… The notion of childhood is still commonly perceived as a period of innocence and naivety, with children still being considered too young to think critically and less knowledgeable about “adult concepts” such as politics, race, sexuality, and critical social and economic events…

Recent research on early childhood education by Robinson and Jones Dmaz (2006) showed little evidence on the part of educators in developing and fostering critical thinking among children. The two also found that the perception of children as naive and innocent beings is so prevalent that many childhood educators see no relevance and significance in discussing topics related to broader social, political and economic issues…

To combat these social ailments, early childhood education needs to be responsive by shifting the pedagogy paradigm from viewing children as innocent and “too young” individuals into individuals with the potential to be empowered as agents of change in the world where they live…

Early childhood education should not become an arena where children are conditioned to be uncritical passive recipients by always mimicking and adhering to certain doctrines. Instead they need to be positioned as risk takers by continuously challenging the existing doctrines they think misleading and lacking in a sound basis…

Source: Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20070723.F04&irec=3