kindergarten as shared experience

8/11/2019 Kindergarten as Shared Experience

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PRE-THESIS 2013-2014

KINDERGARTEN AS SHARED EXPERIENCE TOCONTRIBUTE TO THE INCULCATION OF RACIALHARMONYHidayati Binti Ramli

1Jabatan Senibina, Fakulti Alam Bina,

En i! Halim " Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai,Johor Darul Takzim

A#$t%a t

The initial idea of the article is to study the ideal environment for early children education and

the issues existing in our immediate context.

What was prevalent in the social issues are the vast disparity in economic development of

centers in the urban area and the apparent issues of racial segregation at the very early level.

The focus of this article then revolves around Kindergarten as a democratic space for the

inculcation of racial harmony. It tries to associate architecture as social engineers to strengthen

and build a stronger sense of place at the most formative age as shared experiences. I critically

look at Pusat Anak Permata egara !PAP "# the childcare center as the public model and

challenges its democratic merits and$or the lack thereof as well as its prevalent issues.

The article tries to explore children%s spaces that cultivate the social interaction to be inspired in

its social space and the environment designed to make it happen.

Key word: Democratic architecture, Childrens spaces, Racial segregation, Sense of

Place, Architecture as social engineers.

Terbitan Perpustakaan &ultanah 'anariah# (niversiti Teknologi )alaysi

INTRODUCTION

The *xford dictionary defines Kindergarten

as an establishment where children belowthe age of compulsory education play and

1 +idayati ,amli is a candidate of -achelor egree of Architecture e/uivalent to part 0 of the &chool of Architecture at the (niversity of Technology )alaysia# (T)# &kudai# 1ohor.

2 2ncik +alim bin is the lecturer and avisor of 3inal Thesis studies for the &chool of Architecture of(niversity of Technology )alaysia# (T)# &kudai# 1ohor.

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learn4 a nursery school.!5" The first

conception of Kindergarten was established

in 5678 by 3riedrich 3roebel in -ad

-lankenburg # 9ermany and derived its root

definition from the 9erman language thatliterally translates as :children;s garden;.

Although 3roebel is respected as the

pioneer in the Kindergarten movement# his

work is not widely known in the play theory;s

discourse !0Proven" as more

childhood experts develop models paving

and improving the conceptions of children;s

early experiential learning in the time frameof 58? years of organi


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people. Though this position is still to be

seen# ethnic diversity is still largely

perceived as a cause for conflict# disorder

and trouble. ! +ansC ieter 2vers# 2012 "

(nderstanding these pluralistic problems#2ducation takes center front in nation

building where the preschool education

level prepares the children for formal

statutory schooling where the early

education curriculum promotes and grounds

national unification among diverse ethnic

groups.

Kindergarten was made part of the national

education system under 2ducation Act 5>>?

and the responsible bodies has to be

comprehensive in their evaluation of its

curriculum and be critical that in fact4

studies has shown that disparity in

Kindergarten development is vast. !Abdullah

A@# 0==>" and that racial segregation for

preschoolers are evident at urban level

! avid.).+ and Tien WE)# 0=5="

SOCIAL ISSUES AND THE CHALLENGES

The studies done in The otions of

Identities in The 2yes of )alaysian @hildren

shows that children develop racial

understanding very early from home and by

adults behaviors that will later conform to

racial norms. Troubling results in the

research shows from this early driven

perception was that the children learnt to

associate with their own ethnic group and

choose to be with their own ethnicities evenwhen in contradiction# as was understood

by children;s expert in line with the

understanding of children;s cognition order4

that they do not actually understand social

profiling by race as evidence in the study

that show =F of children choose friends

from different stimulus with no direct

element of ethnicity.

)ore worrying was that the profiling was

understood from skin colour of race# which

the researchers believed to eventually lead

to preBudgment and stereotyping that will

form into a deep seated ethnocentric belief

system and if not rectified at early level.

! avid.)+ and Tien WE)# 0=5="

The segregation in urban centers are

recogni"

The second being that# different ethnicities

choose Kindergartens that uses their first

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language in their preschool lessons. This

will further delay their interactions with

pupils of different cultural background.

+ighlighting this key social issues and itsserious implications of nation building and

aspiring national integration# the article then

begin to /uestion whether architecture can

contribute to this social discourse as a

social engineer and more ambitious as

agent of changeG

ARCHITECTURE AS SOCIAL

ENGINEERS

I you make a !al!ulation o your li e, I think

you "ill ind, in "hatever !ondition you are

in, u# to $%& o time you s#end in indire!t

relation to ar!hite!ture' I you s#end $%& o

time in relationshi# to something, "hy "ould you not be !on!erned "ith this

#arti!ular thing( I you don)t !are about the

things you are surrounded "ith or "ithin or

in relationshi# "ith to most o the time, then

you are ignorant' * KBetil T. Thorsen

*ur children spend up to 50#D== hours in a

child development centre prior to enteringthe first grade. +Sha", %%-. The design of

these facilities# therefore# cannot be

understated as their environment do in fact

influence their development# which had

attributed to its latest emergent architectural

typology. &o then the next /uestion would

be# how could architecture be social

engineers to the inculcation of the ideal

concept of racial harmony# that in )alaysian

context are ethnic relations through theKindergartenG

It is the idea that their school be designed

as the third teacher where democratic

architecture could be implanted as visceral

democratic stimulant in the design context

of the spaces they inhibit. It should not only

happen for the children but also to theteachers and the community where they

lend in their ideas and needs as exchange

between the policy makers and the

architects to best design the place to make

the connection happen# fluidly and then

unconsciously ingrained in their conscious

memories.

@hildren learn first from the environment#

and then learn from second hand ongoing

social /ueues# thus when their learning

environment is designed with the messages

and intention of their first democratic rights#

it should be vibrated through the panelling

of walls and design of windows# to the way

they move in the building.

Architects cultivates the understanding of

space in so doing studies the movement of

people within the context of the needs of the

Kindergarten inhabitants and using

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architecture as tool in designing intellectual

discourse# the intuitive physical space of

children;s play4 it can manifest the thinking

and intentions to connect and build

relationships and trusts.

DEFINING THE MODEL

Pusat Anak Permata egara !PAP "4 is a

program spearheaded by the government to

enhance children;s development taking

precedence from Pen 9reen concept in the(nited Kingdom. In its full commitment to

ensuring the success of its latest policy in

governing early children education# the

policy makers have erected many generic

form of its child care centers around the

Peninsular# 8D centers in total. *ne center

in PutraBaya stands out the most in its

design# reflecting the common design of Kindergarten4 with its modern form with flat

roof and repetitive colourful fins to

communicate its creative language as

children;s space.

+owever# even with its democratic policy#

racial integration in its complex does not

and has not really happen when there is notmany enrollment if any of ethics outside of

the homogenous )alay. Although# some of

this could be blamed in its pedagogic

approaches and policies# it has chosen a

poor site to achieve such aspirations with

maBority )alays in its school location#

committing the previous discussed issues of

ethnic segregation by domestic complex.

uring the interview and site visit# /uestionposed was whether the center was in itself a

democratic place of learningG It came out

short# with complaints by teachers that the

design failed its primary users in built fault

alone4 by the poor calculation of climate in

its adaptation of play from a program of

learning in a colder climate with its reduced

imitation4 the poorly ventilated space thatdiscomforted the inhabitants and the space

planning that does not cater to the teachers

need when they are the caregivers and care

takers.

The children are encourage to play4 to be

competent in their exploration and yet they

are limited in their own space. The teacherseven with their /ualifications reluctant to be

supportive to the children due to their

discomfort level in being in the heat for

children to play outside.

+owever# PAP is serious in its intention#

with its attachment to 2cology epartment

of local established (niversity Putra

)alaysia# as the learning centers to train itsteachers to be competent and the newly

built @hildren ,esearch @enter in (P&I to

continue its pedagogic research for

children;s development through a holistic

level. It seems impressive and encouraging#

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but it lacks the democratic input of

architecture. It needs the proper

architectural model to envisage the suitable

democratic layout# taking precedents from

its previous predecessors# to catch up andoffer the same valued system.

Architecture for Kindergarteners has never

been of much concern for )alaysian

parents and are deemed as bonus concept

and not a necessary criteria !@hiam# 0==>".

evertheless# we must look to the 2ast like

we once did in our approach to theeconomy and learn how the 1apanese

e/uals democratic rights of their young

children as future governing nations in their

inspiring buildings for children. PAP

policies makers must not only internali


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KINDERGARTEN AS SHARED

EXPERIENCE' PEDAGOGIC CONCEPT

While outlining the better exemplary

Kindergartens# the study concentrated ondesign philosophies that could achieve the

intention of inculcating and connecting

humans in their use of space. The 3uBi

Kindergarten uses the )ontessori pedagogy

and develops its design philosophy of

having no fixed walls that separate

children;s visual experience as well as

communicating the idea of complete controlof the students; movements and then

building the space to reflect it. )eanwhile#

PAP centers uses the Pen 9reen program

as the philosophy to achieve the :every child

is a national Bewel; as the directive vision to

echo the government;s agenda of a one

united nation. +owever# the center that has

been highlighted to exemplify this vision hasfailed to reflect the unification that has been

beautifully marketed in brochures and the

building itself has not achieved it.

ow# I shall discuss about critical pedagogy

as the concept that could achieve the

democratic idea to harmoni


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The pedagogy of place based education

stresses 3riere;s theories where he asserts

that one;s situation corresponds to reflecting

on the space!s" one inhibits4 acting on one;ssituation often corresponds to changing

one;s relationship to a place !? 9ruenewald.

# 0==7".

With a sensitivity to building nations# we

need to be critical in our approach# where

architecture can connect each other with

using the right philosophy that can correctour children;s early understanding of

otherness with each other when they share

their experiences4 in the space they learn

about social Bustice and the tools they use to

build it.

CONCLUSION(

As a conclusion# architecture plays the key

role in shaping the nation to a more

democratic social goal. It is a difficult

process but a needed process that is long

overdue4 involving politics# educational

policies# and brave trials of new pedagogic

approach that is not Bust copy pasted

Western models but that it should be holistic

and comprise teachers and community as a

whole working together within and for the

Kindergarten. The needed shift should be

planted as early seeds to take root and it

should start when our children share their

early spatial experiences with blurred lines

of normative acceptance# where teachers

and the community come together and

imbues the school context as a practiced

place of learning and early democracy !5".

The transparent aspiration can instill better

social narratives4 one that strives of shared

values taken shape in a Kindergarten as the

loci that builds and share its memories of

place# obscuring the racial lines and

colouring the true nation aspiration for a

better tomorrow. We need to put our

children first and we need to make it

available to everyone.

REFERENCES

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