Date of Award

4-2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education (MEd)

Department

Graduate Education

Abstract

Dress-up clothes, wooden blocks, and art easels are seemingly collecting dust in the back closets of many of today’s kindergarten classrooms. Where once creativity, imagination, and exploration were vividly expressed during times of free play, the youngest of students in many of today’s education system are trading in their toys for textbooks. This was not the vision of Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852), the German philosopher who provided the foundation and validity of play as a vehicle for learning within the establishment of the kindergarten movement. The 21st century kindergarten has evolved from nurturing the child’s sense of play towards a stronger focus upon learning outcomes. It is necessary for the Christian educator to examine this paradigm shift in the kindergarten movement with biblical discernment to develop a holistic balance that ensures that each of today’s youngest students are provided necessary and developmentally appropriate opportunities and skills to further their calling within His world.

Comments

Action Research Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education

Download

Share

COinS