LettersThink like a child: how preschools in Hong Kong and China can lead on education reform

Early childhood education should build on and reinforce children’s sense of wonder

Administrators and/or curriculum directors should be prepared to show bold leadership in curriculum development

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A kindergarten teacher in Mentougou district of Beijing teaches children about space. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 8:00am, 21 May 2019Updated: 8:00am, 21 May 2019

At a recent forum in Singapore, the subject of early childhood education was raised, with calls for preschools to be improved so that all children can benefit from quality early childhood education, especially those from lower-income and socially disadvantaged families. It is important to think about what our society considers to be quality early education within centre-based settings such as child care facilities and kindergartens.

Beyond structural factors, such as having a reasonable adult-child ratio and teacher qualifications, the most important factors are the professionals’ willingness to cater to children’s curiosity, perspectives, and changing developmental needs. This requires a customised and almost emergent curriculum that stems from children’s sense of wonder.

Teachers, for example, would encourage children to engage in learning about the physical and social world – to be more observant, self-regulate, see others’ perspectives, think aloud, and use reasoning to try and solve problems. The children would also have daily opportunities to engage in a variety of learning experiences that provoke their curiosity.

In Hong Kong and mainland China, many kindergartens – which cater for children between three and six years old – have been designing their own centre-specific curriculums since the turn of the millennium, and this effort is in line with the national authorities’ early education reform efforts.

A recent study that one of us conducted with five kindergartens – two in Hong Kong and three in Shenzhen – showed how the quality of each kindergarten’s provision of education was enhanced when principals, vice-principals, and/or centre-based curriculum directors were prepared to exercise bold leadership in curriculum development. These leaders were involved in curriculum leadership, rather than just administrative leadership and daily operations of the centres.