Today I read about the Finnish “kuksa”, a humble yet beautiful traditional mug carved out of the burl of a birch tree. It is said that the mug, when made properly can last a lifetime. The kuksa made me think of Finnish early childhood education. With its quality, its benefits too can and should last a lifetime. This is why at SEGi we choose to incorporate within our diploma in early childhood the heart of Finnish early childhood education, where respect for nature, exploration, and play form the foundation for lifelong learning.
At SEGi we embrace the key principles of Finnish early childhood education:
Playful Learning: We believe in a curriculum that lets children learn through hands-on exploration, imaginative play, and connection with the natural world. Think mud pies, block creations, and storytelling under the stars.
Holistic Development: Structured academics are introduced gently, prioritizing social-emotional well-being, physical health, creativity, and a love for learning. Every moment is an opportunity to grow and thrive.
Partnerships with Families and Communities: Involvement of stakeholders in crucial decision making is essential for developing confident, resilient individuals.
The key to Finnish education is qualified educators who are trained in the latest research and Finnish best practices. Our graduates must be guides, mentors, and playmates who create a safe and supportive environment for young minds to blossom. Just like the kuksa, passed down through generations, we believe in building a strong foundation for lifelong learning and a love for the world around us.
Contact us to find out more about the HEI Schools Teacher Diploma offered at SEGi.
Amirah Nafissa Bahari Binti Mohd Amir Sharil Bahari, one of the recent HEI Schools Teacher Diploma graduates
Following the exhilarating first round in November 2023, which left us eagerly anticipating more, we are thrilled to announce that Hankidz (www.hankidz.com) has graciously committed to hosting another round of the transformative and inspiring Hankidz Edupreneur Business Simulation Game workshop.
📚 Discover your Edupreneur Mindset: For two days, immerse yourself in the world of educational entrepreneurship. Learn the essential principles that underpin successful education businesses. Uncover the unique mindset required to navigate this dynamic industry and make a lasting impact.
🌐 Explore the Edupreneur Ecosystem: Delve into the intricate web of edupreneurship. From crafting a comprehensive business plan to devising effective marketing strategies and mastering the art of financial management, you’ll gain a holistic understanding of the education business landscape.
🚀 Put Theory into Practice: The culmination of your learning journey arrives on Day 2 as you step into the shoes of an edupreneur. Put your newfound knowledge into action in a stimulating business simulation. Face the challenges of the education industry head-on, make critical decisions, and witness the impact of your choices in real time.
This workshop is designed for you :
Aspiring edupreneurs eager to embark on their educational business journey.
Current educators looking to expand and improve their education-focused ventures.
Professionals seeking to enter or enhance their roles within the education industry.
Join us for the Two Days of Transformation: This event is a unique opportunity to invest in your educational entrepreneurship skills. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have the tools and experience needed to thrive in the edupreneurial world.
🗓️ Event Details:
Date: 20 & 21st January 2024 Time: 10am – 6pm Location: SEGi Subang Jaya, Room 9.1
Join us for an Inspiring Talk by Nan Civel as she shares with us proven ways of Effective Early Childhood Education!
Are you passionate about shaping the future? Do you believe in the incredible power of early childhood education? Perhaps you are wondering if the early childhood profession is right for you? Or maybe you have been in the industry for a while, and need a refresher session to keep you going? Or you could be a parent concerned over the early years experiences of your child? Novice or experienced, educator or parent, you won’t want to miss this extraordinary opportunity!
🗓️ Date: Friday 22 September 2023
⏰ Time: 3.00PM MYT
📍 Venue: Auditorium A, SEGi University, Kota Damansara
Key Takeaways from the session:
✨ Star Qualities of the Preschool Educator: Strategies to forge strong bonds with the children, and tips on creating safe and nurturing environments where they can thrive in all areas
✨The Art of Connection: Learn how to engage effectively with parents and community
✨Longevity in the Industry: Ways to stay relevant and resilient, gaining the trust and respect of the community
Nan Civel, affectionately called “Aunty Nan”, has over 40 years of experience in shaping the early childhood landscape not only in Malaysia but also in Asia. Having founded The Children’s House, Malaysia’s first true Montessori preschool, Nan Civel has mentored countless teachers who have gone on to become centre directors or taken on key roles in the early childhood industry such as curriculum planning, operations and expansion plans.
The Children’s House is part of the BusyBees Asia family and is the leading Premium preschool operator in Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam.
Learning, research tells us, happens everywhere in early childhood. For this principle to be achieved, the early years practitioners need to be well trained. Experience and key qualities including flexibility, sensitivity, creativity, trust in children, patience, and openness to learning are crucial.
HEI Schools (https://www.heischools.com/) is research-based, and as such, this is one of their guiding principles, as highlighted in the recent talk by Heikki Vartia, Head of Global Partnerships (Asia), HEI SCHOOLS (Helsinki International Schools) on 23 February 2023 here at SEGi College Subang Jaya.
This wonderful learning feature of early childhood was also recently explored during one of my HEI Schools study circles – under Module 5 Section 3 of the HEI Schools Teacher diploma (offered at SEGi College as a short course). We looked at how learning is not limited to planned learning activities – and sometimes learning may not even happen during these sessions, especially when these are not planned in the interests of the children. We considered how learning can be fostered during basic care moments that include arrival and leaving times, meal times, dressing times, and transitions. We agreed that it takes training, and experience to recognise and build upon these learning opportunities. I often see missed opportunities for learning when observing ECE students on practicum – both in planned lessons as well as during care moments.
In a recent observation, a practicum student attempted a lesson on parts of a plant. She had a live plant in a pot that she used to introduce the flower, stem, leaves and roots. When taking the plant out of the pot to show the children the roots, the children spotted an ant in the soil and excitedly talked about the ant, wanting to know why it was in the pot. The practicum student merely acknowledged the ant, brushed off the children’s queries on the ant, and went on with her prepared lesson – a craft activity that required the children to glue the different parts of the plant onto the given sheets. The children might remember the names of the parts of the plant at best, but there was clearly little interest in the activity.
Had the practicum student recognised the students’ interest in the ant, a lively and rich discussion could have been developed on the role of ants in relation to plants, allowing the children to develop an appreciation for the interdependence of living organisms in nature. If the student were not ready to have had such a discussion, she could have at least said that they could discuss the ant and the plant later that week.
Discussions on the ant and plant could have been developed on any of the following lines, laying perhaps the foundation for a healthy interest in environmental science and conservation:
how ants are important pollinators distributing seeds that help plants to reproduce.
how ants help to aerate the soil, allowing water and air to reach plant roots more easily, helping plants to grow strong and healthy, or
how ants help in the control of garden pests, preying on insects like caterpillars that can harm plants
Photo by u0413u043bu0435u0431 u041au043eu0440u043eu0432u043au043e on Pexels.com
For the practicum student or practitioner to ensure that learning happens anytime and everywhere, he or she must:
have trust in their children – to listen to them, and be sensitive to their needs and interests
be unafraid to let go of their lesson plans, to take risks and try new things; following the children’s needs when necessary; encouraging exploration and curiosity
be flexible and creative to make learning fun and meaningful
be strong in subject content, enthusiatic in learning so as to be confident enough to lead children to new learning opportunities
For those who believe that learning in early childhood can happen anywhere and at any time, contact us for details on the HEI School Teacher Diploma and be empowered to support this learning in your centres.
In view of the importance of quality ECCE in laying the critical foundation for any successful education system, the World Bank Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Finance Hub in Malaysia organised a virtual training on Preschool Education. The session over two mornings on 18 -19 May 2022 from 9am to 11.30am had around 100 participants. I was honoured to be invited to the training.
Day 1 looked at why and how measuring ECCE quality could lead to improved outcomes. Participants agreed that while there has been emphasis on access to ECCE, there should be more focus on quality in ECCE. Participants also called for a greater national consensus on what quality ECCE would like.
Prof Nirmala Rao of Hongkong University in a video session reminded us that ECCE quality matters citing of course the neuroscience, economic and rights-based arguments. The video also covered how children had to be prepared for the changing nature of work and the technological changes to come. Prof Rao rightfully pointed out the multiple perspectives of quality and how benchmarks of quality would change over time. Structural and process quality were also covered as indicators and measurement of quality.
She also pointed out that what gets measured gets done, and policy can impact upon quality. Are we clear on the indicators of quality? Are standards in place, and communicated to all stakeholders? Have we engaged in systematic observation of preschool quality? Have we attracted, retained and supported quality teachers?
In the breakout session, my group facilitated by Maya Titelman, came up with these ideas:
Day 1 also presented a video on considerations to take into account when deciding on the measurement tools. Examples of observation tools were covered.
It was clear that once we determine the quality indicators to look out for, we would need to ensure that our measurement tool would suit its purpose, capturing the critical features. For example, if our focus was on behaviours in the classroom, classroom observation tools, self reports and portfolios may be used to focus on instruction strategies, learning environment and socio-emotional skills of the children.
Some of the key ideas on measurement include:
From the Day 1 discussions, it could be summed up that we could improve quality measurements when we ensure that:
teachers receive constructive feedback in a timely way
there was standardisation of tools, with flexibility to allow local context to be taken into account
tools were user-friendly and cost effective
Day 2 of the training zoomed into ECCE classroom observation tools and we were introduced to Teach ECE, a free open-source classroom observation tool that aims to measure the quality of teacher-child interactions in ECE.
SEGi College Subang Jaya is currently studying the tool to determine its feasibility for assessing the performance of our ECCE students on practicum. It will be interesting if the tool is used for the students and later the students are assessed against the same measurements when they join the work force – this then provides continuity and align expectations for both the teachers and the schools they will be serving.
Here is the feedback gathered from my breakout room discussion:
The two day training showed the importance of quality ECCE which has always been the focus of our SGC-Whytehouse Early Years lecture series. The training which called for classroom observations and reiterated the role of the educators flowed very nicely to our May 2022 SGC-Whytehouse Early Years lecture on observation and documentation in early childhood. The session is presented by Ms Paula Hoppu of Hei Schools. Join us, and determine for yourselves what are the tools that best fit the needs of your Centre.
In conjunction with our first ever National ECCE Week 2012, the ECCE Council is inviting interested participants to get together and spend just 2 hours on Tuesday 30 October to look at an ECCE issue that interests you. All you have to do is to get in groups of around 8, find a venue of your choice – discuss, document and upload the material to the ECCE Council. Be heard. We hope that all over the nation, groups will be buzzing and from our voices, change will come about.
Can you not commit to just 2 hours?
Go to the ECCE Council website to register if you are interested in hosting a buzz group.
If you are interested in finding out what the early childhood scene is like in UK, do visit SEGi College Subang Jaya on 29 June and 3 July 2012. We have an early childhood specialist with over 30 years of experience who will share her knowledge and experience with us. She will look at working with young children and training of adults in early childhood education at the University of Greenwich on 29 June. On 3 July, she will introduce the High/Scope approach and share her personal experiences with this method. Do register early for these events.
Our the past few weeks, our BECH students have been calling up kindergartens all over Malaysia to survey the industry’s knowledge and practice of the Project Approach. Preliminary findings reveal that there is a need for our ECCE community to get to know this approach. Join us at SEGi College on 24 September to (re-)discover and reflect on the practice of Project Approach in our early years settings. Let’s take this one day to think about what we can do so that our children can experience the POWER of the project approach.
With the 2009 Appreciation Day round the corner, I thought it might be nice to take a look at what we did in the past. Here are some photos of the 2006 event held in SEGi College.
Happy participants with their goodie bags.
Alec Chang sharing with participants how they can communicate with young children.
Having fun in a music and movement session
Lots of hands on activities during Appreciation Day
Early childhood professionals moving to the beat
Raising voices through stories with Cherry Pua Africa
We are making a book for story telling
Judy Shaik shares the gift of story telling
Saying thank you with a gift for Dr Leow, principal of Seri Mawar, one of the SEGi teaching practice centres for our ECE students
It’s that time of the year when SEGi College Subang Jaya pays tribute to all who are involved in early childhood care and education. This is the 4th time we are hosting the event.
SEGi celebrates Appreciation Day 2009
The theme this year is “Supporting Children’s Learning Through Creative Ways”. Our speakers include Puspa Sivan, Victor Tan, Tan Keng Sun and Dr Diana Lea Baranovich. Our early childhood experts will share with you tips on how you can make learning in the early years exciting using music and movement, art, sand and water, for example. Join us for an adventure in creativity as we challenge you to think out of the box to inspire learning in young children.
Back by popular demand, Mr Victor Tan, who will share ideas on how music and movement can be used to enrich learning experiences in the early years classroom
In conjunction with this year’s appreciation day, we are also offering FREE SEGi classes in early childhood education from 1-18 July for early childhood professionals. This is our SEGi way of saying “thank you” to all who care and educate our young.
So do register early and treat yourself to this wonderful day of exciting and stimulating activities.
Sponsors for door gifts and lucky draws are most welcome. Do contact me if you wish to participate in this event in whatever way that you can.
Carolyn M Choo 