When you visit a kindergarten class nowadays, you will see the same routines happening the same way it was done a hundred yeas ago. The teacher stands in the middle of the classroom and instructs students to repeat after her. This was effective but with a lot of changes that have happened and are happening, educators should think whether the same systems and methods still apply.

Comparing the classroom of today to that of a hundred years ago, there is a much more diverse demographic not to mention the dynamic changes in technology and globalization, teaching kids through the rote system alone seems insufficient yet nothing or little has been done about it.

Facts and data present a glaring fact that change is needed. According to a study, only around one-third of American children can read proficiently by the end of third grade. Moreover, a lot of children who come from low-income families enter school with huge gaps in experience and knowledge.

With this kind of demographics, a lot of teachers find themselves struggling how to teach in a way that these diverse group will all benefit. Not being able to find an alternative, the teacher resorts to default - teaching information through rote. And the poor kids automatically recites like a robot not really gaining understanding what the lesson is all about. This results in students lacking the enthusiasm to learn because they don't realize their potential at the very early stages of learning.

If this nation wants to see its younger generation develop an innate zest for learning, the education sector needs to develop a smarter system that requires more than just a few tweaks. What it requires is a new smarter system that is more relevant to the changing times.

This new system should be a set of sequenced instruction based on research. It should aim for a dual-language learning where teachers recognize the advantages of diverse language skills brought by students from various linguistic cultures. Moreover, it should realize that instruction is not the sole responsibility of teachers; thus, it should seek a more active participation from parents.

Such changes are not impossible. There are some schools which are trying to integrate innovative systems in efforts to make learning more effective. For example, the David Douglas School District in Oregon designed a pre-K - 3rd system for dual language learners. In Padres Unidos, parents are undergoing formal training to become paid assistant teachers.

Students are faced with new challenges and opportunities; however, the system in place today are already archaic. It is time to put the present generation to a test by building its own system that will help even their youngest learners reach their full educational potential from the very start.

Tags Kindergarten