The Global Guidelines Assessment (GGA) is a global tool that guides early childhood educators developed by the Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) IN 1999. The GGA gives recommendations on enhancing the developmental environment to make children feel safe, valued, and loved. Ontario’s pedagogy for early education guides educators and families can build learning relationships. A detailed analysis of the GGA shows many similarities with the Ontario program. The fact is that both documents welcome and share the same values regarding children’s educational process. This paper aims to assess Ontario’s pedagogy and the GGA tools, which allow specialists to objectively approach the improvement of the quality of educational services provided. The Global Guidelines are based on the belief that all children have the right to fundamental human rights and the chance to grow in a safe and secure environment that values and respects individual differences.
After comparing the GGA with the Ontario document, the following similarities were identified. The children and families of Ontario are well supported by a system of responsive, quality professionals whose primary goal is to ensure a promising future. Identical to the Ontario provincial framework, the GGA aims to improve education programs and services in low and middle-income communities. Both GGA and Ontario’s education structure advocate for inclusive education that includes educational programs and provides adequate learning resources for disabled children.
GGA enhances the design and quality of teaching and learning by recommending appropriate programs and policies. For instance, GGA recommends inter-sectorial collaboration of all stakeholders in education to inspire successful learning (ACCEI, 2011). Moreover, the learning environment for children is by creating positivity through joy in learning. Ontario’s pedagogy for early-year education pivots on the relationship between children, educators, and families to grow the children’s belonging, well-being, engagement, and expression. Understanding the relationship between emotional well-being and cognitive development by recognizing children’s interests and points of view helps parents develop positive, responsive relationships with their children. Changing negative moments to positive ones is doubly beneficial for the children, as long as the atmosphere is comfortable and the students observe that any conflict can be avoided.
Based on the principle of mutual respect and understanding, the documents also affect other areas of life. GGI highlights that educators should establish an egalitarian learning environment inconsiderate of children’s culture and family customs. Children originate from diverse backgrounds and are brought up differently; hence their individuality needs, learning approach, and values diverge. Thus educators should value and protect all children and create a quality learning environment that assures children belonging and cultural exchange.
Offending individuality and cultural norms to young children affect their sense of belonging hence cognitive development. The teacher’s goal is to maintain objectivity and professionalism and fulfill the role of a mentor who can help in difficult moments and express understanding. For example, if there is a confession in the family, separate time should be allocated for religious rites and activities. This supports the child’s culture and respects the family’s religious practices.
Finally, documents also highlight external principles in addition to personal relationships and factors. Encouraging the children to interact with the outside classroom environment is recognized by GGA to contain an opportunity for play, interaction, and brain development (ACEI, 2011). Play builds imagination and creativity, has behavioral benefits, and promotes physical fitness to improve children’s independence and literacy. The child, interacting with nature and in the open air, spends time much more usefully than indoors for a long time. In addition to the benefits, it is necessary to highlight the effect on the mood and nature of children. People tend to show increased activity and interest in the world around them at a young age, which can be most effectively implemented on the street. At the same time, it is worth noting the psychological factors when choosing the right clothes. Children will be able to face any weather. This will lead to the fact that rain will not be associated with sadness, apathy, and passive behavior, in comparing the language used in both of these documents. On the one hand, the GGA focuses on the worldview of childcare by pinpointing the rights and opportunities that a secure environment should provide. The document notes that every culture is different, affecting the standards of conformance between countries (ACEI, 2011). The GGA also states that educators need to define their methods for measuring the achievement of national policy and practice indicators and community customization (ACEI, 2011). This tool offers the flexibility for educational professionals to make the necessary adjustments to best suit the environment in which they work.
On the other hand, Ontario’s learning framework provides a narrow guideline for initiatives and recommendations for families and provincial educators based on cultural history. For instance, the Statement on Play is a kindergarten program for the Ontario people to bolster children’s interaction with the outside classroom environment. The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) is a branch of GGA that assures the quality of education in Ontario by assessing the students based on curriculum expectations. The GGA language is on children’s rights, opportunities, and the environment globally, whereas Ontario’s education program provides a narrow directive on education and stakeholders in Ontario.
The programs funded by Ontario’s education plan have similar objectives as GGA programs. The Basic Education Coalition (BEC) program established by GGA enforces reform a sense of professionalism in childhood education. BEC recommends the best policy to institutions that ensure educators’ professionalism. The primary learning needs of kindergarten children are more complex than the other different groups; hence teachers at that level ought to have the necessary professional knowledge.
This document has five sub-scales that focus on specific aspects of the school environment. In the first area, he focuses on the environment and physical space. The GGA uses language to ensure a general sense of inclusion and that the space offers an experience for every child regardless of race, gender, ability, or ethnicity. When comparing the language used in the provincial structure with the GGA, it shares the same meanings as the GGA regarding inclusion; however, its focus is more provincial rather than international. The document aims to create a framework for each child’s best possible learning outcomes. The focus is on families and educators working as a team to help the child understand the importance of consistency in the earliest stages of a child’s development. This will show that gradualness and accuracy will contribute to progress in life in the future.
The GGA operates as an assessment that includes seventy-six questions across five subscales. Five subscales:
- Environment and physical space;
- Curriculum content and pedagogy;
- Educators of preschool education;
- Partnership with families;
- Communities and young children with special needs.
It is necessary to analyze the implementation of such an approach in documents using specific examples. The provincial Engagement Foundation and GGA advocate for where children are fully engaged and develop the problem-solving skills, creative thinking, and innovation essential for learning and success in and out of school. Another section for comparison within the GGA is the document’s Early Childhood Educators and Educators section. Additionally, reassuring and supporting stressed children on time is the role of the guardian (ACEI, 2011). Compared to the four foundations, this item will refer to the Welfare Foundation from the regional context. Well-being refers to the importance of physical and mental health and well-being. It includes abilities such as self-care and a sense of self-regulation.
References
Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI). (2011). ACEI global guidelines assessment (GGA) fourth edition. Web.
Imagine… Creative Early Years Nursery & Training. (2014). Developing creative learning environments for early years [Video]. YouTube. Web.