Question 1

Question 1 is based on these two references:

i. Outdoor Learning Committee (2019). Outdoor Learning: A National Guide for Early Childhood Educators. Singapore.  and

ii. Coffino, J.R. and Bailey, C.B. (2019). The Anji Play Ecology of Early Learning.
Childhood Education, 95(1), 3-9, DOI: 10.1080/00094056.2019.1565743 (The article is retrievable from the SUSS Digital Library).

a) Analyse and compare the role of the teacher in relation to the main goals set out for children in Singapore and in Anji County, China. What are the similarities and differences?

b) Discuss the underlying assumptions about child development that is found in these two documents. Reference specific parts of the documents in your discussion.

c) Lastly, compare and discuss what you have learnt in the two documents (i) and (ii) with Zosh’s chapter on playful learning found in your NAEYC DAP book.

Question 2

This question requires you to watch the video clip, “Marutanbo-The Forest Kindergarten”

Discuss the assumptions underlying the practices of Marutanbo Kindergarten and how these are deemed effective for young children’s overall learning and development. Compare these assumptions with those found in the early childhood settings that you have encountered in Singapore.

Use the following questions to organise your discussion in a coherent essay form:

• Use Erik Erikson’s and Lev Vygotsky’s theories introduced in Beloglovsky & Daly (2015) to discuss the strengths and limitations of the practices of Marutanbo in relation to children’s learning and holistic development.

• Describe a typical Singapore early childhood setting using a 150-word vignette.
(6 marks)
• Discuss by comparing and contrasting the key cultural and environmental differences that could have led to the different ECCE perspectives in Marutanbo Kindergarten and Singapore.

Support your entire discussion with relevant course readings and literature including news reports, national frameworks, government reports etc.