Ryan started his fourth term at JG Bilingual Playclub on Saturday, in the same time slot and with the same set of teachers as last term.
This will be his last term in Playclub as he will be eligible for Julia Gabriel's Edudrama programme in June when he turns 2.5 years old. The Edudrama programme is apparently for children who are 3 years but the Playclub children are "promoted" when they are 2.5 years old because they can start Edudrama with a parent-accompanied class and fly solo later when they are closer to 3 years old.
The usual lead English teacher and the usual lead Mandarin teacher were not in class today, so we had temporary replacements - Gerry Nerva and Yue Lin Laozhi. I liked the two of them, they were calm and confident and I really liked the way they handled the children.
Most of the parents and children were not new to the class, but there were still a couple of newbies and, as this was the first class of the term, Gerry took the opportunity to point out two things. Firstly, she mentioned that the English and Mandarin teachers would take turns to lead the various activities each week, so for example, this week the English teachers would lead the introduction/"fun pass" segment and the Mandarin teachers would do it next week. I've always known about this arrangement but I did ask Richard and he said that he never noticed! Haha! Well Richard only attends about two classes per term, so can't blame him. He said that, anyway, it doesn't matter to him because the class is supposed to be bilingual and the English/Mandarin switch is pretty seamless which is how it should be.
The other thing that Gerry mentioned, which I thought was pretty important, was that parents shouldn't talk to their children or to each other during the class activities as this distracts the children from the activities. The correct thing to do for the parent is to pay attention to the activity so that the child will follow suit. I thought this was useful advice because we do have the occasional child in class who is not paying attention or who is making a fuss. As for socialising among the parents, the parents in our class are very involved in what's going on and they are very focused on their children so there is actually very little interaction going on - after three terms, I still don't know any of the parents' names - so I think we pass that test!
Ryan was a little bored during class today. Although he participated in all the activities in class, I could see that he was just going through the routine. He wasn't that interested in what was actually going on. Perhaps it was just his mood that day, but I don't think so. I think he is genuinely a little bored after three terms. Nevertheless, he definitely enjoys the outdoor play segment!
[Click
here to read my updated thoughts on this]
I re-read my post on our first
Parents' Chats, where Linn explained to me that the class would encourage creativity, self-expression, musical/dramatic skills and social skills. Having gone through three terms and now starting our fourth, I think I can safely disagree. I think that her comments may be true for the programmes for older children, like Edudrama perhaps, but not for Playclub.
I did follow Linn's advice - so long as he's happy, keep him in the programme. Ryan has certainly enjoyed himself and so we've stuck with it.
However, to be honest, I do not think that the programme has made much that much of an impact on Ryan's development. If you asked me whether I think Ryan has benefited from the programme, I would say yes. But if you asked me whether the programme made him the child he is today, I would say no. And if you asked me whether we could have achieved the same results without attending this programme, I would say a definite yes.
Yes, Ryan knows that you have to sit down for snack time in class and you have to put away your plate and your cup when you're done. Yes, he knows that he should give the magic box a tap when it comes around. Yes, he knows that he should put his artwork on the drying rack when he's done with it. But, all that is just part of a routine and there's no magic in that. If Ryan were not in this programme, he would still have a routine. And if you think about it, the class is only two hours a week of routine. The rest of the week, when he is not in class, Ryan still has a routine everyday, which he seems to have internalized pretty well. I think most children are already on some sort of routine in their everyday life.
As for socialization and developing social skills, frankly, I think that, at this age, these should not be of worry. It is perfectly normal for a child to play on his/her own at 2 years old. This is the time that he/she is developing a sense of personal identity and, although they like to "help" other people in small ways, it is not necessary for them to play co-operatively with others. Certainly, in Playclub, the children have never been asked to do anything that requires teaming up or depending on each other, although they all do the same activity at the same time in a close group. In fact, I think that if socialization is the goal, then being with family is the best solution because the child actually gets to interact with the people. In class, there is actually very little meaningful interaction going on. It's just a group of children in the same room.
I also do not see how Playclub makes the children more expressive or how it encourages musical/dramatic skills. There is no segment where the children have to perform or to present anything. In fact, most of the children aren't even talking yet. Most of the time, the children are watching the teachers perform - much like watching TV or a movie. It's true that Ryan has become more talkative and expressive over the past year. But I would not attribute that to Playclub or to any sort of programme. Any normal child would become more talkative and expressive as they grow from 18 months to 26 months, with or without an enrichment programme. It's a development that will happen, whether you encourage it or not. I do know some children who have been with the centre for a while and they are very expressive for their age, but in my view, these children would have been very expressive even if they hadn't been with the centre.
I do think that the arts and crafts segment is fun, there's usually something interesting going on. However, once I understood that the point of the segment is not about creativity or art and that it is about fine motor skills (picking up little bits of paper or stickers, handling a brush, shaking the glitter out, etc.), then I was less impressed because Ryan does a lot of fine motor activities at home.
I am not saying that the Playclub programme is no good. What I am saying is that, at this stage of development (18 to 30 months old), it doesn't make any impact on your child's development whether you send your child for these sort of enrichment classes or not. Remember that all these enrichment classes are a recent phenomenon. As recent as one generation ago, there was no Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning or anything similar. In fact, in many countries, enrichment classes for this age group is still unheard of and you will not find many early childhood educators who encourage this sort of thing for under-3s.
Nevertheless, if you're looking for a enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours, then JG Bilingual Playclub is a pretty good choice. After all, Ryan enjoyed three terms of it and is going for his fourth. I would recommend it, because of its teachers and because the centre has programmes for older children that your child can take up in the future.
Anyway, here's to a fantastic last term at Playclub!
5 comments:
I am a M'sian mama and was google-ing on Julia Gabriel and it brought to your blog. Was contemplating whether to start my 20 month old son in JG after reading so many good reviews about JG. Appreciate this write-up as you provided me with some unbiased thoughts. I guess it still goes down to the parent's teaching and upbringing.
Anonymous - thanks for stopping by and thanks for leaving a comment, it's always nice to know that we are making connections! Do read my updated thoughts on Ryan's apparent "boredom" at http://bubble-belly.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-little-parents-chat.html. Cheers!
Hi! I stumbled upon your blog and I must say I totally agree with what you feel about JG! I have 3 kids - #1 was with Playnest for 1 term; PlayClub for 3 terms while #2 was at Playbest for 2 terms, PlayClub for 3 terms and play nursery for 1 term. Unfortunately, due tight family schedule, #3 won't be attending any. I was feeling quite guilty and sorry that she won't recieve the same kinda exposure as the older 2. But your review put my thoughts into perspective. Thanks so much for sharing! :)
Hi there any views on the primary school education or recommendation for primary schools here? Franc Karlsen
Hi Franc, my kids are not in primary school yet so I'm not the best person to ask. You might like to check out kiasuparents.com for info on local primary schools or the expat forums for international schools.
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