Changes
in educational system in Turkey in fact do not bear a news-valued attribute.
Moreover, in the last 5 years, hearing such news about “improving the existing
educational system because of the content we have about it” could be more
devastating.
I
remember when I was at primary school, we could use books of our older sisters
and brothers, and they used to help us with the lessons. Now, because each child is learning reading &
writing / multiplying & dividing with a different system from his/her
sister or brother, no one can be useful for another.
Especially,
I wonder about who can be of use to 5-year children’s group who will start
elementary school this year. 0-6 ages constitute the most critical period of
one’s life. That’s why we keep telling for years that age 6 is very late to
start education. This period is so important that the effect of things lived
during 1 year for an adult can be achieved for this age group in 1 month. For
this reason, there can be significant developmental differences between a
5-year-and 2-month child and a 5-year-and-4-month child. These children can
differ in respect of their abilities in drawing a human being, find
similarities between 2 articles, balance of their gross motor muscles and
ability to button up their clothes. However, these monthly sensitive
differences occur much less between children who passed the age 6. Because
development does not continue with the same speed after age 6.
It
is so much important that the teachers of this age group are aware of these
developmental differences and properly equipped they teach first themselves and
then the children. In this regard, what I wonder the most is that how the new
system will support our educators, who until today started primary education
with 6 and above age group, regarding getting familiarized and dealing with the
5-year age group. How teachers will get over the differences in class medium …
How experienced elementary school teachers, who start a new education period
with 6 age group every 5 years, will adapt to the new age group..
Teaching
has no limits of age… Are we all ready for opening of the schools in order to
learn a new system right from the start?
Derya Gülterler, MS
Clinic Psychologist
