Early Childhood Education has a huge role to play in the life of children and society, it is an ongoing journey to obtain knowledge, skills, and the ability to be social and be part of society. Because children turn into adults over some time. Children are the beginning of our future society; they are our future politicians, educators, doctors, and other professions that contribute to sustaining society and the world around us. Education is therefore a big part of life to create a society of democracy where all views are respected. Early Childhood Education serves a great purpose in educating children. Kilderry (2004) stresses the importance of Early Childhood Education in building a future society. There is a need for guidance from the Government which could be established by putting appropriate policies in place. Childcare professionals must be able to think critically and able to evaluate their teaching and the childs learning.
Having completed the module Philosophy in Early Childhood Education my knowledge and understanding have changed. I have learned that modern society is changing and steering towards listening to different points of view, learning how to do critically thinking and evaluate, and improving all the time, aiming to do things better. The global society recognizes the importance of lifelong learning. UNESCO (996) states that life-long education is contrasted on four components, Learning to Know, learning to do, learning to be, and Learning to live together. Learning to know is where the child develops an interest and a taste for learning. Learning to do is where what is learned is applied and practiced. Learning to be is where the child learns to embrace who they are and develop the abili
ty to communicate. Developing an understanding of how to live with others is learning about diversity and respect for others even though they may be different within your social sphere. Irish society places great value on children and gives them due respect, they see them as active citizens and acknowledge that children have a voice and their opinions matter. Siolta, The National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education CECDE (2006) Recognises and promotes that children have the right to have choices and make their own decisions, and their decisions need to be respected. However, with all the progress in society sometimes things are moving at a slower pace than desired. Sometimes it is hard to make the changes that are needed. The evidence shows that children are still taught about philosophy rather than actively doing it, one reason for this is the size of classes where numbers are too large. Another reason is a lack of training in philosophy. Kilderry (2004) states that within the western society education system, it can sometimes just be about learning to read, write and live in the contemporary world The Education system can be lacking connectivity and respect. Everyone within society both children and adults will always have questions and need help to understand life and make sense of the environment that they are in. From the times of Plato, the Greek philosopher who discussed and explored political philosophy and the philosophy of language philosophy has existed. According to The School of Life Press, the word philosophy when translated from Greek means the love of wisdom. Philosophy is often overlooked and seen as being difficult to tackle and this is due to a lack of knowledge and experience.