Reply to Are DCPS PK3-4 programs more play-based or academic?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Generalization but ECE and K in a lot of DCPS, esp title 1 and poorly performing schools, are more academic and less play base.

Charters less so.

[/quote]

Completely false generalization as it comes to ECE.  It's all play-based.[/quote]

This is a completely false generalization when it comes to ECE. As an actual ECE teacher, I can tell you it is absolutely not all play-based -in fact, it’s becoming increasingly academically focused.

There’s an important distinction between guided play and “play-like” activities. I know it might seem like semantics, but it’s a critical difference. The more at-risk students a school serves, the harder DCPS and charters push for “rigor.”

Case in point: our next ECE professional development is literally about “productive struggle.”

Here’s the irony: research has consistently shown that heavy teacher-led instruction is detrimental to young children’s learning. Yet DCPS continues to push an inadequate math curriculum -likely because implementing genuine guided play requires significantly more work and expertise from teachers (and thus more work for the district).

I promise you, children retain their ABCs and 123s much more effectively through play, and the learning goes far beyond surface level. More importantly, their executive functioning skills develop much more robustly through play-based approaches.

I could discuss this topic in depth for hours.

*And a note I just started maternity leave so no nasty comments about me coming in! :-)[/quote]

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