It has been Ms. Amy’s ambition and passion since young, to be involved in early childhood education. Having a love for children and wanting to make a difference in their lives, she established Taska / Tadika PAC (PAC) 18 years ago in the neighbourhood of Kota kemuning.
Ms Amy has a degree in ICSA and worked in the corporate world for a few years before deciding to use her administrative and accounting skills to start her own kindergarten. She underwent early childhood training, obtained a Montessori diploma and worked as a kindergarten teacher at her friend’s kindergarten. It was there that she gained vital experience on how to approach and teach children the Montessori way. Then, in 1999 she started her first Montessori-based taska. She was happy with the small group setting as it had a kind of personal touch to it where she was able to focus on each child individually. However, due to the requirements of MOE, in 2007 she branched out with a tadika in another building nearby to cater for the 5-6 years old children. To further improve the quality of education at PAC, Ms Amy went on to pursue a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Today, she has over 20 years of experience in early childhood education.
Method / Curriculum
PAC adopts the thematic approach to learning focusing on these areas:
Language
Carefully graded phonic approach – blending and decoding using phonic sounds and phonograms/diagraphs. This is coupled with early grammar and sentence construction.
Mathematics
Develop the child’s mathematical concepts step by step using concrete apparatus.
Sensorial Education
Children’s first learning is through the senses. These exercises will enhance their observation and discrimination.
Practical Life
Develop life skills in children – to manage themselves and their environment.
Cultural studies
Use real and interesting objects in thematic projects and science to enhance the child’s knowledge of their surroundings and to relate it to the wider world.
Creative Arts
Encourage children to express themselves through music & movement, art & craft, storytelling & writing and role playing.
PAC first started out as a full Montessori method nursery and kindergarten for 3 years, where children aged 2-6 would all be grouped together. However due to the requirements of the local education system and at a time when play-based learning wasn’t widely accepted yet, Ms Amy grouped students according to their age and adapted the Montessori methods to incorporate an integrated learning approach to suit the local education system’s demands. All teachers at PAC are Montessori-trained teachers. The different pieces and sets of Montessori apparatus are sourced from different countries personally by Ms. Amy, such as India and Netherlands. As pointed out by Ms. Amy, the different pieces or sets of apparatus used by each group is made of different materials and this gives them a different sensory experience.
As the younger generation of parents in recent years become more knowledgeable and more aware of the benefits and effectiveness of the Montessori method for child development, Ms. Amy decided to re-introduce the full Montessori method at her kindergarten by grouping children of ages 2-6 in one class. This group class would be conducted separately in another building behind the taska. According to Ms. Amy, the objective (and for the optimal outcome) of Montessori is to have children of different ages in one class where they are free to explore their surroundings in a home environment. The benefit of such a group setting is that children will engage in a lot of socializing among themselves, they would learn from each other; Ms. Amy calls this “natural learning”.
In her years as a Montessori educator she has seen children show care and sympathy, children learn to cooperate with each other and some have even shown leadership skills by taking the lead and guiding their peers in various activities. All these skills and character develop naturally in such an environment. This is more conducive than having to set-up the kind of activities and environment to train these children to obtain these skills.
Use of Technology
Ms. Amy is cautious in applying technology in education for children. It is undeniable that technology is very beneficial, but it will also obstruct their development in certain ways. Therefore, she would limit the use of technology such as computer programs and smartboards. Computers are used mainly to assist teachers in teaching and to reinforce the children’s learning. The educational computer program for 2-4 years old could only be used under the supervision of teachers, whereas the 5-6 years old have half an hour on their own. The educational program is related to their cultural / thematic teachings. It is a program tailormade for young children: there’s a part for teachers to present and another part for the children to have hands-on computer experience. The program adds fun to the children’s learning and at the same time train their understanding of language, Mathematics and cultural knowledge.
Other Services
At PAC children get to enjoy a balanced home-cook meal. Optional enrichment classes are offered, such as Mandarin and B. Malaysia, Science in English, Art & Music. Ms Amy is planning to offer a new speech & drama class where children will learn storytelling, public speaking, acting, and maybe branch out to choral speaking as well.
Early childhood is the active years for learning and absorbing, and the beauty of Montessori is its developmentally appropriate activities for children to develop motor skills, mental development, leadership and social skills, and to build their confidence. Ms. Amy
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