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Re: Shanghai Mommies Club
Tips for chosing preschool:
International schools do not normally look for children to have made early starts in developing formal academic skills, but for those who have developed positive attitudes to going to school, to learning and to interacting with others. They want children who are curious, have enquiring minds and who are ready for more formal learning.
A child's first educational experiences are also vital in setting a pattern for future learning. Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when making your choice as to what that experience should be:
Choose a school that welcomes you and your child to visit during school hours so that you can see first hand the environment that it has to offer. Avoid schools that do not welcome parents beyond the entrance and that are not ready to provide the information you want.
Observe the atmosphere. Are children happy and relaxed? Are teachers warm and caring towards them? Are children interacting between each other, and are thus developing important social skills?
Is there a lively environment that allows children to learn through play and exploration? Note the type of equipment used to see if it will enhance their development and learning, mainly through play. Note the children’s work displayed on walls. Does it reflect fun, creative learning experiences or is it merely decoration generated by teachers?
Enquire about the curriculum and how teachers teach. For example, if a teacher is explaining how plants grow, will she bring seeds and soil into the class and allow children to plant the seeds, or is instruction only from a book? Reject schools that give homework to three-year-olds and expect them to do extensive rote exercises, worksheets and exams.
Find out when and how the school teaches children to read and write. Choose a school with a positive approach to reading, one that helps children develop a love of stories and books through regular story-telling sessions and access to large picture books, and encourages parents to read to their children at home. Do not expect children to learn to read in their first two years at pre-school. Instead, the school should focus on developing important pre-reading skills.
Once more formal reading instruction does begin, the teaching of phonics is valuable, so children learn to identify sounds, but again do not expect this too early and make sure it is introduced in a fun way rather than through rote exercises.
Find out about the different approaches: Montessori which fosters individual enquiry, academic skills and self-discipline; learning through play, in which children develop social, physical and intellectual skills through group play; the Project Approach, which allows children to develop a range of developmentally appropriate skills through focused research and exploration of a particular topic.
Does the pre-school help children develop breadth of experience through outings (eg, to parks, fire stations, post-offices, beaches etc)? Does it have sufficient space for play, and preferably outdoor space with adequate large play equipment? Do children have access to paint, clay, music, water, sand?
Think carefully about the language of instruction. If you are looking to place your child in an international school, going to an English-medium pre-school will help them develop the necessary language skills. But check how the language is taught, how many native-English teachers there are, how often these English teachers lead sessions and how they support children with little English.
Ask which primary schools children go to after leaving a pre-school, to ensure this fits with your own plans. Many pre-schools prepare children for particular groups of primary schools.
Find out about the professionalism of staff and principal. There is a direct relationship between the qualifications of staff and the quality of the programme.
Make sure the pre-school fulfils all government regulatory requirements: the maximum number of children to a teacher, the approved school fees, any additional charges its makes.
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發表於 05-9-6 11:30
If not, we could meet up neither in HK nor TPE while the exibition in TPE would be finished on next Wed. 
Misaki was born on 12th March, 05!
