ABSTRACT
The descriptive-qualitative study determined the kindergarten teachers’ classroom practices as bases for preschool in–service training in the Schools District of San Joaquin - North, during the school year 2022-2023. It was found out based on the results of the in-depth interview with the kindergarten teachers that their classroom practices were learning through play, using real object, developing values, introducing early language skill, molding the seven domains of development, integrating technology, and classroom-centered strategy. Kindergarten teachers’ ways on how they perform their classroom practices were through the utilization of technology, proper management, and utilization of learning materials. The challenges encountered by them in performing their classroom practices were the resources needed, learners’ ability, teachers’ ancillary services, school location, and learners’ attitude. Their ways on how they manage the challenges were using games and dance, use of varied activities, provision of learning materials, time management, and patience.
Keywords: Kindergarten Teachers, Classroom Practices, Preschool, In–Service Training
INTRODUCTION
A Kindergarten Education Act known as Republic Act number 10157 ensures that every five-year-old Filipino child has an equal opportunity to receive a kindergarten education that is accessible and mandatory, promoting their holistic development and adequately preparing them for a more rigorous formal education and for lifelong learning (Luistro, 2011). It opens more opportunities and challenges for universal kindergarten education (Dimaano, 2011).
The Omnibus Policy on Kindergarten Education supported implementing kindergarten education under the K to 12 curriculum issued last school year 2016-2017. Therefore, the fundamental requirements for a productive and successful kindergarten education program are established by this DepEd Order. It depends on additional resources that stakeholders offer, particularly regarding kindergarten teachers' practices in the classroom, which include classroom organization, instructional support, and socio-emotional climate.
According to Catalano et al. (2004), a classroom that meets high standards values courteous interactions, granting autonomy in the learning process, well-organized education, equitable discipline, and suitable and efficient instructions. All the same, a lot of educational settings need to be academically stimulating, have unexploited learning potential, and offer limited organized opportunities for pro-social skill development.
Peer bullying and learner-teacher conflict are prevalent high-academic failures that typically occur in the worst circumstances (Aud et al., 2010).
As a result, intervention programs that focus on classroom interaction to support students' social-emotional and academic well-being are receiving more and more attention (Durlak et al., 2011).
The learners' performance is significantly affected by how the teachers in kindergarten facilitate learning through their classroom practices, and these practices should be looked into to improve performance.
As a kindergarten teacher, the researcher observes that some of the teachers assigned to teach kindergarten classes in public schools are not graduates of Early Childhood Education (ECE) nor have taken units in ECE. Others have yet to undergo rigid kindergarten training to equip them with the necessary skills to teach kindergarten learners. Some of these teachers are considered excess in other grade levels or schools due to the increase in teacher-learner ratio and decreasing enrolment. Some kindergarten teachers who taught kindergarten classes before and trained with enough units in ECE are now handling other grade levels because they prefer to apply to elementary due to the lack of permanent items for kindergarten to cater to those already teaching kindergarten. All of these kindergarten teachers teaching in the public schools are board passers and met the requirements of the Teacher-1 position at the Department of Education (DepEd).
The resources and teaching aids that kindergarten instructors offer differ from one another, including the support that parents give to the classroom and the invaluable assistance of the internet, which offers engaging interactive graphics to stimulate active participation from learners.
Through their actions in the classroom, this type of incident impacted the caliber of the educational setting. However, the validity of the researcher's findings must be established through the study in order to provide appropriate and timely actions to enhance the kindergarten curriculum in public schools.
The researcher, as a kindergarten teacher herself, studied this phenomenon in the educational system, which affects the teaching and learning process when dealing with heterogeneous groups of learners. Their expertise in teaching young learners may be a factor in changing a child's life and preparing them for their future.
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