kindergarten had outdoor play time for children to explore the world.

Today at the morning time, I stay with the class, one of the little boy find an frog in the sand area, all the children come to observe, they don’t feel scared about different animals or insects around them. I was a very interesting and full of knowledge I had learnt today.

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The Waldorf approach uniqueness is mix age and the children can play and interact with different age group children, also the activities are all child led activities teacher as an observer. In addition, they focus on Nature which children can connect with the nature environment like gardening and mostly time they will have outdoor activities.

The one thing that I take away from today is that the classroom setting and how teacher stay with 0-3 years old babies, as I share today, the babies in 0-3 needs more attention and comfortable environments for them to develop their emotional. Today observed the kindergarten in the afternoon I find that it is a good environment that I can learn from and I can do in my future classroom setting.

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The first kindergarten emphasis on independence, self-care skills and care for everyone. It is a mixed-aged class so children learn to take care of each other or younger than them. The teachers make use of the environment and daily activities to teach children. One of the things is that children learn from risk. The kindergarten allows risk appear. When children learn from risk, they start understanding how to prevent and make the situation better. This is a great way to let the child understand why they can’t do it instead of adult stop and say no to them.

The second centre is kind of like Hong Kong child care centre. They enjoy the same approach of the first one. They mainly focus on how to create a home-like environment for 0-3 infants and toddlers. They build a big family in the class. Moreover, they allow parents and caregivers to join and stay together with their children. The centre open themselves to share their philosophy and build solid relationships with parents. This is the most effective way to have a good and efficient parent-teacher relationship.

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After visited Waldorf kindergarten and infant toddler centre, I think the uniqueness of Waldorf approach are emphasising children’s self learning and connecting with nature. At the first time I walked in the classroom, I was so surprised. It’s because it looked so clean, neat and warm. And the teacher said all the things including toys are made by wood or nature fabric, children can play all freely, and after that they will tidy up by themselves. Thus, teachers respect children choice and rights, nurture them learning from heart. Moreover, the biggest take away from today I think is teacher attitudes, I chatted with one teacher and she inspired me the trust of children. When I saw some children were swinging too high and start to worried their safety and want to stop them in my mind, and the teacher said “It’s ok, the children know themselves the most, they know their abilities. Some children are older, they know they can handle it; the smaller children they know they can’t swing high, they won’t do it.” Of course, there are some rules children still need to follow. Therefore, when I heard this sentence, it reminded me trusting children is very important as a teacher.

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day 1: reflection (chhetri rusma, 20016524)

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day 1: reflection (chhetri rusma, 20016524)

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What is the uniqueness of Waldorf approach?

The waldorf approach brings the children to learn how to “live”. The children would explore, socialise, model, practice traditional values, learn skills and be creativity. For instance, children will learn how to cook food, wash dishes, or farming to expose to “living” skills.

Another example, children will have conflicts with each other. It is natural to have dispute over toys. The children will learn more than just saying sorry and how to comfort the peers, and use problem-solving skills.

The outdoor area (image 1)

The outdoor area allows children to enrich their gross, fine motor skills and physical health while practicing social and problem solving skills with their mixed aged peers.

There are a lot of nature and wooden resources for children to play and run around which is good for them after a long screen time during the weekend.

Toys

The toys are all open-ended and made by the teachers, but it is not completely finished as the children will end it with their touch. A lot of the materials can be used to practice their living such as sewing and knitting and be creative with the resources.

While children are playing, the role of the teachers are more than caregivers, they are like a mother to care and show warmth to the children, give a sense of security to the children, provide an family-like environment for children to learn. The teachers also does weekly plan and uses music and stories to teach children.

What is one biggest takeaway of today?

The biggest takeaway of today is the promote of the children’s living skills. Children learning life skills can develops a good habit in a long term, gain sense of security in the community, emotion regulation, and independence.

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To begin with, the waldorf approach is basically on nature. They don’t believe that the child will learn from toys or some other materials. Their teaching style is very different from Hong Kong. They have free play time and no study. The teacher will not read the storybook in front of the students. She will memorise and pretend with kids. They don’t have a curriculum for everyday, they do the same everyday. They have more sand play and real life experiences. Moreover, it can promotes their fine motor skills and gross motor skills. They have different kind of materials for the kids to learn. In China they believe that the school shouldn’t give homework or English class. Because they should enjoy their child.

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After a day of visiting different Waldorf kindergarten, we can find that those schools are not going to teach children by using the traditional methods, they provide more trust to the children. In these schools, they are more likely to use some organic material, because they think that helping children have a stronger body is more important than anything. Therefore they will also provide more chances for children to have a walk or doing more exercise. Children in these two kindergarten children will learn more lifelong skills, because they can have more chances to do things by themselves, they need to wash the dishes, clean up everything by themselves. And that makes them improve their self-care ability.

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In the first Waldorf approach, the school emphasizes independence as a key factor in children's development. They believe that by fostering independence, children become more aware of their surroundings and take on greater responsibility. The school follows a structured routine where each day is dedicated to a particular focus, such as outdoor activities on Mondays and art activities on Tuesdays. The school also embraces mixed-age groups, including children aged 3-6, as they see older children as potential mentors for younger ones, creating a supportive community where children learn from and help each other grow.

In the second Waldorf approach, the emphasis is on learning through modeling. Teachers are encouraged to establish a motherly relationship with their students, fostering a sense of warmth, care, and nurturing in the learning environment .

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The waldorf approach was seen from both kindergartens where materials are all woddn and nature. Classes activities were in line with the routines, rythmn and also healthy habits to allow kids to cultivate the skills for their future.

Teachers are allowing kids to free play using the natural materials and totally-child-led play. Teachers are there to observe and also assist them to follow the routine of the class.

Waldorf really want to build relationship and teamwork with parents as both are needed to nurture the kids to become the best they can be.

The second waldorf kindergarten really focus on the 4 aspects of family: enviroment, life, relationship and culture. To make the kindergarten as similar to the family. The warmth, dynamic, comfort and interpersonal-relationships of a family.

The toys are all loose parts where kids are able to use their imagination to play with peers and teachers. They believe in; ‘the simplest toy is the best toy’.

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After visiting Waldorf kindergarten and Oak Mother Tree Infant and Toddler Center, I gained a better understanding of the Waldorf approach and the current situation of inclusion education in mainland.

I am so glad to see children can learn and explore the world by their self, I believe through their senses to learn, to understand and to explore, these experiences much better than adults to teach them and tell them.

The environment is nurturing and warm which can help children learn more about nurture and living, expose them to a variety of experiences, and develop their diverse interests and abilities.

In inclusion education, I learned the differences between Hong Kong and the mainland. In Hong Kong, children with special education needs (SEN) have different professionals to support children and their families, also based on the child’s individual needs to design the individual educational plan (IEP) to support the child’s development. However, the mainland only has standard training for children with SEN to support their development.

Although there are different education curriculums between Hong Kong and the mainland, I believe children's safety and development are important areas for all educators to consider.

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Day 1 Reflection - Chan Siu Ming

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