What we can learn from the typical school day experiences of the world's children

Childhood Education, 2002 by Miller, Susan A, Rodd, Jillian

In this International Focus Issue of Childhood Education, we have drawn together a collection of articles from a diverse range of countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, England, Honduras, Hungary, Japan, Russia, and Switzerland. Each article presents and analyzes aspects of school day experiences for certain groups of children in that particular country and offers insights into some of the priorities and challenges faced by teachers and education policymakers. While differences and variations in each country's approach to education are obvious, some interesting similarities can be found. For example, cultural diversity is raised as an issue in many of the articles, confirming the need for enhancing understanding of, and respect for, diversity in all of those who are part of the world's education systems.

Tunde Szecsi examines the status of minority education in Hungary. Traditionally, Hungary has tried to isolate itself from invading neighbors; recently, however, many refugees and minority groups have been migrating to Hungary from troubled nations in central and southern Europe. This article outlines the key features of Hungarian education, examines the status of education and schools for national minority students, and highlights the educational situation and needs of Romani (Gypsy) children. This article raises the importance of ensuring equal education opportunities for all children.

Jillian Rodd, co-guest editor, briefly discusses how the National Curriculum in England affects teachers and students. While standards have risen, Rodd explains that many teachers are concerned that teaching is being limited to ensuring students' performance in a "narrow range of capabilities." These educators believe that the focus should instead be on teaching children how to think.

In Wendy Marti-Bucknall's article about early childhood education in a German-speaking region of Switzerland, readers can learn about a typical kindergarten day as experienced by 5-year-old Marianne. The main goal of the kindergarten is to prepare children for school; by regulation, the kindergartens do not teach reading, writing, or written numeracy. The oral language learning approach used incorporates both teacher- and child-initiated activities. Marti-Bucknall also describes efforts to address early intervention and to meet the challenges of second-language learners.

Olga Melnik and Olga Sidlovskaja offer us insight into the pattern of daily life for preschool children who attend a regular Russian kindergarten in Petrozavodsk, a city near Russia's western border with Finland. In Russia, we find that children from 1 to 7 years of age may attend preschool from 7 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., and that they may even eat their three main meals there. In addition to a broad academic curriculum, the children receive instruction in breathing and health improvement exercises twice a day. The emphasis on exercise and other physical activities during a typical day suggests that Russian preschool education is concerned with balancing young children's physical and intellectual development. The authors also identify a characteristic of Russian education that is common to many countries-the determination of educators to work with parents to help nurture children who will be "healthy, creative, smart, and happy."

Some Western readers may be surprised by the description of a typical day in a Japanese 3rd-grade classroom, provided by Scott Johnston and Tadahito Kotabe. As the authors explain, Japanese education stresses the need to address both social and academic growth as interconnected. The 3rd-grade teacher's goal, as described here, is to develop students' thinking skills, their ability to express ideas, and their commitment to development of heart and body. The students often work in hans-groups of 6 or 7-that take on responsibilities as a group; nevertheless, individualism is not suppressed. Balance remains the key.

Australian authors Sue Dockett, Bob Perry, and their colleagues highlight a breadth of issues relevant to children's transition to school within the context of the Starting School Research Project. Through a series of case studies and interviews with children, parents, and early childhood educators, they have identified what matters as children start kindergarten (the first year of school) in the Australian state of New South Wales. The case studies illustrate the cultural diversity of schoolchildren as well as initiatives that respond to the particular education needs of such a geographically isolated population. The article highlights the importance of listening to young children's perspectives on and concerns about starting school, because this input can facilitate development of guidelines that can promote a positive transition to school.

Magdalena Herdoiza-Estevez explores the meaning of going to school in Guajiquiro, a deprived rural area in Honduras. She explains that going to school in Guajiquiro is a "big deal" that requires a tremendous effort from local communities, teachers, students, and families to overcome such obstacles as long travel on poor roads, limited instructional resources, and general discouragement. Throughout her article, Herdoiza-- Estevez brings the typical school day alive with detailed descriptions of her personal experiences at the "Espiritu de Lempira" school. From these experiences, she spells out a range of investments that social agents, organizations, and public institutions need to make to improve and sustain education opportunities for Honduran children. She also draws our attention to the importance of shared ownership and community-based strategies.