the three preschool study

The preschool in three cultures study focused on children from the US, Japan, and China. Of what value, if any, do you think this study is to those prospective US teachers who will almost certainly not be teaching students from China or Japan?

If the directions you had to take you to your destination took you out of your way would you not want to know the more direct route? If adding a scope to your hunting rifle improves your ability to hunt would you not want the scope? The same thoughts could be applied to the study of these three preschool environments from different countries. Because everyone has a different approach to dealing with the same situation it is extremely valuable to be aware of this study. While a prospective teacher may not be teaching japanese and chinese children exactly, they will be teaching children from diverse cultural backgrounds. Having an idea how someone from a different culture may handle a situation differently should give that future teacher an idea for a different approach to solving the problem not solved by more traditional american strategies. The thought then, is that these teachers all have something to offer each other. Even if not all of the techniques are transferable the different cultural perspective holds value itself. Since each child is culturally different in their own way, the understanding of this article would provide some cultural sensitivity in the classroom. While this sensitivity does not equal an instant ability to communicate, it does offer the student some comfort when they realize the teacher understands their situation rather than thinking they are unteachable. It is also invaluable on the part of the teacher to be able to understand that the child is having assimilation or cultural confusion issues that can be solved when an approach is taken that might be nontraditional to the american classroom. Ultimately this article should simply raise the awareness of future teachers to the diversity they will be encountering when they join the workforce. For this, like anything else they may learn in college, is yet another tool for becoming the most effective teacher they can become.