Make Preschool Better By Skipping Rote Memorization

In rich and poor countries alike there's a recognition that quality preschool can give children an invaluable start in life.

Take Ghana's capital city of Accra, for example. There's such a push towards early childhood education that 80 percent of children are already enrolled in preschool by the age of three, a rate twice that of the United States.

However, preschool enrollment is just the beginning. Children in Accra continue to score lower than expected on academic tests. To figure out how to help, researchers ran an experiment.

Here's what they found: the factor that made the most difference in children's performance was whether teachers engaged students in open-ended questioning.

But teachers in Accra typically don't approach their jobs in that way. The "chew and pour" method of instruction is more common, emphasizing repetition and rote memorization. After one week of intensive training and a few follow-up meetings, teachers involved in the experiment began using more open-ended and hands-on activities in the classroom, and students scored better. This teaching style helped children flex their thinking and reasoning skills, rather than just repeat information that they were told.

This piq digs deeper, beautifully weaving in the reflections of teacher Godaiva Gbetodeme and parent Herman Agbavor as they think about early childhood education and their roles and their expectations about how children learn. I love how clearly the challenge of trying to do the best you can for children in your care comes through.