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Question: Identify and compare key perspectives that have contributed to current approaches to early childhood education. Answer: Introduction The aim of this paper is to discuss my perspective on children that have informed my pedagogical framework of early childhood education. The paper highlights the perspectives and approaches that have been influential in the teaching and learning of primary children. Through these elucidations and explorations, I reflect on my outlook regarding effective teaching and learning that would enable the children to realise their potential. The paper has been organized on the themes of my beliefs about children and learning, my beliefs on teaching and the contemporary view on teaching. Beliefs about children and learning Children need to grow and nurture rather than being pushed to stiff and cut-throat competition. The dominant images of children are that they are innocent and dependant thus reinforcing perpetual guardianship to monitor their activities. While I strongly believe that children need monitoring and attention, however I do not subscribe the view that they need patronizing care (Luke, 2018). Education of children should try to bring out their potential and stoke their interests towards learning. Children should be treated as autonomous individuals and the role of the teacher and parent should be to ignite them an interest for learning. Children should be motivated to realize their full potential and their morale should be boosted so that they become responsible individuals (Hennessey Dionigi, 2013). The Montessori philosophy emphasizes that the classroom should be an environment that should be collaborative in nature by the children, teacher and the environment (Ahmadpour Mujembari, 201 5). The children would autonomously make individual choice that would provide them an opportunity to make decisions for themselves and learn to take responsibilities of their own. Steiners philosophy of education would also be useful in the development of the child as this philosophy proposes for a curriculum and educational setting that would inspire the child to learn. This can be done through the means of creative play, stories, songs and interaction with the nature and involvement of the child (Kelemen et al., 2014). This framework would encourage the child to explore the environment, imbibing important skills, the values of sharing and culminate to the emotional quotient of the children. Children are imaginative and spontaneous and therefore, the purpose of education should be to nurture that spirit within the children. Children also tend to imitate the adults and for them the immediate role models are the older children. The older children tend to reinforce their learning on t he younger children (Cutter-Mackenzie., Edwards, 2013). Therefore, multi-age groupings would inculcate the spirit of peer-group learning. Dr. Maria Montessori opine that in the phase of childhood, children experience sensitive periods, also known as windows of opportunity. The Reggio Emilia movement ushered in a wave of change in the field of primary school education for education. This philosophical tenet of this movement is in consonance with my view of the child. Unlike, the traditional constructions of children as dependant, this philosophy recognize the agentic quality of the child. I feel that childhood is an important phase where the children can make sense of themselves. Secondly, the children should interact with the adults and they are co-learners. Children should learn and develop by participating in the designing of the school curriculum. The feature of this curriculum children and adults collaborating. The planning in this kind of approach should be based on documenting the language of the child, observation and recording of interests and ideas of the child that would enhance and underline the agency of the child. There should be assessment that is based on the portfolios comprising of the work selected and decided by the student in collab oration with their teacher. There should also be interviews with children about their learning and promote peer review and augment the agency of the children. Beliefs on teaching The Kumon method of teaching and learning propounded by Toru Kumon of Japan has been revolutionary in the field of early childhood education. This method makes the students equipped to handle methods without being directly taught to them (Bray, 2013). The highlight of this method is that it incorporates new content that is imbibed and retained by the students even after they graduate from school. The effectiveness of the method lies in its systematic approach towards the education of the child. The first step of teaching a new concept is with the adequate use of illustrations. In the subsequent stage, the difficulty level of the students is increased with the aim that this would enhance their learning. This allows students to learn how to form links with the concepts and the topics that they have already learnt in the class. Another feature of the Kumon method that is sustainable for the learning outcome of the children. This feature of providing individualized instruction to each of the children and would enable to bring out their potential and promote the holistic development of their academic capabilities (Hayat, 2017). The instructor makes a close observation of the students and evaluates their abilities. This is followed by guiding each of the children based on their potential. The last stage is collecting feedback from the children and improvising on the teaching technique of the students. The Kumon educator inspires the students to be responsible and cultivate a positive outlook towards academics. The kumon teachers also believe that students should feel confident and independent. To materialize this outlook, the educators continuously evaluate the performance of the child and encourage the students to participate with keenness in their academic endeavour (Lillard, 2013). Based on the philosophy and features of the kumon method of learning, I feel method would be effective and pragmatic to teach and learn children for a better future. As a teacher, my role would be guide my students and help them to realize their potential. I do not affirm to the notion of education that is premised on spoon-feeding the children. Teaching should not amount to being a crutch for the student but rather being an efficient educator who equips the students to use all the skills in the right manner. I feel that merely teaching a concept without providing illustrations is not impactful. Stud ies have shown that the use of illustrations intensify the understanding capacity and retaining power of the children. If a children forgets what is being taught and imparted in the classroom, it is because the correct method is not being followed. Therefore, as a teacher it would be my goal to instill confidence and curiosity in children so that they are interested to take on new challenges. The curriculum design should be in such a manner that level of toughness in terms of the module is in an ascending order, providing the students to learn and then take on the next set of hurdles. Teaching and learning is a two-way process. I need to understand whether the children are able to understand the contents of the module, whether they are facing difficulties or whether there is a need for improvement. This can be done when I have feedback from the children. This will also encourage children to understand their individual learning capacities and embolden me to provide attention to them based on their personalized learning outcome. Beliefs about contemporary views In the contemporary times, the Reggio Emilia approach that views the child as capable, strong and agentic have been quite popular. The Reggio-Emilia approach stood out for its view considering the child as an autonomous individual who is capable of realising his or her own potential (Bond, 2015). Multi-arts approach has been one of the highlights of the Reggio-Emilia philosophy. This approach empowers students to learn and retain better information for a protracted period of time. Children are also able to apply the techniques learnt in their own artwork and create superior quality artwork (Slipp, 2017). The Reggio-Emilia approach perceives children as capable learners who can acquire knowledge through their instinctive curiosity. In this process, what they decides to become, will turn into an important element in their growth as an individual. The collaborative and collective disposition of the Reggio-Emilia approach goes a long way in the effective learning of the child. The parent s, teachers and children are equal partners in the development of the child (Arseven, 2014). Apart from independent learning of the child, it also documents the learning progress of the child through taking pictures, collecting transcripts from children and their artwork. It believes there is no one way of learning and there should be the adoption of multiple learning tools and instruments at the disposal of the teachers for teaching the children. But as a teacher I have identified certain drawback of this method as it leads to a complete loss of control in contrast to the earlier modes of teaching. Another shortcoming of this method is that there is not a fixed curriculum as it is the interest of the children that informs the curriculum plan (Ho?evar, ebart tefanc, 2013). This can be challenging and time-consuming. I feel that this lack of standardization can add unnecessary burden on the teacher and pose demand for more teachers for the children. Conclusion Through this paper I have put forth my understanding of the child and therefore, I have emphasized that a child should be allowed to grow and nurture in a compatible environment. The Montessori and Regio-Emmilia method are helpful in this endeavour. But as a teacher I feel that the approaches and underlying principles of the Kumon method is something I intend to implement. Although, the Regio Emilia approach have generated momentum in the present context but it has certain shortcomings that a teacher can pose a setback. Otherwise, I recommend a sustainable and holistic approach for framework of the primary school education. References Ahmadpour, N., Mujembari, A. K. (2015). The impact of Montessori teaching method on IQ levels of 5-year old children.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,205, 122-127. Arseven, A. (2014). THE REGGIO EMILIA APPROACH AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.International Journal of Academic Research,6(1). Bond, V. L. (2015). Sounds to share: The state of music education in three Reggio Emiliainspired North American preschools.Journal of research in music education,62(4), 462-484. Bray, M. (2013). Shadow education: Comparative perspectives on the expansion and implications of private supplementary tutoring.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,77, 412-420. Cutter-Mackenzie, A., Edwards, S. (2013). 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