Introducing Developmentally Appropriate Practice to Three Preschools in mainland China

This workshop and photo slideshow will describe the work done over the past three years to bring an understanding of developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood preschool education to three schools in mainland... [ view full abstract ]

This workshop and photo slideshow will describe the work done over the past three years to bring an understanding of developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood preschool education to three schools in mainland China. Two preschools are located in the Beijing area and one is in Xian. Within China there is a tremendous recent interest in western curriculum methods in preschools. The Chinese government is supportive of these methods. Change however is difficult.
Although there is a willingness among school administrators to bring these practices to China, teachers are uncomfortable with the changes. This workshop documents the struggles and successes in providing support and education to Chinese preschool teachers as they grapple with learning a new method of teaching. In particular, the idea of learning through play has proven to be a challenging concept.
Other challenges involve parent expectations, bilingual communication, equipment availability, school schedules, and the coordination of ongoing mentoring and coaching in between annual visits. Through trial and error most of these challenges have been successfully addressed but are still in the process of improvement. Discussion of these challenges and strategies for improvement will be discussed during the workshop.