Education Special Section
D
iscover Saint Joe’s.
Discover yourself.
CLASS OF 2018 BY THE NUMBERS
$5.2 �������
45%
������� ������������ � ������ ������
GRADUATED WITH A QPA OVER 4.0
Every day is an open house! Just call or email.
Admissions Director Mrs. Shane Palumbo ’92
(724) 226–4932 · [email protected]
SaintJosephHS.com
A current
issue
of this
magazine
is also
available
online.
icmags.com
24
724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE
❘
icmags.com
ensure that quality care is provided to preschool-aged students
at all facilities. But some educational daycares are working to
“up the ante” on the level of education students receive.
According to the National Association for the Education
of Young Children, there are a variety of ways to implement
effective classroom practices involving technology and
interactive media. As preschoolers are immersed in the
use of technology at home—with their parents on their
phones, siblings on their tablets, and watching others use the
computer—they are curious about the technologies around
them. From a young age, they are encouraged to communicate
using a variety of expressions; whether it is through coloring,
painting, creative movement, singing or talking, children look
to the world of possibilities to be creative.
Digital technology is another outlet for learning and
creativity, and with its inherent use throughout homes in the
U.S., children are learning to explore touchscreens and other
forms of interactive media. Educational daycares are utilizing
digital technologies to explore e-books, watch educational
videos, and explore places and things that children may not see
within their own environment (videos about visiting a factory,
or pictures of people and places that are foreign to them).
Programs that allow students to freely explore these types of
digital media are designed to facilitate active and creative use
and are encouraged to be done with other children and adults
as a form of social engagement.
Use of technologies is only one of the variety of options that
figure into the aspects of choosing a classroom that is right
for a young learner. Parents are playing a larger role in shaping
their early learners with the choice of play-based learning
programs versus academic learning programs. Play-based or
child-centered programs focus on the current interests of the
child. Classrooms are set up in different sections, such as a
kitchen, home, science area, reading nook, or water area, for
kids to engage in social interactions with others and learn
valuable skills based from play. Academic or didactic, teacher-
directed programs are structured with a curriculum involving
planned activities guided by teachers and designed to prepare
students for a kindergarten-type setting. Either method for
learning prepares young children for their future interactions,
both socially and educationally. Finding the learning style
that best suits your own child’s needs will set him/her up for
success.
K-12 Education
It is early in education that students start to
become competent in utilizing the tools needed in
our society. Reading, writing, math and language skills are
all core competencies that need to be mastered at a young
age and are critical for a student’s success. Education is being
shaped by incorporating different styles of teaching, accessing
new technologies to enhance learning, and ensuring that
students leave high school with a sense of confidence to enter
the workforce or to continue on to higher education. A variety
of trends, disruptions and technologies are shaping the way
K-12 schools face their biggest challenges.
Engage Parents and Caregivers
Parents can’t advocate for their children if they aren’t given
the tools to do so. The National Education Association states