TOEFL, iBT, Independent Writing, Early childhood education - rewrite -

Writing Topic

There are people who think that children should start school or kindergarten when they are still very young and should learn early in life to work hard at their studies. Others feel that young children should be more free and should spend a lot of time playing and enjoying themselves. Discuss these opinions. Which idea do you share?

☆Let’s Think

The topic requires you to discuss two totally opposite opinions about early childhood education. Will there be any difference and if so what kind of difference will there be between people who received early academic training and those who did not? It might not be so difficult to imagine the results in general despite the differences in related factors such as innate ability of the individual and the environment like the family and community.

In Japan, children start kindergarten at the age of 5 and school at the age of 7. Do they need to start study earlier? Studies show that most of our neurons are formed by the time we turn 6. In addition to the genetic factor, the environment you are in during these early years will decide what brain you will have, in other words, what kind of person you will be. Therefore, it is clear that how people spend time in their early childhood significantly affects their lives.

There seem to be many factors to consider. What should children acquire during these years? What is the purpose of early childhood education? What does it teach children? What is given as education might be only a small part of a child’s learning, while it could be an essential initiation or kick start for an individual to do well in today’s society. What about the child’s feelings and human rights?

☆Let’s answer these questions to prepare for the discussion.

1.    What should people experience and learn when they are children?

2.    What is the purpose of early childhood education?

3.    What does it teach children?

4.    What is given as education might be only a small part of a child’s learning, while it could be an essential initiation or kick start for an individual to do well in today’s society. What do you think?

5.    What about the child’s feelings and human rights?

☆Hints for Points

♦I agree with the first opinion because …

1.    I received early childhood education and thanks to it I was able to make a head start. Learning was easy and fun to me while many of other children who started school later had difficulty in learning ABCs and hated sitting in class. The earlier the start, the better you learn.

2.    Except for geniuses, who will teach themselves sooner or later, human beings are animals of habit. If you are not disciplined to work hard, you will be lazy all in your life.

3.    In modern society, where traditional communities are gone, children need school as substitute for community. At school, they can interact with adults and other children and learn things that children in the past learned from people in their community such as folk songs, old jokes, games, and other things that will be their lifelong asset.

♦I agree with the second opinion because …

1.    Although I received early childhood education and now go to a prestigious high school, I have never appreciated this. I have always had a feeling of loss. I miss my lost childhood. I wanted to play more. I was always envious of other children playing in the park when I had to go to a cram school. I always feel that I lack something important as a human being because of this experience.

2.    I doubt whether the best environment in which a child to prepare for the years to come is kindergarten and school because they are artificial. The world, nature and society, is complex and dynamic. Children should be exposed to it so that they can learn it directly. They should touch the earth, catch insects, or interact with many kinds of people.

3.    Children should play as much as possible because play is their work. Playing helps acquire things of fundamental importance in life such as attentiveness or confidence. It also teaches children social skills and gentleness. Playing in nature will give children primordial fulfilling feelings that make them affirm life. The free time one had in childhood will give one power to work hard in later years.

☆Making the framework of the full essay

The basic English essay structure is as follows:

【Introduction = Outline】

【Reason 1】

【Reason 2】

【Reason 3 / Counterargument-treatment】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】

Now let’s make the framework of your full essay. You do not have to write in full sentences. Writing down key words and expressions is fine. You can use them as the main ideas and examples for your full essay. Note that the writing topic requires you to discuss both opinions.

Your framework notes

【Main Idea = Outline】

I would like to invent a machine that can　…

because …

【Point 1】

【Point 2】

【Point 3】

【Conclusion = Wrap-up】