Claire McLachlan Focussing the havoc
- Claire McLachlan
- Not just child’s play
- Why Massey?
- Find out more about a career in education
- Take The Next Steps Here
Class of Millions
Once upon a time, from the time they were born, kids did what they were told.
They sat quietly with folded legs in a corner, did their top button up, paid attention, never interrupted, and took part in organized activity, like reading one another stories without complaints or crying.
Yeah, right.
Young kids are crazy bundles of energy, and today, like yesterday, they create havoc wherever they roam. In times gone by they were usually hit with a stick to make them stop. Today, we’ve realized that that havoc is actually a useful part of developing the skills they are going to need as they grow up.
The sticks have been put away, and early childhood education including play- or as we shall call it – ‘coordinated havoc’- has become the way we channel that seeming randomness into useful traits for kids’ future.
That’s where Claire McLachlan comes in. Her work is having a practical impact on Kiwi kids’ day-to-day pre-school care. That means an impact on literacy, and their ability to learn throughout their lives. And that’s getting international attention.
Class of Millions
Once upon a time, from the time they were born, kids did what they were told.
They sat quietly with folded legs in a corner, did their top button up, paid attention, never interrupted, and took part in organized activity, like reading one another stories without complaints or crying.
Yeah, right.
Young kids are crazy bundles of energy, and today, like yesterday, they create havoc wherever they roam. In times gone by they were usually hit with a stick to make them stop. Today, we've realized that that havoc is actually a useful part of developing the skills they are going to need as they grow up.
The sticks have been put away, and early childhood education including play- or as we shall call it - 'coordinated havoc'- has become the way we channel that seeming randomness into useful traits for kids' future.
That's where Claire McLachlan comes in. Her work is having a practical impact on Kiwi kids' day-to-day pre-school care. That means an impact on literacy, and their ability to learn throughout their lives. And that's getting international attention.
Claire McLachlan
Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education, Massey University
Not just child's play
Kids learn heaps when they are young – if a baby’s brain kept growing at the same rate as it does in the womb, it would be the size of St Paul’s Cathedral by the time it was five!
Why Massey?
The Massey approach to Early Childhood Education is radical in New Zealand, and rare around the world. Claire McLachlan’s research and advocacy of it has helped result in interest from countries all over the world, keen to emulate the system.
From 2011 student teachers in Singapore will all learn the ‘Massey way’. A Swedish university has also sought out Claire and other Massey lecturers to teach an international Early Childhood Education paper. It’s also meant Massey’s ECE graduates are in so much demand, some are being offered up to four different jobs.
If you love kids, there is still heaps more to discover about how they learn, and how we can help them to do it better.
Whether you’re interested in doing research to discover more about the best ways of teaching them or actually doing the teaching yourself, the best place to start is by doing an undergraduate degree in a subject you enjoy.
You can then do a Graduate Diploma in Teaching (choosing between Early Years, Primary and Secondary). This will give you a broader understanding of the way young children think and learn. You’ll come out able to better understand what children are capable of, and how they are able to learn. You’ll be a versatile, knowledgeable teacher and very employable.See our Teaching pages for more.
Or you can choose other postgraduate study options such as Certificates, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters or a PhD in Education. With these you will be able to do your own in-depth research.
It can be madness – when you’re in the middle of their havoc, kids can be very demanding, and not make a lot of sense at times. But perhaps it is you that will make the next big breakthrough in their education – and that could have a huge impact on people’s lives.
Find out more about a career in education
Get started
If you want to follow in Claire’s footsteps or just want to learn more about what she does all day, check out our Area of Interest page for Education.
There you’ll learn more relating to what Education is really all about, what kinds of careers you can get in that field, and how Massey University can help you get started down that path – just like Claire.