8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Children in Estonia have an established rhythm since they are 18 months old.
The description of a little-known reality in Portugal. In this case, in the context of education.
Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education in Estonia, was in Portugal this week. And he explained how it works in his country: when children have 18 months (one and a half years), enter teaching preschool. 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.
It’s like the length of a working day. During this day, children encounter licensed teachers who have defined curricula – but who do not focus on academic learning: focus “on socio-emotional skillsin the competencies of self-regulation”.
It is right at this stage, in kindergarten, that the Estonian education structure ensures that “all children have the same, where they level children up”.
The focus is really on self-regulation: checking if the child can understand the adult, if they talk to the adult, if they ask and answer questions, if they play, if they can stay concentrated for at least 20 minutes.
E stay in kindergarten until the age of 7. In fact, the same minister thinks that children should not start formal school before the age of 7.
There is two resumes during this period: one from 18 months to 4 years, another from 5 to 7 years.
It is not mandatory for them to know how to read when they leave kindergarten. It is expected that know the alphabet and sounds. When entering the 1st year, then, just after two months, all children are supposed to be reading.
And it seems to work: PISA tests, the large OECD study that is carried out on 15-year-old students, put the Estonia at the top in Europe and as the 4th best country in the world (in mathematical, scientific and reading literacy).
“So it’s not about how early you start academic learning, it’s about how prepared you are for it.”
